By Mary Ann McLaughlin, Managing Partner
Given my conversations with friends and colleagues, there is a high probability that your goals for 2015 are based on growing, either personally or professionally. It’s also quite likely that the New Year prompted you to commit to achieving them – for real this time! The fact is, over 88% of “New Year’s Resolutions” die off within 2 months. Why? In large part it’s due to the lack of taking action steps that are both progressive and consistent so that they are easily adaptable into your everyday life and create your new (and desired) habit. Often, the goal, or this new way seems so big and so different and so difficult to achieve. And, it is no different with company growth; execution to goals is nearly impossible unless incremental and progressive steps are taken over and over again until the new and necessary habits are formed.
The truth is that many key actions to improve productivity and drive growth take no time at all to perform and will get you closer to your goals if broken down and performed consistently. Ask yourself, do you have 15 minutes to spare during the day (between meetings, on your way to and from work, right before lunch, when a conference call ends early, at the airport, etc.)?
In honor of New Year’s resolutions made in 2015, here are 20 things that you can do in about 15 minutes or less to improve your productivity, boost your career, and help you achieve both your personal and professional growth goals:
Thank someone. In writing.
Network. Reconnect with someone from your past, someone who you met at a conference, or someone who is a 2nd connection on LinkedIn.Remember, network is both a noun and a verb.
Plan. According to Brian Tracy, every minute spent planning saves 10 minutes on execution. That’s a 1000% return!!
GEICO.Everyone knows that 15 minutes can save you 15%.
Laugh. If you can’t have 15 minutes of fun each day, perhaps you are in the wrong role?
Gather Feedback. Ask someone credible how you are doing, how your company is doing and/or how your product or service is doing. Then see # 9
Purge email. Don’t get sucked into email all day long. Manage it in 15 minute chunks and spend at least one of those chunks deleting (and opting out of) the emails that are no longer needed.
Have a walking meeting. Exercise and strategize – now that’s a great combination!
Test your strategy. Are you continually doing the same thing yet expecting different results?See #6
Send a gift. For no reason other than to really let someone know you are thinking of them.
Dream. Big! Anchor those dreams and see #12.
Focus. For fifteen minutes, do only one thing that you lead you to that big dream. Don’t let anything disturb you for those fifteen minutes.
Learn. Read something that pertains to your business, your industry or your clients.
Apply. Take what you learned (#13) and apply it to your role.
Improve. Identify a process that you can make a little better because you have more knowledge today than you did when the process was designed.
Teach. Pass along something that works for you to help others succeed.
Practice a speech. Whether it’s a formal or informal “speech”, your ability to communicate is your key to success.
Breathe Deeply. Take it all in. Notice everything that’s going on outside of your little corner of the company.What can you learn or apply or improve?
Call a client. Give them something free – particularly if it’s in the form information that can help them grow.
Plan for tomorrow. How can you best use 15 minutes?
Butler Street. We help companies and their people grow. All of our client and talent development programs include progressions to ensure execution. We don’t just train your team, we affect the change you desire. If you have 2015 growth goals that you want to stick, click CONTACT and let’s start the conversation.