We don’t need to stress the importance of finishing the year with a bang! The last few months of the year are critical for businesses and can often represent some of the biggest sales of the year.
It goes without saying: it’s a fairly busy time for everyone. One of the most important aspects of making it across the finish line is getting organised and staying laser-focused.
Here are some suggestions to end your year strong for your small business.
Declutter your inbox
Let’s start small. Your email inbox is one of those small but significant sources of stress that you can take care of to set yourself up for success during the busy season. It will be much easier to manage your goals if your inbox isn’t already flooded. Delete, reply, mark or unsubscribe to make your email inbox more manageable.
Declutter your workstation
A clear head and a clear workstation will help you focus on your business goals and keeps distractions at bay and lowers your stress levels. Start by removing anything that doesn’t need to be there, rearrange, reorganise and finish by wiping and disinfecting your station. This will create a fresh working environment whilst keeping motivation high.
Review your processes, procedures and systems
What is working? What is not working? Did you notice anything working well in the first half of the year but isn’t in the second half? Is there anything you could have done differently or changed? Objectively assess your business to see what changes you need to make in your processes, procedures and systems.
Change a few habits
The end of the year is approaching, now is the time to be proactive. Can you think of any habit, approaches or attitudes that are holding you back? Changing a few bad habits can make a huge difference in the outcome of things. Try looking at organisation, time management, resilience, commitment, flexibility and see if any improvements can be made.
Set realistic and achievable goals
Nothing is more unmotivating that setting unrealistic goals and expectations. Goals are most effective when we set them realistically within what we know we are capable of doing. What’s important is setting goals, committing to working on them and making progress. As progress builds momentum.
Creative thinking
Being consistent in your strategy, content and messaging is essential. But adding a creative spark can capture your readers’ attention. The first step to increasing creativity is to allocate yourself to developing your creative abilities. Do not put off your efforts. Set goals, ask for the help of others, and put aside time each day to develop your skills.
Create a marketing calendar
You can finish the year strongly by creating a marketing calendar that simply reminds you what you are going to do and when. Some suggestions of things that can be in the calendar include email newsletters, social media posts, advertising, blog posts and deadlines. If you are feeling motivated, you can even go a step further and create a calendar for the first few months of next year to save you time.
Stay focused on your why
What is the goal that your business is accomplishing? Why do you do what you do? Keeping the end-game front of mind helps will help you stay focused and move forward. Bringing your ‘why’ back will add some zest to finishing the year strongly.
