Propel Your Business: 4 Tips for Executives
Most business executives end the year, or start the new one, with excitement for what is ahead. New year, new goals, new plans, a fresh start. Here are a few tips to get it off to a fast pace, focus your time, and see success quickly.
Get Clarity Around What Success Looks Like This Year. What is your 10-year target for your business? (i.e., $50M business) Your 3-year picture? (i.e., $16.6M business) Break that 3 year picture down into a One-Year Plan. (i.e., $5.5M by the end of this year). What does that look like quarterly? ($1.38M) What are the 4-6 things that MUST happen this quarter to get you to the $1.38M mark? Those four to six things are your biggest priorities through March 31, 2019. We call them "Rocks". Make them your biggest priorities and do not let anyone or anything derail that.
Make a "Not Doing It" List. These are things you're not going to do this year... and be specific. These are the things that get in the way of your 90 day priorities (see #1 above). What are your biggest time wasters? Who sucks your energy and creativity? What has been on your "to-do" list for months and isn't getting done or are not aligned with your goal above? All of these things need to be on your "not doing it" list this year - honor this.
Protect Your Time. Set a certain time of day to deal with administrivia. With telemarketers, and cold callers able to get your information readily, answering unexpected calls and email is a huge time killer.
Take "Down Time" for Yourself. Surprisingly, your brain is more creative and solves problems more efficiently when it has time for rest and creativity. This means unplugging for several hours at a time. Take more down time than you are comfortable with this quarter. This unexpected change of behavior may just be what is needed to get your juices flowing and see breakthroughs in your business.
These four tips, when added together, will help you gain deeper clarity into what you want (and what you don't) and help you achieve more through the year. Disciplined practice of these tips will free your time and mental space and open up new possibilities as well.