How To Make The Most Of The Next 90 Days

2017 seems to have slipped by at a blistering speed for many of us. With only around 90 days left of the year, some recruiters might be looking back at their yearly goals…and realising that the chances of fulfilling those targets are diminishing with each passing day.  

Don’t worry. What you dreamed for yourself back in those wintry January days is still possible for 2017, whether you wanted to become top biller, get known as a subject matter expert, or get promoted to senior consultant. You just need to treat this last quarter as a time to intensify your efforts and sprint after your goals, rather than falling into the common trap of slowing down in the lead-up to Christmas. 

An astonishing amount can be achieved in 90 days. It is a quarter of a year, after all-not something to just dismiss by thinking, ”It’s too late now. I’ll just hit those goals next year instead’.  In fact, if you allow yourself to think this way, there’s every chance you’ll find yourself in exactly the same position next October! 

Many highly successful people actually plan their life out in 90 day segments, realising that this ‘magic number’ of days is both short enough to spur the motivation, but also long enough to achieve something of significance.   

The Benefits of a 90 Day Timescale for Revolutionising Your Career 

1. You have no time to procrastinate.

When you set yourself a big 90 day goal and map out clearly all the steps you’ll need to take to get there, you’ll very quickly realise that there’s abolutely no time to dilly-dally. 90 day goals put a rocket under you, unlike yearly goals which are often written down, followed dutifully for a week, less dutifully the second week, then filed in a desk drawer until October…

2. You are much more agile to changing circumstances. 

90 day goals are actually much more in your control than annual or 5 year plans.  Things are less likely to change in 90 days, such as your manager changing or your sector undergoing a downturn. And even if something does dramatically change in your 90 day window, you’re much better prepared to handle it, as this goal has only been in play for a matter of weeks, so you have not invested as much time and energy into it. 90 day plans allow you to be much more agile in going after what you want, and changing tack quickly where necessary.  

3. You can’t accidentally fall behind. 

It’s really easy to notice when you’re getting behind in a 90 day plan.  We’re often quite terrible at estimating how long things will actually take, and when you factor in all these incremental time-eaters into a long-term plan, the goal just drifts further out of sight. A 90 day plan, on the other hand, requires extensive planning and milestone-setting to make sure you’re on track. You will always  know if you’re slipping behind the timeline. 

4. Your goal is actually in sight. 

The goal deadline with 90 day plans is so close, which means what you dream of feels tantalisingly achievable. And as you start to power through the task list of your 90 day plan, you’ll be motivated by the incredible speed of your  progress. This sense of achievement just spurs you to work harder! 

How to Create a 90 Day Plan 

Here are some questions you’ll need to work through to come up with your own 90 day plan.  

1. Where am I now? 

2. Where do I want to be in 90 days?  (This is the big, wonderful goal) 

3. Why do I truly want to be there- what is my big driver? (Be honest) 

4. What am I doing well? (In regards to the goal) 

5. What is holding me back? (In regards to the goal) 

6. What can I sacrifice to find the time to reach this big, wonderful goal? (Be strong!) 

7. What do I need to do to get there? (Be specific, breaking the goal down into tasks) 

8. What is the biggest priority? (The key task that the goal hinges most on.) 

9. How will I know I’m succeeding? (Set clear, measurable KPI’s) 

10. How will I reward myself for reaching milestones? (Set regular rewards) 

11. How will I remind myself of these goals everyday and stay on track? (Keep goals visible) 

An example 90 day plan for a recruiter 

Here are some possible examples for a recruiter wishing to become top biller.  

1. Where: You’re currently a mid-performing biller with some good months showing potential. 

2. What: Your goal is to become top biller in 90 days. 

3.  Why: Your motivation might be because you want the extra income for a house deposit, or because you want to be considered for promotion to senior consultant. 

4. Strength: You are excellent at looking after your current clients and candidates. 

5. Weakness: Your time management is getting in the way of cultivating new leads and your talent pipeline is weak. 

6. Sacrifice: You’ll sacrifice your Saturday mornings to research new leads ready for Monday. 

7. Task breakdown: You’ll make X extra calls each day, volunteer to speak at seminars or write blog posts to become known as an expert, find a mentor, grow your social media network.

8. Biggest priority: Making X more calls a day. 

9. Measuring success: You’ll set each task a clear KPI and strict timescale. 

10. Rewards: You’ll treat yourself a massage/weekend away when you reach milestones. 

11. Staying on track: You’ll write down your goals somewhere visible, refer to them daily, and schedule UNBREAKABLE time to spend each day/week on your goal. 

Whatever your recruitment goal is for 2017, it is not too late to reach it! Aim high and chase that goal, and you’ll go into 2018 feeling flushed with a sense of achievement…and ready to attack your next 90 day plan.  

Until next time, 

Cheryl