Are you one of those people who put together New Year’s resolutions? I used to do this – I’d sit down at the table and pull out a nice, clean sheet of notebook paper. It always felt nice at the start. A blank page, full of possibilities. I would smile and start to ponder ways to improve myself – I will work out every day, I will read all of the Nobel Prize-winning novels from the last 25 years, I will not let clutter enter my house ever. I would look at the list and feel sure I could handle all these changes at once.
What in the world was I thinking? My blank page of possibility always got filled up with a list that I could never conceivably conquer in five years, let alone one. So I’ve stopped making New Year’s resolutions – at least the kind I used to make. They are just a way to feel bad, knowing you can never meet them. But real resolutions that you’ve taken time to think about and that you have a good chance of achieving? Those I can get behind! I’m a big believer that everyone – including your business perhaps – has something that can be improved. But don’t mistake a resolution for something big and complicated and overwhelming. Keep it simple.
According to Oxford’s dictionary, resolution means “a firm decision.” Yes! A decision. Not a hope, not a dream, not a wish. A decision to do something. Something you can and will do. So rather than saying you are going to run a marathon when you’re not even running yet, you say I’ve decided to walk for 10 minutes a week. Once you’re doing that, then see how you feel about running and then about a marathon. You get what I’m saying? You do. I know you do. Simple is key.
So now on to the real question. What decisions have you made for your business this year? What are you already doing that you can improve upon? If you’re like many businesses, there are so many things to do, it can feel overwhelming, especially if you just have a few people to handle everything. We get it, believe me. So how about keeping it simple this year? Find one or two things that you already doing and figure out how to improve upon them.
So how can you keep it simple? Well, here are some ideas that might get you thinking. Maybe you have a Facebook page that’s been just kind of taking up space – you had good intentions to keep it up, but you just don’t have the time. So your decision could be to pay attention to it at least twice a week and add one post each week – this small goal will probably add just an hour to your schedule each week. Or, maybe you had a really successful 2014 and your business is growing like crazy, but no one knows it yet. So your decision could be to create one press release, with a great story angle, to share with local media. These are just a few ideas – you know what you need to do to have a better 2015. So get out your pen and paper and write down one or two simple – really simple – things you want to do this year. Come on – get moving!
And, of course, if you need some ideas, we can help.