Take A Pajama Day
TAKE A PAJAMA DAY
One of the things I like about Christmas (apart from all the parties and presents!) is knowing that a new year is just around the corner. There’s something magical about the demarcation of ending one year and beginning a new one.
Let’s be honest. While Christmas is a heartwarming time and brings out generous and loving spirits in us (mostly!), it’s also a mountain of extra work. Presents to buy and wrap. Decorating the house and tree. Big meals to prepare. Out of town guests. All this warm, fuzzy loveliness leads to a heap of clutter. We have a big mess to clean up.
When you are cleaning up the Christmas clutter, it’s the perfect time to clear out a little space for yourself. Create some empty space to reflect, evaluate, and analyze.
Time is the most precious commodity for most of the women business owners I know. Juggling clients, employees, financials, networking, and various administrative tasks, leaves very little time for…thinking.
When our brains are overloaded with conversations, technology, deadlines, and tasks, our creative and strategic juices just stop flowing.
Here’s my prescription for post-Christmas clutter: take a pajama day. No phones, no email, no text messages, no TV, no company. Give your mind a rest.
And while you’re hanging out in your pajamas, take a little time to ponder these three neglected areas:
1) What to stop: scan over last year’s calendar and task list and be ruthless about eliminating anything that did not add value for you or your business. If you cannot prove it moved you toward your goals, stop doing it.
2) What to start: let your imagination run wild and consider new ideas. Think about unmet needs for your clients and how you can fill that gap. Think about new processes and procedures that will make your business run more smoothly. Think about educational needs for your staff and yourself. You’ll add a spark of new life to your business.
3) What to measure: when we set goals, we think in terms of desired outcomes, and that’s perfect. But often we forget to measure the input or activity that leads to those goals. For example, your goal might be “increase sales” or “reduce expenses.” You can easily measure the output there, but you also need to measure the input. If you want to increase sales you‘ll need to measure the number of new prospects or the number of new referrals. If you want to reduce expenses, here’s a real eye opener: choose several key expense line items and calculate the percentage that line item is to your total revenue. Now go back three years and see how the percentages compare. That will help you see if expenses are creeping up out of proportion to your revenue growth.
My hope for you is that you can take advantage of this time of new beginnings and create some empty space to ponder, muse, contemplate, and moodle. Let your pajama day guide you to beginning the New Year with fresh insights.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Darcie