Before You Move On, Look at the Clues from the Last Six Months

Jul 02, 2026

Yesterday I sat down with my Strategic by Design, my business think book, and looked back at how the first half of 2026 actually played out in my business.

I reviewed the real numbers, the wins, the challenges, the energy drainers, the unfinished work, and the places where time or money quietly leaked out of the business.

Having everything laid out on paper made it much easier to see what I want this quarter to look like and what needs to change as I move through the rest of the year.

This kind of review has completely transformed the way I work online, and I highly recommend doing it before you start filling your July calendar with new plans.

Especially if you are wearing multiple hats and trying to get a better return on the limited time you have available.

This week is a good time to pause and do the exercise.

We are just entering the new quarter, before the first full week of July begins.

And if you are in the U.S. with a long weekend ahead, you may have a little more breathing room than usual to sit down and think.

You do not need to spend an entire day on it. An intentional 15 minutes can tell you a lot.

Start by looking at what you planned to accomplish by now. Then compare that plan with what actually happened.

Which goals moved forward?
Which ones stayed on the list month after month?
What generated sales, leads, or conversations?
What took up a surprising amount of time without producing much in return?

What did you keep doing because it was part of the plan, even when the evidence was telling you it was no longer the best use of your time?

This is where the review becomes valuable.

It stops you from carrying the same assumptions into another quarter.

Without a review, it is easy to decide that you need to post more, create another offer, join another platform, or add another strategy.

You start solving problems before you have properly identified them.

Sometimes the business does not need more activity. It needs clearer direction

It needs you to notice that one offer is attracting interest but your follow-up is weak.
Or that you are spending hours creating content for a platform that sends very little traffic or revenue back to you.

The numbers may not always be impressive, especially when you are building around a full life - job, children, family responsibilities…

That does not make them useless. Small numbers still contain data and insight.

The point of reviewing your progress is not to judge your performance.

It is to make better decisions.

Once I could see Q2 clearly, I was able to map out what I want from Q3 with much more precision.

Not a long list of attractive goals that compete with one another, but a clearer direction based on what the business is already showing me.

That is the exact reason we created the Strategic by Design planner.

It is for business owners who want to run their businesses with intention instead of reacting to whatever the week throws at them.

It gives you a place to plan, track the numbers, review what happened, and make adjustments before another quarter disappears.

In case you it, you can now purchase the planner directly from me:

You can get the Brown Leather here and the Beige Linen here

Before you rush into the second half of the year, pause and notice the patterns that have been quietly driving your business on autopilot.

I have also updated my Profitable Email List free resource.

If email marketing is on your radar for the second half of the year, this will help you map out a clearer lead magnet and email list growth strategy, rather than creating another freebie without knowing how it connects to your offers.

You can get the Profitable Email List resource here at no cost

Your next move should not come from pressure to do more.

It should come from seeing clearly what deserves more of your time.

~ Esther

P.S. Want a sneak peak? Listen to Dr. Ashley’s feedback: