For many professionals, December (which, believe it or not, begins tomorrow!) brings a slower workload. It’s therefore a terrific time to enact some final to-do’s to close out another powerful year. Creating year-end rituals can make these actions both celebratory and impactful. Here are 7 ideas to consider:
- Purge Your File Cabinet. Clear away the outdated and unnecessary paperwork, archive older reference files, and free up space for fresh, new opportunities.
- Document Your Successes. Never start your new year’s goals until you’ve celebrated your current year’s success! Many of my clients document their wins all year long in a Success Journal. If you haven’t tracked your successes throughout the year, set aside some time this month to reflect and make your list.
Thank Your Top Clients. In his Nov. 28 blog, marketing guru Drew McLellan suggests sending handwritten thank-you notes to your top 5 customers. You could extend this to vendors and colleagues, too. I once worked with a client who knitted scarves for her staff for Christmas – talk about a personal and meaningful thank-you!- Rearrange Your Office. Give your office a thorough cleaning, a new coat of paint, and whatever touchups are necessary. If possible, rearrange the furniture and decor to encourage a fresh flow of ideas, too.
- Line Up Your Professional Development. Now is the time to enroll for training, hire a coach, and join or renew your group memberships for 2013. Make sure you update your professional profiles while you’re at it.
- Book Your January Calendar. Are your prospects telling you they won’t take action until after the holidays? Set up your January meetings now so you can hit the ground running when you turn the calendar. Darren Hardy, publisher of Success magazine, credits his prior real estate success to this strategy – he booked his entire January calendar throughout December, which set his sales miles above the rest by January 15.
- Assess Your Lessons Learned. Cull your notes from the conferences, classes, and webinars you’ve attended throughout the year, as well as the books you’ve read. Summarize your key learnings and set your top 3-5 action steps. Knowledge is great, but knowledge plus implementation makes you unstoppable.
For an added sense of ritual, you can create a little “ceremony” around any of these activities: light a candle, pour a fresh cup of coffee, or purchase a special leather-bound journal for those successes and key learnings. A small touch can elevate an ordinary activity to an extraordinary event.
Which one of these rituals will you activate? Or what new ideas can you offer? Post your comments below or on our Facebook page!