To many people, fall may just be the prelude to winter – the days get shorter, it’s darker earlier, and the leaves are falling. But I’ve always thought of fall as a fresh start. It may be years since I’ve been in school, but something about the chill in the air makes me feel renewed and revitalized. 

With that in mind, I was recently chatting with my friend, Jaimie Field, about this very thing and how close we are to the end of the year. This starts to be the time when firms and attorneys look at their marketing and business development plans, to see how they’ve done in terms of meeting their goals for the year and what they want to accomplish in the following year. 

As we were talking, I had an idea – why not think of each quarter of the year as a fresh start? I’m not suggesting that we all write a new plan for each quarter (no one has time for that!). But take a few minutes today to set up a calendar reminder for yourself to look at your plan on the first business day in each quarter. 

Then, when that reminder comes up, take out your plan and review it: 

• Which goals have you accomplished?
• Which goals have you made progress on?
• What is still left to achieve?

I do this periodically (approximately quarterly), and each time I do it, I then set up additional reminders for myself for each of the outstanding goals – I’ll break them down into manageable increments and task myself with one or two things over the next three months on days that look to have a bit more space on the schedule. 

I can always reschedule those things if need be, but by doing that, I’m making a commitment to myself and my goals for the year. It helps me to keep track of what I’m doing on a regular basis, as well as to revisit my goals throughout the year so I know what’s working, what’s not working, and what I can improve on for the following year. 

So why not treat fall (and every new quarter) like a fresh start – track down your marketing and business development plans and do a quick review and scheduling. 

And a very Happy Halloween to all those who celebrate!