It’s time to start thinking about the New Year. Are you just starting out in business or have you been in business a while? Either way, each year you should consider writing a new business plan.

Your business plan does not need to be lengthy and complicated. It should include specific goals, strategies and actions you can implement on a daily basis. Having a written business plan with specific daily actions can increase your productivity and grow your business.

So let’s get started. The Canfield Kennedy InstantBizPlan.com website has a free report you can download – 6 Mistakes That Could Destroy Your Business . . . and How You Can Avoid Them. Go download your free report and get started on your 2010 plan now!

We live in a very fast-paced world and often find ourselves so busy each day just doing what needs to be done that we feel overwhelmed. There never seems to be any time to work on our businesses, to market to new clients, to come up with and implement new ideas.

I recommend you schedule 15 minutes twice a day to focus on you, your business and goals. You will find the benefits to be tremendous. The ideal times would be first thing in the morning and last thing at night. When you first get up, take 15 minutes to write down your thoughts and outline your goals for the day. I often find that I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas. So I keep a pad and pen next to my bed and jot these things down. Then in the morning I can use that as a basis for writing for the day. Keeping an ongoing journal of your thoughts and ideas is a great way to make sure you don’t forget any of them. You can always go back to them at a later date.

Take a second 15 minutes the last thing at night to write down your accomplishments. This will help you relax and focus on the positive things that happened throughout your day. You will find you sleep much better, wake more refreshed and think more clearly.

Use these two 15 minute periods to relax, take a deep breath, and then let it all out. Then focus on something specific you want to accomplish or that you did accomplish that day. You will find that you become more productive by taking 15 minutes twice a day to focus on your business goals.

What do you do to stay focused each day?

It’s nearly the beginning of a new year and time to set goals again. One goal you might set is to create a personal mission statement. This should focus on what you want to be and do – your values, contributions and achievements.

Start by identifying the various areas of your life and the two or three most important results you want to accomplish in each area. This gives you an overall perspective and sense of direction.

Franklin Covey has a wizard mission statement builder to help you through the steps of creating your personal mission statement.

Have you created a personal mission statement?

A key to moving your business forward and being successful is setting goals and putting them down in writing. Those who don’t put them in writing tend to flounder, unsure of where they’re heading.

Written goals help you see exactly where you want to be and what you want to achieve. A simple way to start is to just make a list of your daily accomplishments. Start a dream journal. Write down where you want your business to be in one year, five years, ten years. Seeing your goals in writing will give you the extra motivation needed to achieve those goals.

Set clear, reasonable goals. It’s useful to break your goals downs into smaller goals. It’s useful to write down one to three action items you will take to achieve each goal. Then put in writing the date you want to complete each item. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish.

Find someone to help you reach your goal, perhaps a mentor or a business colleague. Meet regularly and exchange ideas. Hold each other accountable for goals you’ve set.

Join a network of positive, supportive people who can help you be accountable to your goals. Avoid people who are negative and critical of your ideas.

Failures are opportunities to learn. Don’t hold back if you fail to meet a goal. Re-examine the goal, perhaps change it, adjust the timeline. Set a new, smaller goal if necessary. Then celebrate when you achieve it.