Vowing to eat better or get in shape are common New Year’s Resolutions. While it’s wonderful to focus on improving your health, why not also set resolutions to improve your business in 2020? This month marks the start of a new year and a new decade, and there’s no better time to finally get organized and get serious about what you want to achieve—and how you’ll get there.
With that in mind, here are eight New Year’s resolutions to consider setting in your professional life. Let us know your favorites, or if you are making any that we missed!
Clean Up Your Email Inbox
The average office worker spends at least four hours a day on work emails, according to a survey from Adobe. That comes out to 20 hours a week, or half of your weekly time at work, for some! If your inbox is a mess, that can make dealing with email even more stressful. The good news is that reigning it in and regaining control over your messages isn’t as difficult as it may sound. A simple way to start is to divide your inbox into four folders: Action Required, Awaiting Response, Delegated and Archived. File all emails into these four, leaving your inbox clear (of course, the fifth option is Delete).
Declutter Databases
Starting off the year fresh is easier when your
databases are organized and up to date. Go through systems this month and get
rid of duplicate entries, clean out old or past entries and be sure contact
information for clients is current. Ensuring your data is accurate will make
client outreach go smoother and create less headaches later on.
Update Your Website
Now is a great time to review your company’s online presence. Review all the content that currently lives there and decide whether it’s still an accurate representation of who you are and what you do. Double-check that any linked pages or buttons are working. Also remember to review your website from your phone, too—mobile-friendly sites are extremely important, as more than half of all online traffic is generated through mobile devices.
Check Your Content Plan
How are you engaging with your audience? Are you creating interesting, inviting, informative content that serves them? Evaluate what you’re publishing on each social media platform, your website, your newsletters or any other content delivery methods and make sure it’s serving a clear purpose. Also consider ways you can add more fun into your content—no matter the industry, content that makes readers smile or laugh will always be more engaging.
Improve Client Satisfaction
The first few weeks of the year are an ideal time to send out surveys to your clients. Ask them what they want, what they love about you and what they’d like to see change. You can use an easy service like SurveyMonkey or other free (or paid) services to make these as simple or complex as you like (but remember, the easier the survey is to complete, the more likely your audience is to do it). Consider offering a small reward, like a Starbucks or Amazon gift card, for completion if you want to increase response rates. Alternatively, you can also send out a simple email expressing your gratitude for their business, and that you’re looking forward to working together more in 2020. Simple thank-yous go a long way!
Stay Organized
Invest in a day planner to help you stay more productive. Planners such as the Day Designer are the perfect way to keep your day organized, enabling you to clearly map out what you hope to accomplish hour by hour, day by day. Using a tool such as this helps you stay accountable to yourself, as well as outline your priorities each day and how you’ll accomplish each task to achieve them.
Work on Leadership Skills
There are many ways to do this, from checking out the latest business or self-help books on leadership as recommended by sites like Forbes, taking online classes or attending conferences such as Leadercast. It’s also helpful to dedicate more time this year to teambuilding experiences with your team (check out this post for inspiration!).
Invest In Yourself
Take a look at your calendar, before it gets packed with meetings and trips, and determine where you might be able to attend a few events or conferences to further your professional development. Taking time to do these things not only helps you stay at the top of your game, abreast of trends and challenges facing your industry, but also provides key networking (and friendship-building!) opportunities with others in your field. Make time for face-to-face in 2020.
