23 Productivity-Based New Year’s Resolutions Every Entrepreneur Should Make

Are you thinking about setting new year’s resolutions for yourself in the new year?

Do you want a fresh new approach to positively changing your professional and personal life?

In this article, you’ll find a collection of twenty-three productivity-based new year’s resolutions you can make in your business.

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

What are new year’s resolutions?

New Year’s Resolutions are declarations of intent that people make at the beginning of a calendar year.

The idea is to set an inspiring goal and create new habits in order to become a better person.

New Year’s resolutions traditionally favor personal goals, such as losing weight, getting in shape, or quitting smoking.

However, there’s no explicit rule or law that says new year’s resolutions must be personal.

But how about setting New Year’s resolutions for your business?

Can you even do such a thing? Of course you can.

Let’s face it: a resolution is all about improving yourself in some way.

Whether that’s through a professional or personal approach, that’s an improvement in my book!

Why make productivity-based new year’s resolutions?

Productivity-based resolutions are great for several reasons.

For starters, they are a new spin on an old tradition.

If you’re not inspired outright by traditional resolutions, then maybe shaking things up with a new approach will add some zest to your life.

You could perhaps hone your morning routine so you feel less stressed in the AM. Maybe you could make a point to be more present at mealtimes so you’re more aware of what you eat.

Secondly, productivity-based new year’s resolutions offer real-time habit building.

You can experiment with your new habits, make small tweaks, and see how you feel on a day-by-day basis.

Truly, you have a multitude of opportunities available to you on any given day.

What are the benefits of making productivity-based new year’s resolutions?

Lastly, some benefits of making productivity-based new year’s resolutions include:

• Increase self-confidence and self-awareness
• Streamline your daily and weekly routines
• Improve regular communication with others
• Create a more productive work environment
• Reduce time spent at work or the office
• Have more time for personal pursuits

23 productivity-based new year’s resolutions every entrepreneur should make

If you want to eliminate stress, shape up your to-dos, or quit project delays in your business, then you should turn your focus to practicing simple, yet effective actions every single day.

Not only will bite-sized tasks make you feel more accomplished, but your practical efforts will be compounded over the course of a year, thereby increasing your overall productivity.

Here are twenty-three productivity-based New Year’s resolutions you can make in your business in the new year.

1. Regularly review projects

Make project management a priority. At a bare minimum, schedule weekly review sessions to evaluate the status of ongoing projects. Be sure to address past actions, current statuses, and next steps during reviews.

2. End inbox overwhelm

You don’t need to be in your inbox all day. Schedule time to check and process emails during the day. Silence message notifications or temporarily log out of your email client so you can focus on other work items.

3. Follow morning and evening routines

Mentally and physically prepare for your workday with opening and closing routines. This can be as simple as switching on and off overhead lights, logging into and out of a computer system, or preparing and clearing off your workspace.

4. Work on important tasks first

Forget leaving that to-do for the end of the day. Create the necessary space in your calendar to complete important and urgent tasks earlier in the day. You’ll feel accomplished by the time lunch rolls around.

5. Let your lunch hours be work free

You work hard and deserve regular breaks. Make the most of your rest and recharge time by stepping away from your desk. Eat lunch in a break room, outdoors, or at a local restaurant. Put away your phone and enjoy an in-person conversation with a colleague or friend.

6. Schedule time to digest information

You know all those articles, books, courses, and webinars you’ve been meaning to consume over the past several months? Add blocks of regular reading time to your calendar so you’re never at a loss for reading time.

7. Make networking a regular occurrence

Connect with people in your professional network throughout the year. Remember, you don’t have to contact everyone at once. Connect with at least one person each week to keep your networking skills fresh.

8. Create a template

Do you know those recurring events in your business where you perform the same tasks over and over again? Simplify your life by creating a template, two, four, or more. Practically anything can be turned into a template, from an email, report, blog post, webinar, or customer testimonial request process.

9. Assemble a how-to guide

How-to guides can be indispensable tools in your business. Develop a guide for a recurring event or process. Some ideas include submitting requests for personal time off, using the photocopier to collate and staple documents, to editing and processing a video for social media.

10. Set aside time to think and reflect

Sometimes you just need space in your calendar to think over that new client project, purchase new office equipment, or review a recent launch. Pencil in a few hours of time into your schedule each week for undisturbed thinking and reflection.

11. Replace items where they belong

Office organization doesn’t have to take hours of your time. Replace office supplies, equipment, and paper files items where they belong as soon as you or others are finished using them. If items do not yet have a home, identify permanent storage locations for materials, and practice regular maintenance.

12. Trim your to-do list

Stop trying to complete your entire to-do list in a single day. Choose three to five manageable tasks you are going to complete every day. You’ll be able to actually get things done and will feel a strong sense of accomplishment by the day’s end.

13. Eliminate unnecessary meetings

Consider whether or not it’s actually necessary to hold a meeting in the first place. What specific result do you want to gain from a meeting? However, if you only need to communicate information, consider sending an email, announcement, or another form of message.

14. Return phone calls and emails in a timely fashion

Spend less time thinking about contacting potential clients, partners, and vendors, and spend more time taking action. Promptly batch-task important first and follow-up phone calls and emails. You can even set aside regular sessions during the week for maximum effectiveness.

15. Pay attention to your personal energy levels

You’ve probably got a good idea as to your energy levels throughout the day, so use them to your advantage. Schedule more in-depth focused work for when your energy levels are high, and tackle less-demanding tasks for when your energy levels are high.

16. Declare a new approach to delegation

You’ll accomplish much more in your business if you delegate tasks to others. Think about which tasks need to be delegated and to whom. Then, follow up accordingly with people to check their progress and review work.

17. Focus on the present

While past work and future plans are important, so is being fully present. Practice placing your focus and attention on the tasks, assignments, people, and places in front of you. You’ll be a much more informed and knowledgeable entrepreneur.

18. Put a priority on prioritization

If prioritizing tasks and to-dos is difficult for you, then you absolutely need to make prioritization your priority for the foreseeable future! Read a blog post, participate in a course, take a workshop, or hire a coach so you can strengthen your skills.

19. Delete unnecessary distractions

Distractions will always be a part of the world of work, so it’s wise to have a plan. Make a list of distraction tools you can use throughout work hours such as using a white noise generator, letting messages go to voicemail, not scheduling meetings, time blocking your work, turning off notifications, or working in a different location.

20. Make those meetings count

You carefully schedule meetings. Now it’s time to make the most of them. Sufficiently prepare for your meetings, no matter how small the gathering. Create a brief agenda, silence cell phones, and let yourself be 100 percent present and attentive in the meeting.

21. Add some joy to your work

Stay inspired and satisfied in your business with some encouraging tools. Create a motivational playlist, review your best customer testimonials, watch an inspirational video, or remember why you started your business in the first place.

22. Conduct end-of-project reviews

At the end of every completed project, ask yourself, “What went well? What didn’t go so well? What would I do differently next time?” You’ll learn quite a lot when you take the time to review your experiences and use them to plan for the future.

23. Ask for help

Finally, asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. Practice flexing your asking muscles on a daily basis. Request help and guidance in any area of your business, be it IT, marketing, legal, or human resources. Don’t be afraid to ask detailed questions or request thorough explanations.

FAQ: Productivity-based new year’s resolutions

A version of this article originally appeared on Inc.com.

Rashelle Isip Productivity Coach and Founder of The Order Expert®

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity coach, consultant, and founder of The Order Expert®. With over 16 years of experience, she helps entrepreneurs and executives replace the "hustle and grind" mindset with one of "ease and flow." Rashelle is a former contributing columnist for Inc.com and Lifehack.org, and has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, and NPR. She is the author of four books, including The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management. When not helping clients master their schedules, she enjoys scouting for practical, well-designed office supplies. Learn more at TheOrderExpert.com.

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