Looking Ahead to 2012
Following the theme I raised in The Year That Was, I want to rekindle an article I penned quite some time ago for SitePoint.
At the end of 2007 (wow, wasn’t that back in the dark ages!) I wrote an article about New Year’s Resolutions. Although it mentions 2008 as the year to look ahead to, it is just as relevant now as it was four years ago.
In many countries, the concept of New Year’s Resolutions is common. At the stroke of midnight on the last day of the year, we make a promise to ourselves, something we would like to achieve in the following year.
This is goal setting at work, in a very small way. Many of us, I imagine, go on to forget about that late night promise, and never look back. However, some people take it very seriously.
In my article, I suggested ten goals that you could use as a basis for your own list. These goals were:
- Start setting goals.
- Ask a client for a referral.
- Focus on profit, not turnover.
- Learn something new about business.
- Take time for yourself.
- Create products that generate income.
- Delegate effectively.
- Focus on client service.
- Take time to wander the Web.
- Build rock-solid procedures.
I’m pleased to say I honestly followed and achieved nearly all of those goals that year, and yet I find myself using similar goals for this year too. These are targets that you don’t just cross off; every year, you can repeat most of these over and over, and fine tune your business.
Please take a moment to read 10 New Year Resolutions to Boost your Business, and then see how many of these goals you are willing to commit to over the course of 2012. There are even handy one-page printable versions of these goals, so you can cross them off.
I would also be grateful if you had a few goals you wanted to share with our readers; please email them through to me via tribune@sitepoint.com and I’ll collate them in a list of goals for early next year.
I trust you enjoy the last few weeks of 2011, and I look forward to touching base with you in the exciting year ahead!
