24 Tactical New Year’s Resolutions to Make in Your Business

Are you interested in thoughtful new year’s resolutions for the coming year?

Do you want a collection of productivity-based resolutions that will help you get things done with less fuss?

In this article, you’ll find a collection of twenty-four tactical new year’s resolutions you can make in your business next year.

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.

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

Many people choose a resolution that helps them improve an aspect of their personal life.

You may decide to eat healthier foods, be more organized, and spend more time with family.

However, you can also make resolutions for other areas of your life, such as your business, profession, or career.

Why make tactical new year’s resolutions?

You may be tempted to make sweeping changes to your business.

But making tactical improvements to your daily routine can be just as, if not more, productive.

You’ve got countless opportunities for improvement every single day.

Compounded over the course of a week, month, and year, these seemingly insignificant activities can quickly add up in value.

That’s where the true value of these tactical actions shines through.

The challenge is to allow yourself to value and accept these small actions as tangible and positive steps forward.

What are the benefits of making tactical new year’s resolutions?

There’s great benefit in making tactical new year’s resolutions in your business. Here are a few key benefits to consider:

New year’s resolutions benefit #1. practicality

Soft skills are an important part of any profession or career. For starters, when you put time and energy into improving soft skills such as time management, organization, and communication, you’ll gain rewards in many different areas of your life.

New year’s resolutions benefit #2. flexibility

Tactical resolutions allow you to practice skills in small actions through the year. Fortunately, you can use these skills whether your calendar is fully booked or not. What’s more, you can mix and match different tactics throughout the year depending on your workload, experiences, and interests.

New year’s resolutions benefit #3. reliability

Tactical resolutions are something you can always fall back on in your business. Thankfully, they offer you a solid foundation to streamline your calendar, workflow, personal productivity, and business operations.

24 tactical new year’s resolutions to make in your business

Here are twenty-four thought-provoking New Year’s resolutions you can make in your daily routine in the new year.

Lastly, when performed over the course of a year, these bite-size actions can help you improve your relationship toward productivity every day.

1. Hold standing meetings

Meetings are traditionally held while sitting. Why not shake things up by incorporating standing into a handful of your meetings? Depending on your situation, you can do this in smaller gatherings or one-on-ones. If you’re unable to add standing to your meetings, try incorporating some sort of physical break for people between sessions.

2. Write better emails

Poorly written emails are notorious in the world of work. Blast through communication blockages by creating succinct subject lines and avoiding long-winded messages. Draft emails in advance, set them aside, and review them later with fresh eyes. The more concise and clear you can be in email communications, the more likely your recipient will understand your request.

3. Meditate daily

Thankfully, meditation is a great tool if you want to improve your productivity. It offers us the time and space to simply exist in the present moment. Meditate or sit quietly for 10 to 15 minutes. To prevent being disturbed, temporarily turn off electronic alerts or ask others not to disturb you where possible.

4. Organize your desk according to your preferences

Your workspace and desk are crucial to finishing your work. Take a moment to consider whether your desk is properly organized for your needs. Are materials within easy reach and in a convenient location on your desk? Finally, are items grouped in such a way that makes it easy for them to be used in tandem, such as pens near a notepad?

5. Create a desk landing pad

Make space for yourself so you can do your work. A desk blotter or large piece of paper can help designate a work area space at your desk. You can also use this physical designation as a guide to keep things tidy. Return items where they belong on your desk. Do your best to keep this area clean and free of unnecessary items. You’ll have room to write, type, calculate, sketch, review, and call.

6. Embrace small pockets of time

Give yourself the gift of time. It’s not uncommon for people to discount five minutes worth of time. Now, this isn’t to say you must spend every moment of the day working. But it will shake up your perception as to what you can accomplish in a period of time. Make a phone call, check a balance, come up with an idea, take a break from the screen, savor that hot beverage, or check your to-do list. Because, quite frankly, You’ve got more time available to you than you think.

7. Start meetings on time

Make every meeting count. This year, resolve to start all meetings on time. Announce your intentions to meeting attendees in advance and request their cooperation. Prepare an agenda, designate a timekeeper, and arrive early for meeting setup. Above all, keep your word. Watch the clock and start your meeting on time.

8. End meetings on time

Another meeting-related resolution you can make is to end all meetings on time. Doing so allows others to put their full attention and focus on the meeting. They’ll also have sufficient time afterward to attend to other work responsibilities. Set a specific end time for your meetings. Then work your way backward to identify a specific wrap-up time. Work with your timekeeper to follow your agenda and stay on schedule.

9. Write handwritten thank-you notes

The digital age has made communication quick and easy, but nothing will replace a handwritten thank-you note. A handwritten note gives another layer of connection to you and your recipient. When the need arises, consider writing handwritten notes for customers, clients, staff, and vendors. You’ll set yourself apart from the crowd and will stand out by your actions. In fact, even if you write one thank-you note every month, that’s 12 people you’ve made a thoughtful connection with this year.

10. Put an end to overexaggerating

Do you tend to blow situations, scenarios, and circumstances way out of proportion? Practice recognizing such tendencies in your daily activities. Where do you make things seem bigger than they seem? You can gain some perspective by writing down your thoughts or asking a trusted person to discuss things with you. What’s more, you can then address the situation with a cooler head.

11. Encourage personal and vacation time

Make time off a priority for your team. Encourage the use of personal and vacation time for yourself and your staff throughout the year. Urge people to submit their time-off requests sooner rather than later so you can make plans for suitable staffing arrangements. You can remind people during regular meetings, newsletters, or bulletins to take their allotted time for themselves.

12. Write a job description for yourself

Want to add some validity to your job responsibilities as an entrepreneur or business owner? Write a job description for yourself. If you already have one written up, take it out and review it. Is there anything that needs to be added, removed, or adjusted? If you’re creating a job description for the first time, think about all the different tasks you perform in your business. When you’re finished, go through each item line by line. Are there any tasks that can be delegated or outsourced to others? Doing so will help free up your time so you can work on tasks that only you can do.

13. Set deadlines for decision-making

Unfortunately, making decisions is never easy. But you can make the process more productive by creating a distinct decision-making deadline for yourself. Your deadline will be in advance of the final external deadline. Set a deadline for yourself in a day, week, or month. When the deadline passes, take the next steps forward in your business as you had planned.

14. Improve a specific soft skill

Want to improve your business from the inside out with your new year’s resolutions? Improve a soft skill you’ve been meaning to upgrade for the past few months. You can work on skills like time management, energy management, people management, meeting management, or interpersonal communication. Hire a coach, read books, listen to podcasts, or sign up for a course. Do whatever you can to improve, and you’ll see changes in your business and overall approach to your work.

15. Respect your personal time

It’s clearly important to respect other people’s time. But do you equally respect your own personal time? It’s worth giving this some thought. If you’ve scheduled time for you to plan, do you hold it with the same level of importance as a meeting with a client, customer, vendor, or someone else of importance to you in your business? You are worthy of taking time for yourself. Practice respecting your personal time during the year; you’ll learn a lot about yourself.

16. Use a recently purchased tool

Businesses thrive on tools, apps, and programs. However, that doesn’t mean everything you’ve purchased has been sufficiently used. Think about a recent business purchase. You had full intention of using this item before, but now you’re going to actually use it. Get yourself up to speed: Watch a video, read a manual, or delegate the work to someone else. The idea is to simply pluck the tool from the shelf, dust it off, and put it to use.

17. Write a top-lessons-learned list from last year

Want to make a fabulous head start in your business in the new year? Take a moment to think about what happened in your business this past year. What lessons did you learn? What did you experience as a result of working on a project, dealing with clients, talking with investors, or managing your personal schedule? Use your learnings to help you begin the new year with solid footing.

18. Address something you’ve been actively avoiding

This tip is not for the faint of heart. However, it will help you deal with an issue you’ve been procrastinating on for the past several weeks or months. What have you been avoiding in your business? You probably have an idea as to what it is. Whether it’s arranging a meeting, sending an email, having a tool repaired, or putting in a purchase request, take care of the item right now. Repeat as necessary.

19. Give yourself the best version of yourself

Do you bring your best self to work every day? Think of areas in your work and personal life that need a tune-up. For instance, could you use more sleep at night? Do you drink water during the day? Take adequate meal breaks? Incorporate physical movement into your day? Choose one item to improve for the next two weeks. Add another item into the mix after the first two weeks have passed.

20. Let go of doing everything in one day

Let’s face it: it’s a lot of work being in business for yourself. All the more reason to drop the notion that everything in your business must be completed in one single day. When you release the fear or the guilt of not finishing everything, you’ll find there is more room for expansion, thought, and experimentation. Yes, your work still has to get done. But you don’t have to needlessly turn yourself into a pressure cooker in the process. Create a daily work plan for urgent and important tasks and take action.

21. Be thoughtful about basic needs

Where in your business could you go back to basics? And by this, I mean what are some simple ways you can solve problems right here, right now? Maybe that’s boosting your marketing efforts to get new customers, updating a buggy website, streamlining administrative operations, or creating welcome kits for new clients? A great place to begin is to identify something that’s been irritating or bothering you. Lastly, address the issue head-on so you can find a solution to the problem.

22. Unplug from your devices

Digital devices allow us to work from anywhere, but they are no match, nor are they a replacement, for analog working and thinking. Make a conscious effort daily to unplug from your digital devices. Then, you can set aside time throughout your day to be offline for brief pockets of time. You can also create a ritual for yourself to unplug in the evening so you can relax and unwind.

23. Think bigger

Okay, this may sound clichéd, but in what ways can you think bigger in your business and daily routine? How can you be more present? What’s the next step in your goals? What happens after that? And what happens after that? Sometimes, taking a few steps forward can help you see the bigger picture and open your mind to what’s possible. See how much bigger you can make those thoughts and ideas. You may pleasantly surprise yourself!

24. Show some integrity

Finally, it takes courage, but actions speak louder than words. Practice showing integrity throughout the day. However, this does require you to pay attention to your actions and recognize when things go wrong. Keep your word. Do what you said you’d do. For example, apologize when you’ve made a mistake. Communicate clearly and intently with others. And bring closure to a situation. Your actions won’t go unnoticed.

FAQ: Tactical new year’s resolutions

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

Conclusion

Tactical New Year’s resolutions are about being productive, one thoughtful step at a time. By focusing on small, practical changes, you set both you and your business up for success throughout the year.

Productivity isn’t about doing more, instead, it’s about working with intention and clarity. With the right mindset and actions, you can build a more balanced workflow for yourself in the coming year and beyond.

If you’re ready to work productively in your business in the New Year want want to get things done with less overwhelm, the next part is easy. Book a Strategy Session with me today to get started.

Rashelle Isip Productivity Coach and Founder of The Order Expert®

Rashelle Isip is a productivity coach and founder of The Order Expert®. She is a contributing columnist for Inc.com and author of four books. With over 16 years of experience in the productivity industry, Rashelle helps people work comfortably, sustainably, and joyously for the long term.

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