Here are three rapid ways to make the most of new routines:
1. Celebrate beginnings, not just endings.
When my eldest daughter moved into second grade and only two of her friends were in the same class, she asked where all her friends had gone and she wanted to start a new holiday celebration calledFriends Day. Right then we started a new tradition where at the start of every school year we would invite the whole class and their families to our house to allow the kids to play while the adults got to say hello to each other. Too often we have parties that celebrate the end rather than the beginning. Employee leaving parties, end of project parties, new boss moving on parties, when really you reap far more benefits by having a celebration at the very start.
2. Reset the view on the horizon.
One leader I worked with regularly used pictures from his vacation to share new insights to his team about how he was thinking about the future business horizon. Are you telling inspiring stories to your team about where you see your business going in the future?
3. Remember adults hate routine change too.
Habits easily form that make people miserable. It is sometimes easier to keep saying yes to commitments and responsibilities that creep and grow faster than bamboo roots in a garden. Ruthlessly attack your calendar and chop out time sucks. While changes of routines are hard, use this time of year to reflect on which routines are working for you and which you want to change. In my book Thoughtfully Ruthless: The Key to Exponential Growth, Wiley, April 2016, I outline how you can design your perfect year, perfect month, perfect week, and perfect day and compare it to your current reality.
You control your routines. Don’t let them control you.
Contact me if you would like to know more about how I can help you.
Dedicated to growing your business,
Val