After holidays full of excess eating and big spending, the New Year approaches and everyone starts in with their Resolutions. As individuals, people resolve to lose weight, quit smoking and spend more time with their families. Good and noble endeavors to be sure. But what about in business? Are there any resolutions you should be implementing at work? Sure there are. Here’s a few for starters.
1. Start your day earlier. “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” said Benjamin Franklin. Seems to have worked for him. Think about it – more time in the morning means more time to devote to things you probably won’t get to do otherwise. Like exercise, read the paper, or eat breakfast. Starting your day off early means you can come into work on time, fully awake and ready to face the challenges of the day.
2. Work smarter, not harder. Since you’re already at work and feeling productive, think about the things you can do to make your job a little easier. Do you have some daily or weekly tasks you put off but then get distracted from? Get them done first thing and let the rest of the day fall into place. Have a hard time finding files after you’ve saved them? Work on a filing system that’s easier to navigate. You have to think about the things that are keeping or slowing you from achieving your goals and change them.
3. Cut down on waste. Sounds simple, right? It is. Think about the things you and your company are doing that wastes company resources like paper, electricity, or - worst of all - time. These things are costing your company money. What you have to look for are alternatives to what’s costing you money now. Can you send more emails instead of wasting paper corresponding through fax? Are you using up those “promotion-only” pens you spent so much money on in the office instead of handing them out to potential clients? And it has to be asked – are you still wasting time doing your own payroll?
4. Go green. Speaking of working smarter and cutting waste; how much can your company save by lowering utility costs? Green isn’t just a hippie buzzword anymore. Companies are saving money each year with green initiatives like better insulation and water-conserving options. Eco-friendly options like recycling have been known to boost customer support, as well. Look around your office, especially your trashcan, and see if there’s anything “green” you can be doing.
Remember, like your personal New Year’s Resolutions, your business Resolutions will require you to stick with it to be effective. Those above are just a few options you can implement. Have any other suggestions? Feel free to comment below.
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