Believe it or not (in some ways) it’s already 2017.
2016? That is SO last year.
Because in most businesses, there’s a time gap between doing work and getting results from that work. Usually a 60-120 day delay.
The activity you’re doing now? Expect to see results around January.
This delay holds true all year long, but becomes most apparent in January. When the only sound in your office is crickets, because you decided to wind down your year when things started getting hectic in October.
So…it’s decision time.
Are you going to get focused and serious during this crucial time, and have 2017 roll in on a wave of results? Or are you going to wind down, and in January essentially have to start over from a dead stop?
Now is the time to get serious about what kind of year 2017 will be. Here are 5 tips to keep your momentum going and make 2017 a success:
- Review your goals for this year and write your goals for 2017. Goal-writing in January is too late, because you miss the opportunity to lay the groundwork this year to achieve your goals next year.
- Create monthly and weekly action plans to accomplish your goals. Take the time to get really specific about what work needs to be done, and ditch busy work.
- Become fiercely protective of you time. Turn off your phone, ignore email. As the year progresses, there will be more and more distractions, so start a practice of undistracted focus NOW.
- Plan your day the night before every single workday. Prioritizing your activity before you get into your day makes you more productive and your work easier.
- DO NOT throw up your hands and say, “Well, I’ll just start over next year.” YES, the holidays are demanding. And YES, a lot of people check out of their businesses by the time December rolls around. Don’t be one of them!
The truth is achieving your goals takes discipline. It takes planning and saying no and making hard trade-offs.
But keep in mind: achieving your goals is exhilarating and positively impacts lives far beyond your own.
In other words… it’s worth it. Put in the work. You won’t regret it.