It is easy to get bogged down into business planning that is so complicated it doesn't get completed or, if it does, it gets put away after completion and doesn't ever become a useful tool. Have you over-complicated your life? If so, here is an easy way to stay focused in 2009: choose just ONE!

ONE WORD

Begin by choosing one word for the year that will be the star you are aiming for. My word for 2009 is Relax. Much of my work on my own life and with clients these days is guided by The Law of Attraction.

For years I have planned, strived and fretted about attaining my goals. It has become increasingly clear to me that all that activity has made it harder, not easier to get where I want to go. By relaxing, I can be more flexible and take advantage of the downstream current, instead of paddling upstream frantically!

I asked the question recently of my Facebook friends and some of their words for the year are:

• Focus

• Consistency

• Bliss

There is no right answer here. What is it that you want for your year? Use it as a guiding star to measure each day if you are aligned with what is important to you.

ONE THING

Now, if you'd like to keep it simple but take this one step farther, try this exercise. I find my coaching clients already know what will make the most difference and what is most important in becoming more successful, but sometimes aren't conscious of having a structure to implement focus. So I ask them at the beginning of each year these two questions:

1. What is the one thing, which if you did it consistently, would make the most difference in your business?

2. What is the one thing, which if you did it consistently, would make the most difference in your personal quality of life?

It is amazing when I ask these questions how quickly I get answers. Most of us know exactly what we need to do! The benefit of this is it gives you focus every day on taking action on the most important activity.

This tactic is aligned with what Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, has identified as IMPORTANT vs URGENT. Thomas Leonard, the father of modern coaching, used to say that you could toss all business planning if, each day, you focused on improvement. He said, at the end of a year, this focus would probably exceed all rational business planning.

Once you have answered these two questions for yourself, post the answers somewhere that you will see them every day as you work or play. Perhaps a sticky note on your computer screen or car visor. Or a daily reminder on your smart phone or Outlook program. As you plan each day, incorporate that one word concept or important activity into your planning for the day. It will be a very good year!