“Good work habits help develop an internal toughness and a self-confident attitude that will sustain you through every adversity and temporary discouragement.” (Paul J. Flyer)
“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.” (Zig Ziglar)
For greatest business success, identify your DAILY HABITS–actions you commit to implementing every single day to ensure continued success. These are actions I take outside of serving my individual clients. Here are mine:
DAILY—
- Send 25 emails per day to members in my networking groups to introduce myself.
- Read for one hour on a topic relevant to my specialty or on marketing.
- Create new content–a client worksheet or assessment tool, a “how to” or tips article, an outline for a new speaking topic or workshop.
- At the end of the work day, clear my desk and identify my top three highest priorities for the next day and block out time to work on them.
- Identify one professional for my research project on mid-career transitions and make contact/schedule a phone interview.
- Meditate for 30 minutes. It grounds me and keeps me from succumbing to feelings of overwhelm.
WEEKLY—
- Send 10 letters each week to potential corporate clients for executive coaching and outplacement services.
- Draft two blog posts.
- Identify and reach out to at least five potential referral partners and add to my List of 101 Professionals.
- Attend one relevant networking event each week.
- Get out of the house for a change in perspective. (I work from home and much of my client work is done by phone. I take myself out of the house a few days each week so I don’t get too isolated).
- Update my client management system so I don’t lose track of people.
MONTHLY—
- Evaluate current marketing strategies and make course corrections based upon my results.
- Aim for two complimentary talks each month.
- Learn something new that will help me improve my personal performance. Right now, I’m learning more about how to use social media more effectively as a marketing tool.
- Assess my revenue and expenses.
- Rate myself on my daily and weekly habits and identify where I need to do better or different.
- Ask myself if I’m having FUN…..!
No matter what your business, there never seems to be enough time. Building a successful business requires persistence and RIGHT ACTION–which can change daily! By creating daily (and weekly and monthly) habits, you’ll find it easier to stay FOCUSED on what’s most important for your professional success.
THIS WEEK’S CALL TO ACTION:
Identify your highest business priorities and create your own list of daily, weekly, monthly and annual habits. And always remember to have some FUN along the way.
