When an entrepreneur launches a business, part of the planning process involves developing an exit strategy. Sounds odd to decide how to exit a business before it is launched but you need to think long-term, and best and worst case scenarios.


Planning an exit strategy for the business made me begin thinking about exit strategies on a personal level — how to incorporate good habits, how to exit bad habits, how to commit to a goal, etc…

I like the idea of having a personal exit strategy because it means a planned change. For me, my exit strategy is to allow myself to focus more on the present. There. I committed it to writing!

These are the steps I plan to follow to be more present each day:
1. Plan each day where I will achieve five priorities. Five for the business and five for personal goals.
2. Allow distractions to fade away. If I start something, I will finish it before taking on another project.
3. Worry about only what you can control. If I continue to let myself worry about what most likely could happen, then I have waste a lot of valuable time. I need to be prepared but cannot control.
4. Manage my time in blocks. Manage my day in blocks rather than a to-do list. Routine is not a bad. Getting into a rut is bad.
5. Choose to be where you want. If I am having a phone conversation with someone, I will not multi-task. I don’t do it well and feel that very few people do. I can only manage one item at a time.

So off to a good start in January. My exit strategy in 2010 is being in the present. I’ll let you know how I improve and work toward that goal as the year unwinds.

Did you like this blog? Please send your thoughts and comments to annmarie@ammcommunications.com.