4 Things You Can Do to Start Preparing for 2019

Have a tidy up

Before you take time out to start planning for next year,  have a tidy-up. Declutter your desk and filter through your emails. Put emails into relevant folders, archive or delete; add tags and filtering rules so your emails automatically go to the correct folder.

Tidying is proven to reduce stress and improve the organization. A Princeton study found that clutter can make it difficult to focus on one task, therefore reducing productivity.

Take time to reflect

Take a moment to reflect. What has happened over the last year and what impact has it had on you and your business?

It is worth bringing your team together to get their opinions and thoughts. This can be a group activity or you can speak to everyone individually. Ensure every member inputs, this will make for a more engaged team in the long run.

Your reflection time is also a good time to practice gratitude. Thank everyone in your business for all their help, if you have a smaller business try thanking each person individually for something they have done.

Analyse your business

After you have reflected have an in-depth review of your business. You can do this by performing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, take into consideration internal and external factors.

The analysis will also help you set realistic goals and objectives for next year.

Setting goals for next year

As mentioned above your SWOT analysis is a good basis for setting next year’s goals and objectives. You need to ensure your targets are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound).  An example of a SMART objective would be to “obtain 2 new clients a month by June 2019”.

Ensure the objectives and goals of each department align with overall company objectives. What does each department have to do to help the company meet its overall goal?

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