Part Two
IN last week’s column, we discussed how New Year’s resolutions don’t need sweeping changes for ourselves and for our business.
Rachelle Isip, Productivity Consultant and Time Management Coach, The Order Expert showed us how we can make a difference in bite-sized ways.
“You’ve got countless opportunities for improvement every single day,” she says in an article in Inc.com. “Compounded over the course of a week, month, and year, these seemingly insignificant activities can quickly add up value.”
The challenge is to “allow yourself to value and accept these small actions as tangible and positive steps forward.”
Last week, we shared the first 12 of her 24 Thought-Provoking New Year’s Resolutions to Make in Your Business in 2024. These included writing better emails, meditating and praying daily, starting and ending meetings on time, writing handwritten thank you notes, and writing a job description of yourself.
With Chinese New Year coming up, we share with you the next 12.
1. Set deadlines for decision making. As PR pros, we are all bound by deadlines- when we submit stories, report to top management, or simply finish a paper. We are also bound by decisions we have to make every day. Let’s merge the two by creating decision making deadlines. “Set a deadline for yourself in a day, week, or month,” says Isip. “When the deadline passes, take the next steps forward in your business as you have planned.
2. Improve a specific soft skill. Time management, energy management, meeting management, and interpersonal communication are some soft skills we can upgrade. Hire a coach, read books, listen to podcasts, or sign up for a course. “Do whatever you can to improve,” says Isip, “and you’ll see changes in your business and overall approach to your work.”
3. Respect your personal time. Give your personal time some thought,” says Isip. “You are worthy of taking time for yourself. Practice respecting your personal time during the year; you’ll learn a lot about yourself.”
4. Use a recently purchased tool. Businesses thrive on tools, apps, and programs. But these don’t mean anything if they are left on the shelf. You’ll be amazed how these can make a difference when put in use.
5. Write a top-lessons-learned list from 2023. Want to make a fabulous head start in your business in 2024? Isip suggests that we take a moment to think about what happened in the past year. What lessons did you learn working on a project, dealing with clients, talking with investors, or managing your personal schedule? “Use your learnings to help you begin the new year with solid footing,” she says.
6. Address something you’ve been actively avoiding. There are things that we tend to put off and off. That’s why Isip says this tip is not those for the faint of heart. “Whether it’s arranging a meeting, sending an email, having a tool repaired or putting in a purchase request, take care of the item right now,” she says. “Repeat as necessary.” You’ll be amazed how liberating this will be.
7. Give yourself the best version of yourself. Think of areas in your work and personal life that need a tune-up.
Could you use more sleep at night? Drink more water during the day? Take adequate meal breaks? Incorporate physical movement into your day? “Choose one item for the next two weeks,” suggests Isip. “Add another item after the first two weeks have passed.” Then you can work closer to being a better/best version of yourself.
8. Let go of doing everything in one day. Avoid cramming everything in a single day. While your work still has to be done, “when you feel the fear or the guilt of not finishing everything, you’ll find there is more room for expansion, thought, and experimentation,” says Isip. Don’t turn yourself into a pressure cooker. Create a daily work plan for urgent and important tasks and take action.
9. Be thoughtful about basic needs. Get back to basics as “there are some simple ways to solve problems right here, right now.” This could be boosting your marketing efforts to get new customers, updating a website, streamlining your operations, or creating welcome kits for new clients. Little things do mean a lot.
10. Unplug your devices. “Digital devices allow us to work from anywhere, but they are no match, nor are they a replacement, from analog working, and thinking,” says Isip. “Make a conscious daily effort to unplug your digital devices. You can set aside time throughout your day to be offline for pockets of time. You can also create a ritual for yourself to unplug in the evening so you can relax and unwind.”
11. Think bigger. Sometimes taking a few steps forward can help you see the bigger picture and open your mind to what’s possible. That will allow you to think bigger. “See how much bigger you can make those thoughts and ideas,” says Isip. “You may pleasantly surprise yourself!”
12. Show some integrity. It takes courage, but actions speak louder than words. That’s why Isip suggests that we “start showing integrity throughout the day…Pay attention to your actions and recognize when things go wrong. Keep your word, Apologize when you’ve made a mistake. Communicate clearly and intently with others. And bring closure to a situation, your actions won’t go unnoticed.”
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.