I’m done with New Year’s resolutions. Never have been a fan.
The reason? More often than not, we find ourselves sad at the end of the year when we realize once again we have failed to deliver on our expectations by not sticking to those resolutions (made in a moment of insanity) before the clock struck midnight on December 31st.
So, no resolutions for me.
Something I always commit to is an annual plan, with goals for me and my business including time frames. Using a grease board, I write down my goals for the year, including strategy and tactics for achievement. I’ve found this to be more realistic and I can actually say I’ve achieved my goals. Maybe not every single one, but most of them.
Looking ahead at my goals for 2016, one word comes to mind: Purge.
It’s not so much a word for me as it is a movement towards newness and away from things that are no longer working. To me, “purging” consists of getting rid of unnecessary items, words or thoughts that are standing in the way of my success.
If I’m going to be the best at what I do, then purging those things that are no longer helping me be productive needs to be my number one priority.
Let me share what I’ll be working on; here are 5 areas to “purge” for success in 2016:
- Office and desk. I’ll admit I have a love affair with office supplies, especially notebooks and pens. My color-coordinated file folders are great but they need to be in the file drawer, not on top of my desk. As a result, my environment is not conducive to working which makes it tough to stay focused. Purging my desk of extra pens, notebooks and other stuff to help me focus is a top priority.
- Habits. Checking email, Facebook, Twitter and a host of other online sites is a habit that’s gotten out of hand. As a marketer, I can argue that all of these are necessary for my work. True, but there’s got to be a limit to when and how much time I allow myself for this. Goal: Purge the “random checking” of these sites and replace the habit with “scheduled” checking to better manage my time.
- Email. Thousands of emails clutter my inbox. Simple purge here: set aside a few hours one day to delete all but the most recent emails. Going forward, delete email weekly, if not daily.
- Resume. Despite the fact that I revise my resume at least once a year, I still need to purge items that are no longer needed and look for better ways to tell my story. This is an often over-looked task for most people, who rarely review their entire resume, only adding new information at the top as-needed. Yet unnecessary words and/or phrases may actually be harmful to a person during a job search.
- Thoughts. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy when it comes to moving forward with a project or idea. In an attempt to understand all sides of the project, I can focus on the negative rather than the positive. I plan to purge these thoughts and replace them with my plan for success.
There are more areas I could purge, yet I want to achieve my goals so I’ll start here. When I achieve these, I’ll add more.
Stuck with what to achieve this year yourself? Feel free to use my word, Purge. Start with your resume and move forward from there. Add your desk, maybe a habit or two; even your email if your inbox is full.
If you get really adventurous, attack your clothes closet. That’s what I plan to do next.
Like Tami, I was terminated once (By my best friend, BTW – he is now on the board of the agency I lead, so I got him back – ha!), but you don’t have to be unemployed to learn something from this book. 
