What are we talking about?\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all about using the month ahead to be in the right frame of mind for January 2 so that you can have a more powerful start in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
December Resolutions\u00a0<\/h3>\n
You\u2019re familiar with New Year Resolutions. What better time to make important changes so you can have a better life or a more successful business? Of course, it\u2019s also common to fall off before January ends. January also feels like the longest month of the year for many people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most people don\u2019t follow through on year-long commitments or sudden changes. So, why not take a gentler approach with some healthy activities this month? December is the last month of the year, and it goes by quickly. There are usually nice things to look forward to, so use that to your advantage! It\u2019s just one month to focus on. It’s like giving yourself a gift for next year. You can do this!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wind Down with Reflection\u00a0<\/h3>\n
Many people gravitate toward amusement when they start the Christmas run-up, but you can be more effective by winding down with reflection. What happened at your business in 2022? Think about it, but don\u2019t save this exercise for the end of the month. Do it a little bit each day during December.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Write it down in a fresh notebook. We\u2019re not talking about a life-long memoire here. It\u2019s one month, and a quick one!\u00a0<\/p>\n
And don\u2019t start or finish with the negative. Think about your successes and work back through the challenges you faced. Then, work forward again to the bright spots. Transform the basic facts of 2022 into a story. You might not be a gifted writer, but that doesn\u2019t change the fact that you should get to be the author. It\u2019s healthy for you to be the author of your own past and your responsibility as a leader to do it for your organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mine your 2022 for fresh insights by looking at cause-and-effect relationships. The connections between events probably look a lot different now than they did back in March or September. 2022 might not have been the best year, but in any case, you experienced a lot, and you learned a lot. Don\u2019t let the richness of the last year as a learning experience die in a haze of festivity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Above all, give yourself the gift of gratitude. It will set you up to be more productive because there is an established positive relationship between feelings of gratitude and mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prepare for Productivity\u00a0<\/h3>\n
As a business leader, your primary job is to work on the business rather than within the business. For you, true productivity is different from that of your employees. But the worst time to work on your business is when you are in a reactive state of mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Come January 2, you\u2019ll want to avoid being in a fight or flight mode where you\u2019re putting out fires and not thinking about the future. The best way to avoid an expensive state of reactivity is to make room for yourself outside of the business so that you can work on it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
And December might be the best time for you to make that space. You could look for opportunities to delegate tasks to employees. You could use slow moments to eliminate inefficiencies in a process. You could even find a 3rd party service that can do some of your business tasks more efficiently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We recently discovered a service that could reliably and inexpensively streamline some of our processes so that we could have more time to focus on growing. Your answer could be right under your nose, but you don\u2019t see it because you\u2019re in a state of reactivity rather than proactivity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The key here is to make the best use of yourself as an asset to your business. It\u2019s not advisable to announce sweeping changes for 2023, but it is a good time to observe how things are done and think about changes you can make in January.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evaluate Your Relationship with Technology\u00a0<\/h3>\n
As a technology firm, we know how technology frustrations and distractions can keep businesses in a reactive mode.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One way to effectively remove distractions is to form good habits with email. When things start to slow down in December, make a habit of looking at your email and other communications at set times throughout the day. Depending on the nature of your business, you\u2019ll be less likely to encounter an emergency this month. So why not start a healthy habit of checking your messages 3 times a day?\u00a0<\/p>\n
If there is a tendency for your emergencies to disregard the holidays, set up an isolated communication stream for true emergencies. If you\u2019re not guarding yourself in the area of communication, do your future self a favor and put it in place before you go on holiday!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now is also a good time to clean up your computer, organize your data, tidy up your wiring, and make sure that you won\u2019t have any problems at the first of the year. This could be as simple as using a system cleanser such as\u00a0ccleaner<\/a>\u00a0to give your computer a little TLC. In our experience, it can really breathe new life into overloaded machines.\u00a0<\/p>\n