Jump Start the New Year

6 Things That Can Help Motivate You and Improve Your Business

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed a long and relaxing holiday season. And now that the New Year has begun you may be feeling a little sluggish and unmotivated. Sometimes you need to mix up your routine a little in order to jump start your business at the beginning of a new year. Here are a few things you can do to begin 2008 with a bang, improving your business and your perspective.

1. Get caught up on your filing.Nothing can drain your energy more than a stack (or stacks) of paperwork in need of filing. Just the look of them may overwhelm you. And ignoring that necessary filing will slow you down, making it difficult to find crucial information quickly. Once you set your mind to it, getting caught up on your filing won’t take as long as you might imagine. And the feeling of accomplishment you achieve once you clean off your desk will also help to rejuvenate you.2. Clean your office.Just like those stacks of paperwork can drain your energy, so can a cluttered and messy office. Make an afternoon of it, rearranging furniture if you feel so inclined. Ask yourself how you could change things in order to work more efficiently. Would moving your filing cabinet next to your desk help you with the filing? Or perhaps it’s time to add shelving in order to get those books off the floor. A change in the arrangement of office furniture may also help you acquire a new and refreshed perspective of your business.3. Do what you’ve been dreading.Sometimes procrastinating certain tasks can take its toll, making us less efficient and causing us to waste energy worrying about what we are not doing. Make a list of projects or tasks that you’ve been dreading and tackle those first. You’d be surprised at how eliminating those unpleasant things upfront can make going to the office much more enjoyable later.4. Acknowledge limiting beliefs and change them.Getting a jump start on the New Year isn’t just about cleaning up the office and getting back to work. Often you must evaluate your perspective and beliefs to see if you can do any cleanup there as well. Do you have limiting beliefs (like, “my business will never bring in enough money to completely support me and my family.”) that may be holding you, your family, and your business back? We’re not asking you to be delusional (“I will be a multi-millionaire by year’s end”), but we are suggesting that you begin repeating more positive affirmations that will ultimately change those limiting beliefs and enable you to accomplish more than you ever imagined.5. Set some goals you can get excited about.Often we get caught up in setting standard goals or resolutions that we’re not passionate about, and therefore, won’t likely accomplish. Avoid goals that are vague or ambiguous. Be specific and ensure they rouse excitement. For example, how about planning a post tax-season family vacation? Would you like to contribute a significant amount to a retirement fund? Or maybe you’d like to add X number of clients before tax season. Regardless of what you decide, it should be something that will motivate you to work harder and smarter throughout the year.6. Incorporate one new positive habit into your routine each week.And these don’t have to be big habits. For example, maybe you take a brisk walk during one of your daily breaks. Or you could set aside one day a week and make a few cold calls. Whatever you decide to incorporate, it shouldn’t overwhelm you but help you take small steps towards a better business and a better you.

Jump starting your business this year doesn’t require a huge investment or even much time. Consider doing a few of these things in order to rejuvenate you and your tax practice. By summer a few of these baby steps may be enough to move your business to the next level.