Isn’t it something deep in our psyche about this time of year that makes us ready for a “new start”, a new term, perhaps a new harvest…
Of course, throughout our lives this time of year represents such a new start – whether it be the start of school at the age of 4 or 5, the start of college/ university, or even the start of new jobs (which often coincide with this time of year).
So, what are the three key steps to help you make the most of this mood?
1. Goals – revisit the long term, and then make firm commitments to goals to achieve by Xmas. This is a logical, clearly identifiable, specific timescale embedded in our mindset… easy to set as a point for measuring and monitoring progress. It’s sufficient time to achieve something significant, and yet short enough to inject the urgency required to actually get cracking!
2. Focus – back after the summer break (and therefore refreshed), we are ready to return to business. Many businesses view this as harvest time… when they have a particularly productive time. So time to be focused to maximise the opportunity. Also, on the personal front, it’s a chance to work off summer excesses!
3. Plan/ regime – This is a good time to stay focused because it’s a clear run – there are no holidays intruding on the regime… there’s a good 10 weeks before Xmas rears a disruptive head. Time to set a new “timetable” and plan a powerful routine.
And with this new term starting, perhaps the first step is what one of my clients described as “sorting out your pencil case”! Are you “Sorted”? Is your business “Sorted”? Or are you straight back into chaos? Take a moment and get sorted, to make the most of what’s to come.