Is your business still on track for the end of the year?
September marks the start of a new academic year for school-age children but for self-employed parents, it can also be a getting back to the normal working routine, that may have been altered over the summer to accommodate holidays and child-care arrangements.
As our clients and customers try to enjoy the last bit of summer – and we have had lots of sunny days this year – business and new leads may also have slowed down. However, this is when we should be making sure we’re geared up for the remainder of the year and the third quarter ends profitably.
So now is the time to review the progress in your business and check what has been achieved since January. Take a moment to assess business objectives and challenges to be met by the end of the year. Evaluate what has worked well and see whether you need to adjust your targets and emphasis as we move into the final quarter of the year.
It’s also an opportunity to start fresh and renew or create some habits for better working practice to help meet those goals. So, make the most of those back-to-school offers and invest in a beautiful new journal notebook.
Show your Gratitude
A Gratitude diary completed at the end of each day, helps to focus your thoughts and become more mindful of what you have achieved. Some days it may be tiny steps but by recording accomplishments at the end of each day, no matter how small, it can help to keep you moving forward, making your goals feel more attainable.
Putting pen to paper can allow to visualise and clarify where your emphasis needs to be. If you’re more creative than I am, then using coloured highlighters or stickers can add some creative flair – whatever works for you so that you are motivated to continue and come back to it.
These are some of the questions that can help you to get started:
- What are you thankful for today?
- Are you on track for achieving your goals this year?
- What inspired action do you need to take this week/month to keep you in line with your goals?
- Do you need help to make progress?
- What would you like to focus on tomorrow?
Journaling improves your ability to clearly see where you are heading. Noting down what you are thankful for at the end of each day increases your productivity and goal achievement and can shift your whole outlook into one of positivity.
Make the most of those stationery in-store offers and invest in a whiteboard or corkboard to be the basis of a vision board. Using images and texts related to your objectives, and strategically placed a vision board reminds you of your goals every day. 
Inspirational quotes and stickers together with magazine cutouts or sketches can be the motivation you need to reach those end of year targets.
Organisation and routine
Like the routine of children returning to school and doing homework at the same time and in the same place every day, as business owners having an organised routine can make our life easier. Tackle your admin at the same time each week, block out a set time to sort your expenses and receipts and schedule a timeslot to review your social media posts.
So what goals have you set for your business for this new school term?
Do you want to have an empty email inbox at the end of each day?
Do you want to have your diary working in a more organised manner? Or would you like to be posting more regularly to your business social media accounts?
Are your aspirations and targets for 31st December within touching distance?
If you would like to find out more about how Cotswold Colleague can help you reach your goals, please get in touch