The noisemakers are all put away and it’s back to “reality”, whatever that is… Forget the New Year’s Resolutions, they don’t work. What does work is setting yourself up for success. You have dreams and goals for 2010, so how do you hit the ground running without going insane or working yourself into burnout by the end of the month? Here’s how…
Pace Yourself
It’s easy to get excited about this fresh start and diving head first into achieving what you most want to. Life and business is a distance run, not a sprint. Though truthfully, it is most satisfying when you execute your plan with several sprints followed by periods of rest. So as you come out of the gates all excited this week…remember, bursts of effort followed by rest and rejuvenation.
Create Breathing Space
This ties into the first tip – create that space to breathe in. Put time in your schedule to rest, rejuvenate, exercise, eat well, and generally chill out. Remember how great some down time felt over the holidays? Don’t want until your summer vacation or next year to experience that AHHHH again.
Plan Ahead
You can’t do it all now. Create a do-able and realistic calendar for your business. Plot the steps that will take you toward your goal regularly throughout each day, week, month as it flows throughout all of 2010. That means factoring in that breathing space now by doing things like planning your vacation time and holidays as well as your strategic business milestones.
Say Yes to Opportunity
Planning is great. Yet if spontaneous opportunity comes your way, be ready and willing to adjust all plans and say yes. Of course only say yes if it is right for you … don’t fall prey to the lure of the quick adrenaline hit.
Do One Thing at a Time
Multi-tasking isn’t productive. Leveraging your time can be, but truthfully you’ll be more productive and more sane if you truly focus your efforts. One thing at a time. It is the cure for overwhelm as well. Mindfulness is crucial for the super busy.
With that I leave you with the wishes for a Happy New Year and a strong start that will bring you meaning and results.