Quarterly Planning in Notion
As a service provider, it's essential to have a clear plan of action for your business to thrive. Most of us create some form of this on an annual basis. While, annual planning is essential for setting long-term goals, but it often lacks the flexibility needed to navigate the ups and downs of a service-based business. It also creates this disconnect that creates an illusion that we have all the time in the world to complete these goals. October or worse, December rolls around and suddenly we begin to panic!
This is where quarterly planning comes in. It bridges the gap between long-term vision and day-to-day execution, keeping your business agile and focused.
In this video, we look at my current approach to quarterly planning in the hope there are some valuable insights you might like to adopt in your business too.
Why Quarterly Planning?
1. It Creates Flexibility Within Your Long-Term Vision
Annual planning provides the big picture, but it can become outdated as the year unfolds. Market conditions shift, client needs evolve, and internal priorities change.
Quarterly planning allows you to adjust your strategy without completely overhauling your goals. It keeps your team aligned and focused while still giving you room to pivot when necessary.
2. It Encourages Faster Decision-Making and Execution
When you plan only once a year, there’s a tendency to procrastinate on big goals because the deadline feels far away. Quarterly planning forces you to break large objectives into smaller, manageable milestones—making execution more immediate and achievable.
3. It Helps You Identify and Address Issues Sooner
A lot can change in a year. If you only review your business strategy annually, you might not catch inefficiencies or missed opportunities until it's too late. Quarterly reviews allow you to assess progress, fix what’s not working, and double down on what is.
How to Implement Quarterly Planning
Step 1: Define Your Goals Clearly
Start by defining SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Use Notion to create a dedicated page detailing:
An overview of your quarterly goals
Metrics to track your progress
Deadlines for each goal
Having clear goals in Notion ensures accountability and keeps you aligned with your annual objectives.
Step 2: Break Down Your Goals into Tasks
Next, translate your goals into actionable tasks. Notion makes this easy. Create separate pages for each goal and list detailed steps required to achieve them. Breaking goals into bite-sized tasks prevents overwhelm and boosts productivity.
Step 3: Assign Responsibilities and Deadlines
Effective delegation and clear deadlines are crucial. Create a task database in Notion, adding columns for Task Name, Assigned To, and Deadline. Assign tasks clearly to yourself or your team to foster accountability and collaboration.
Step 4: Monitor Your Progress with Ease
Notion’s Kanban boards are perfect for visualizing workflow stages such as "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." Simply drag tasks between columns as you advance.
Additionally, build dashboards in Notion incorporating charts or graphs to visualize progress towards your goals over time, providing immediate insights into your business health.
Step 5: Reflect and Refine Your Strategy
At the quarter's end, reflection is key. Create a dedicated reflection page in Notion to document:
Accomplishments
Shortcomings
Key lessons learned
Improvements for the next quarter
Regular reflection ensures continuous improvement, boosting your long-term success.
Bonus Tips: Advanced Notion Practices
Annual Goals Integration: Create annual goal databases within Notion to regularly cross-check your quarterly progress.
Scorecards & Metrics: Customize Notion databases to track relevant business metrics, from sales to customer conversions, enhancing decision-making.
Digital Detox and Systems Update: Use Notion to conduct quarterly tech and data clean-ups, keeping your workspace optimised and clutter-free.
Get Started with Your Free Notion Quarterly Planning Template
Ready to begin your own quarterly planning? Below you can access the exact framework I share in this video to streamline my own goals, tasks, and reflections.
