After years of making, and breaking, new year resolutions, I've totally changed my approach to starting a new year by resolving to not ever create new year resolutions. No more mantras of giving up weekday drinking for the year, reading a book each week or cutting all carbs until further notice. Instead, I've chosen a far more agile approach by creating an action list for both my personal and business life that each have a prioritised list of manageable tasks. For me, a list of items that I can action and add to makes me feel far more effective and provides a better chance of being set up for success. In keeping with my agile approach, I've created an old school physical Kanban board in my office so I can visualise, prioritise and action each item easily and rapidly.
My new Kanban board
Post-it number 1 on my wall was titled "Review Unlocke Creative website for content". Low and behold I discovered I hadn't written any blogs in far too long, so although I ticked that one off the list, I immediately had to stick the second Post-it on my Kanban wall. As an aside, I'm keen to hear from anyone who has mastered the art of sticking Post-its to the wall and having them actually stick. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't also use Blu-tack, especially in a humid climate.
Post-it number 2 said "Write a blog about not making new year resolutions", so that Post-it can soon be removed. Of course because I want to keep the momentum going with my blogging, I will immediately write the next blog title on another Post-it and stick it to the wall to ensure I action this soon and not get distracted with the day to day bits of running a business.
Let's face it, the biggest change is the distraction of day to day activity. We hope that by creating new year resolutions, we'll become better and more effective people, capable of following rules that we have set for ourselves. But making a resolution before January 1 doesn't necessarily help with behavioural change. Announcing your intention to family and friends might make you feel more accountable, but most promises made, no matter how widely announced, still only last for the first week or so. I know there is a small percentage of people who are amazing at self-discipline, but the majority of us mere mortals tend to break our own rules because well, we're only human.
Post-it number 3 says to create a checklist of all the most cost effective ways I could market my own business. While it seems obvious to most people, marketing professionals are often the worst at marketing ourselves. We constantly break our own rules when it comes to highlighting the great things we've done and do. As I scanned my portfolio and other social media profiles I realised how out of date all my messaging is now. So of course this has now initiated a whole range of other Post-its with tasks related to my updating my website and various profiles, again though ensuring each task was specific and actionable. I'm not going to succeed if the tasks are too vague or too hard to start or finish and I'd prefer they were removed before they literally start to fade.
Juggling priorities
Of course the picture I have created of my Kanban wall doesn't take into account the client work I also need to action each day. When you add client jobs into the mix, it starts looking a lot more complex and unachievable and that is why the ordering and prioritisation is important. I'm determined not to keep moving the tasks regarding my own marketing objectives down below client activity. Yes, clients will always come first, but if I'm not working on my business as well as in my business, I'm never going to be truly successful or satisfied.
So maybe that is my new year resolution after all: Work more on my business than in my business. If you need to do the same, get in touch.
Rhonda Locke is a highly experienced marketer, a champion for customers, products and brands, and is the Founder and Director of Unlocke Creative.