Plant One Thing, Not the Whole Garden

I was meeting with a client earlier this week. We were mapping out her Q2 goals, and needed to prioritize. I asked, “So what cycle are you in this quarter?”

She paused and said: “All of them.”

We both laughed—because she wasn’t wrong. There were tasks and goals she wanted to accomplish this quarter across all four areas.

What she meant was: “I have to do marketing, sales, product, and operations this quarter. I can’t only focus on one.”

But when we looked more closely, only one of those categories—marketing—involved something brand new.

Not routine. Not automated. Something that required deep thinking, revising, decision-making.

That’s a marketing cycle.

She’s actively pushing that forward, while keeping everything else in motion. Not everything gets equal energy—but everything is moving. And while her cycle doesn’t need to last the whole quarter (she might hit her goal earlier), she does need one clear focus area. We all do.

Trying to make progress on too many high-effort goals at once? That’s a fast track to spinning your wheels. But if you break it down, plan your timing, and give each cycle the energy and resources it deserves, you actually get a lot more done—with way less chaos.

Wait, What Is a Cycle, exactly?

A cycle is a focused stretch of time—usually 30 to 90 days—where you put about 70% of your time and energy into one of the big five business areas:

💡 Product

📣 Marketing

💰 Sales

⚙️ Operations

🚀 Impact

You choose 1–2 high-level goals for that category and make it your primary focus.
The rest of your business still moves—but it shifts into maintenance mode.

After the cycle ends, you shift focus. Over time, all areas grow—without trying to grow them all at once.

🌱 You can’t plant, water, and harvest everything at the same time. Cycles help you grow the right thing at the right time.

If you missed my earlier post on this topic, you can catch up here.

My Current Cycle? Marketing.

I'm glad you asked.😉 Right now, I’m in a marketing cycle—focusing on visibility, storytelling, and sharing the Clarity & Confidence program with the people it’s meant for.

Once the program begins, I’ll shift into a product cycle—supporting the group, gathering feedback, and refining the experience. In addition to continuing with my clients in other programs.

This rhythm keeps me grounded. I’m not trying to launch, deliver, optimize, and scale everything at the same time.

Not Sure What Cycle You're In? Start Here.

If you’re feeling like my client—like everything needs your attention—pause and zoom out:

• What do you want to have accomplished by the end of this quarter?

• What’s new, uncertain, or stretching your comfort zone?

• What needs the most decision-making or creativity?

Whatever comes up—that’s likely your next cycle.

🤖 No clear goals yet? Try this:

You can use this ChatGPT prompt to help you generate meaningful goals based on your current stage of business:

I want to set company goals for myself for [timeframe]. Review my website [insert URL]. Here is a little bit about me: I am a solopreneur that [title and focus area]. I do this through [list what you do]. I am looking to [list growth areas]. I currently [list marketing activities] and [list sales activities]. Give me goals for [timeframe]? Tell me your reasoning before you respond.

You can also use my goals setting worksheet. Or just reply to this email—I love helping people map this out.

So… what cycle are you in right now?

And just as important:
What’s one thing you can let be in maintenance mode while you focus?

If you want help mapping your next cycle—or making sure your goals align with your values and energy—you know where to find me.