It's December. Many people are scrambling to get their end of the year targets complete. Many are trying to reach out to prospects and recalcitrant clients to make that sale. Some are lining up their teams for that final push. A select few are slowly winding down their work for the eventual hibernation during the last two weeks of the month. They all should be taking just a little bit of December to begin laying the foundation for January. And February. And March. And the rest of 2012.

Some people have no time to do it. Some dread doing it. Some are downright afraid to do it. But you and I know it has to get done.

So today, let's get it done together - I will help you do it. Nothing fancy — actually a simple process that I take all of my clients through. So here goes:

STEP ONE - Plan The Big Picture.

Take a sheet of paper (or use my template) and list three (3) things you would like to accomplish in 2012. They can be personal (better time management) or linked to your position (increase my sales by 12%). To the right, list when you'd like to get each one done (I hate the term deadline).

Don't make them too big (increase sales by 112%) or too broad (change the world). Why? The odds are stacked against you that you'll never accomplish them. Keep them small, attainable, and reasonable. If you hit them early, you can always move the target up a bit.

STEP TWO - Break It Into Quarters.

Take a sheet of paper (or use my template) and draw a horizontal and vertical line to produce four equal quadrants. In each quadrant, I want you to place a number 1, 2, & 3 (they correspond to each of Step One's accomplishments).

For each number in each quadrant, I want you to write down two things:

What are you going to do?
When will you get it done?

That's it. This is your map for 2012. It might change, but you'll feel a whole lot better if you have guideposts, activities, and accomplishments to help you along the way. You can even make it more granular by planning out each month (and each week within the month). If you feel so inclined — go for it!

Finally, this might look too simple or too basic. I agree. But I would rather have someone tackle these simple steps than do nothing.