Hi Reader,

Can you believe it's already April? I'm so happy spring is here.

I started thinking about my Q2 around the Spring Equinox, and now it's already upon us.

But here's the thing: four days into a new quarter is not too late to plan it. It's never too late to plan this week, this month, or this quarter, no matter how far in you are.

Vision without action is just dreaming. Action without vision is just busy work. You need both.

So let's do this together.

Step 1: Celebrate your Q1 wins (even the small ones)

Before you look forward, look back. What did you finish, launch, learn, or survive between January and March? Write it down. Your brain will try to skip this step and jump straight to everything you didn't do. Don't let it. Your wins matter, no matter how small.

For me, I tend toward hibernation mode in January. I'm introverted, I'm recovering from the holidays, and the weather is cold and dark. But I still showed up: I wrote emails, went on a cruise with the Free Mama Movement and met some amazing women, and last month I participated in Adrienne Farrow's Go To Summit. For that summit, I created two new products: Tame Your Tabs to help get your browser tabs under control, and Bottleneck to Blueprint to help entrepreneurs find and fix the most difficult parts of their business. Small wins count too: I set up Google Calendar reservations so I could finally cancel my Calendly subscription.

Step 2: Look at what's actually happening in Q2

Pull up your calendar and note the real things: holidays, school events, travel, launches, deadlines. April, May, and June each have their own energy and their own interruptions. Plan around your real life, not an imaginary one.

For me, all three boys are in band and two are in drama. We have spring concerts and performances. I volunteer with a local medieval living history village, so I'm planning around monthly feasts and spring festivals. There's also Spring Break, a quick little family trip with my mom and sisters, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day and the last day of school in mid-June. (We don’t start school until Labor Day, so we end a little late.)

Step 3: Revisit your business goals

What were you working toward this year? Does it still feel right, or does it need adjusting? You're allowed to update your goals based on what you learned in Q1. Once you've revisited your goals, write down one to three specific outcomes you want from Q2.

For me, Q1’s goal was to be consistent. I was okay but it needs improvement. For Q2, I want to continue my goal to be consistent. However, a lot is changing as I transition from Digital Organizer to Operations Strategist. I need to completely redo my offers. My website needs a complete refresh for my Home, About, and Everything pages. I still want to write a proper evergreen welcome email sequence. And I’m going to be moving from Kit to Flodesk in May. I'm accepting that launching my podcast will need to move to Q3, because in addition to all this, I'm still working full time, raising three boys, and growing a business. I’m a little crazy but not that crazy, haha.

Step 4: Break it down

Once you know your goals and your calendar, assign a rough theme or focus to each month. Then pick one or two priorities per week that actually move those goals forward. Not a massive to-do list, but enough to keep momentum going.

For me: April is finishing my half-written Content Mapping post. May is Process Mapping. June is a case study for a 501(c)(3) I helped this past winter. Each week I have content tasks and connection tasks built around those themes.

Want an AI prompt to help you plan your Q2?

Would you like the AI prompt I made to help me do my planning? You can drop this prompt straight into ChatGPT or Claude. It asks you the right questions and helps you turn your swirling thoughts from overwhelm or scattered disconnected ideas into an actual plan.

I’m having so much fun. I told Claude I wish life were like a video game quest where I go do the tasks and then someone gives me a reward. So now I have my own weekly quests instead of just tasks.

Reply to this email with "Q2 prompt" (or whatever to that effect, I’m a human not a bot) and I'll send it to you. I just don’t feel like posting the link to the entire world. Nor do I think it’s big enough at the moment to make into a full-blown product. I’d rather just send it to the people who are interested.

Q2 has three months, roughly thirteen weeks, and a lot of potential. You haven't missed it.

Best of luck! :-)

Allie

Allie, Technically Eclectic Business Operations Systems Strategist, technical writer, and mom of three boys

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