Six steps to find your business and marketing mojo
Are you finding it hard to get back into your business after the Xmas and New Year Break? If you live in Australia like I do, starting back in Summer seems to require an extra level of motivation a bit like the motivation displayed by players in the Australian Tennis Open. I raised this issue with my business buddies at a network meeting this morning. I have summarised some of the key strategies that were discussed. Choose one or two and apply them to your life and business and let me know how in the comments section or contact me directly.
1. Set some deadlines
For many business owners there is nothing more motivating than a looming deadline. Consider setting up some short-term deadlines for yourself to get moving. This might be as simple as setting up a couple of meetings – so that you hit the ground running upon your return.
2. Review and improve
Take some time when you first get back or at the end of the previous year to reflect on what worked in your business, what did not and what you do and do not want to do this year. Giving yourself some choices over how you spend your time can be both liberating and energising. Plan how you would like to improve your year and choose to spend your time on the tasks, clients, and elements of business you enjoy.
3. Start small – but just start
You are probably familiar with the idea of momentum creates more momentum. Sometimes even doing the smallest task can make tackling the next task even easier. Go softly in the first couple of days and weeks keep your to do list reasonable and throw in some enjoyable, easy tasks to get your business muscles working again.
4. Change or clean it up
Have you thought about changing your working environment to create a new feeling for the new year? This could be just giving your workplace a good clean, declutter or rearrange things to create comfort and efficiencies. Add some plants or flowers maybe even get a new bit of equipment or furniture to brighten things up. This can make you excited about where you work and keen to get there. I personally love doing an end of year clean up where I sort out files, try and declutter the email in box, remove surplus items from my office or desk and generally get things feeling more ordered.
5. Mindset magic
Work on your mindset while you are on holidays to be ready for a good start to the year. There are a couple of different ideas for how to get your mindset ready one is to have a clear break for when you are on holidays and when you are at work. This means setting up an auto-responder, not answering the phone etc when you are having a break. Another option is to plan how the year is going to look and focus on that so that you are feeling positive about returning to work. Some positive self-talk while you are taking a break can be helpful too. For example (it is going to be a good year in business this year as opposed to I really don’t feel like working).
6. Extend your holiday
Most successful business owners I know work hard often on weekends and after hours. Taking holidays can be challenging and so they often do not. The reality is that we all need to revive and rejuvenate ourselves from a busy year so we can do it again the next year. Taking a break from business, going away or relaxing is essential. Maybe if you are still not feeling the love for your business upon your return you may just need more of a break. So why not try giving yourself a shorter week or a few more days off and see if that helps get you back to the desk.
If you work alone, keeping motivated in your business can be a difficult thing to achieve. You often cannot do everything on your own. So, it is important to ask for help when you need it. Opportunities to get support and assistance come in a range of different ways. You might choose to have a life, business or marketing coach or join a networking group that meets regularly. The important thing to remember as business owners is that you have the power over how you run things so if something needs changing to keep you motivated in your business – then do it.
A big thank you to my networking buddies for their discussion today and contribution to this article. If you live in the West of Melbourne and are interested in joining a business network, find out more here. Please note: This blog post was written by a human NOT written by AI.
