Business Planning and Goal Setting The AAH Way – feat. Amy Wees at the Wizards of Ecom Podcast

Structure is freedom.

We know. Structure and freedom sound like two conflicting ideas in one statement. But hear us out.

If anybody knows the importance of structure – not just in business but in our everyday lives – it’s Amy Wees. As a former member of the US airforce operations and planning team, Amy’s life in the military depended so much on structure and creating plans. And even as she graduated from military life and moved on to be an entrepreneur, planning has become ingrained in Amy’s daily routine. She simply cannot function without it.

You may wonder… what does freedom have to do with all this?

Before we answer that – let us ask you first: do you remember your motivation for putting up your own business? If you’re like most business owners – you dreamed of being the boss – you wanted to be more in control of your own time. But the irony is – deep inside, most small business owners don’t feel in control. Once they face all the obligations, anxiety, headaches and heartbreak of being an entrepreneur – they wake up to an awful truth: they are not in control – they are controlled by their own business. 

Is freedom in being a business owner just a myth? Of course not. But it’s not what you might initially think it is. Freedom in business does not involve recklessly going through your tasks without a plan. The problem with not having a plan or any kind of structure is that your tasks will tend to snowball at you, and you end up getting buried under an avalanche of responsibilities that need to be addressed all at the same time. That’s a one-way ticket to burn out town.

Remember that you have the liberty to design your plans around your lifestyle. By creating structure you can go through each of your tasks with discipline and foresight, and ensure that you’ll always have the work-life balance that everybody wants.

So – plan with discipline. Set your long-term and short-term goals. Set your schedule for major events but don’t forget the mundane routine activities. Set a schedule even for non-work-related things – family time, dates with your loved ones, me time. And as you go through your day-to-day with more discipline and structure – you will begin to feel a sense of freedom. Why? Because now you control your own time. Structure is freedom because with structure you are free to design your own life.

BOOM. Mindblowing, isn’t it? These are just some of the things we’ve learned from Amy as she shared some amazing insights, tips, and nuggets of wisdom as a guest in the Wizards of Ecom podcast. Give it a listen – we promise you won’t regret it: Wizards of Ecom Episode #181-Why Goal Setting is Not Enough – Tips for Effective Planning from A War Planner with Amy Wees