Time for a fresh start!
“New year, New start”; Marketeers seem to be screaming it out. And although we’ve all been there a million times, once again we convince ourselves that this will be our year and that we should kick it off with some amazing new goals. So to motivate you to turn those goals into reality, we put our heads together and compiled a list of 7 tips that will make your fresh start a successful one! Best of all; these tips work for business- and personal life goals, so let’s get started…
1. Visualize Your Goals
Before you can achieve any goal, you first have to set it. Just thinking about a goal only gives it a 10% achievement chance, you need to follow through, start planning and commit to specific actions to make those goals a reality. With goals we don’t mean those typical resolutions that are forgotten by the time February arrives, but serious measurable commitments that will turn 2018 in a successful year. Not only does performance improve when it’s measured, but the more specific you make your goals, the more likely you’ll actually make them happen.
Additionally, a study by The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) discovered that if you want to improve your chances of success, you should use the power of incentives and accountability. Look for someone who will challenge, engage and evoke a sense of accomplishment in you, commit with specific accountability appointments and your chance of success will increase by up to 95%. It’s quite logical actually, think about it, when you tell a client you’ll send over a file by friday 4 p.m., you are more likely to deliver. The fact that someone is counting on you gives a strong incentive to get you to commit.
2. Start with a clean slate
One of the first things to do after setting your goals is to declutter. Whatever clutter is in your life, none of it is helpful, so the time has come to clean house. Are you wasting a lot of time looking for files? Start the day with cleaning up your desk and computer. Did you leave with a giant unfinished to do list? Review the tasks you left behind and start grooming. Pick out the duties that are still relevant and make sure you don’t do unnecessary work. Not only will it help to get organized to the point that you can quickly find what or who you need and don’t waste time getting things done, but it will also make you feel refreshed.
3. Manage time better
That brings us to our next point, managing time. Do you spend your day struggling to downsize your to-do list and then wonder why you haven’t accomplished much? You’re not alone, it happens to be one of the biggest challenges people as well as agencies face. No matter how organized you try to be, there are always only 24 hours in a day of which 31% of people already waste roughly one hour everyday. Prioritize! Instead of trying to deal with everything at once; set a time limit for each task, turn off all distractions and stick to it. Have a look around, are there any people or time-saving software that have strengths and skills that make them more capable of tackling a specific task? If so, take advantage and start to delegate.
4. Communicate with your friends and colleagues
Too often, businesses and people forget to tap into their most important resources: the people around them. There is no better way to identify and address gaps than by listening to those involved. So kick-off the year by organizing team and one-on-one meetings instead of having an endless stream of back-and-forth emailing that increases the chance for miscommunication and mistakes to happen. Examine what worked and what didn’t work last year, and let those lessons create progress in the new year. Use all these insights to map how things can be done more efficiently and what new opportunities are out there. After all, inspiration and knowledge are crucial to optimize (business) growth.
5. Look for fresh ideas
Dare to think like child, employ a strong sense of curiosity and break the pattern of convention. Every office is filled with amazing ideas and profound knowledge, so use 2018 as the year to try something different. The time has come to encourage colleagues to share their thoughts and ideas, who knows, it might spark yours. Inspiration can hit at any time, nonetheless, a lot of it often goes lost because we forget to keep a record of them. So time to go get some handy notebooks or implement a simple internal knowledge-share platform. Compiling is one thing, also take the time to actually revisit entries and don’t be afraid to elaborate on ideas from the past.
6. Stop fearing failure
We’ll make the case for not fearing failure by quoting the famous words of Paulo Coelho “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve, the fear of failure”. Cheesy but relevant. There’s no escape, when tackling new goals, Murphy’s law has the tendency to come into play when you least need it. The solution? Try to be prepared. Many experts agree that visualization is a powerful tool for goal setting. So don’t hesitate to hang the wall full of post-its of ideas and the necessary actions to undertake. Mapping everything will give you clear understanding of how, or where, to start and help breakdown worst case scenarios. So don’t cut corners on the groundwork when setting out on a new undertaking. Analyze the potential outcomes and put a contingency plan in place, it will increase your chances to succeed.
7. Don’t forget to relax
Last but not least, this will sound like music in your ears, don’t forget to take a break! It’s easy to fall into the trap of overdoing it, risking a burnout. The refueling principle is still one of the biggest secrets of productivity, although it’s quite logical, people are way more efficient when they step back and recharge their batteries. You need to be able to free your mind in order to shift perspectives. If even a 30 second microbreak can already increase productivity up to 13%, you can imagine what a few relaxing days can do. Plus you will (hopefully) come back re-energized, happier, and more productive.
This blog is part of “The Magnificent Seven”, a series that explores the impact and influence of design with a weekly dose of must know. If you have any questions related to design, send a message to hello@reggs.com and we’ll write about it.
