A few days ago, I told my husband that I am not going to release anything new for the rest of the year. December will be my “Freeze it Month” – kinda funny how that coincides with the season actually. I kinda broke that rule by going ahead with our new Tech Support sessions on Thursday nights beginning last week but that’s a free resource and doesn’t count. What I mean by freezing is to not roll out profitable projects in December while I continue to plan and do the back end work to get them ready.

Some of you seasoned marketers may be wondering why the heck not? You should be pushing out money making projects regularly. Projects sitting on your computer don’t make you money etc etc. You know what, you’re right BUT – there’s that 3 letter word. In some scenarios, it is good to freeze, so you can plan.

You see, when I worked outside, we always created a yearly marketing calendar. I would begin drafting the plan early right around July and present it in October. Since striking it out on my own, I’ve never done a marketing calendar and have always felt foolish about it. Last year, I attempted to and found out later I over complicated the whole calendar. Also got in the game late – while it’s never too late to plan, I’ve found what works best for me is if I have the plan out before the month/year begins not after.

If I roll anything out now, I’d be too busy to plan and that’s something I do not want to repeat. So, if I’m quiet, you know what I am doing.

Now, for a few planning tools and resources you might find useful if you find yourself in the same situation.

• Calendar – doesn’t have to be fancy, can be a paper one – that’s what I use (seriously). Or go for Google Calendar or 30 Boxes
• A collaboration tool so you can brainstorm, communicate and share with assistants. I personally handle most stuff in Gmail or Google Apps but if you like to get out of your inbox you could check out things like OpenGoo. I have it installed and working. Pretty interesting.
• Help and direction. You can be a good planner, but will you be a good doer? Ah! That’s the rub isn’t it? I’m a great planner –  but doing? Err… need a little help and nudge there. That’s why it always helps to be plugged in with a coach or have a learning resource like Jimmy D. Brown’s Homepreneur Habits around to help you get those plans from concept to doing everyday.

If you’re looking for more tools to lay out those plans, look you might want to pick up a copy of the 180 Free Tools reference. Just enter your name and email address below and you’re on your way to receiving it.

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