“Join our gym and kick off your new year’s resolution to get in shape – joining fee waived for January”

No ta.

Rather than join the hoards of folk who pile into their New Year’s Resolutions with gusto before running out of steam about this time in January, I’ve decided to hold back for 2011. I am busy planning and refining my business goals and strategy for the year ahead.

Ready to kick off in full on 1 February. Care to join me?

We’re in the run up to Christmas (plus its the start of the week) so its important that we can squeeze every last second of productivity out of our remaining working time. Here are 4 tips that just might help:

1. Focus on the 2 or 3 things that really matter. Take a second look at your ‘to-do list’. How much of it really matters and / or are you the right person to be doing much of it? Can you delegate more or simply strike it off the list? Be brave.
2. Get your head out of your email inbox. Designate specific time to checking email every day but stick to this plan. Don’t be reactive and respond as soon as email arrives. Be in control of your time and task priority. Stick to this plan all week.
3. Confirm whether you really need all of those internal meetings scheduled in your calendar. Can the issues be solved beforehand by circulating a brief agenda inviting comments? – also rather than clutter yours and others’ inbox further with agendas etc, consider using online tools like Yammer for discussion. Experiment with this.
4. Clear your desk. Cluttered desk = Cluttered mind. Sweep all printed paper into the recycling – if you need it, you can reprint it (chances are you’ll never need to). You’ll feel much better for it.

Are there any productivity tips that you can share to help us improve our focus on key business needs and avoid distraction?

We are The Revolution Bar Company of the Week in Manchester this week.

This entitles our team to various 2 for 1 offers on food and drink (upon presentation of a business card as proof of ID).

An email was sent to our office address today with details of the offer and this was promptly circulated around the team. Word spreads quick when there is the prospect of a limited time exclusive offer – especially when it entails food and drink! No application was necessary and this offer is rotated around local businesses on a week-by-week basis so there is always a steady stream of new customers.

Think about how you might be able to do something similar to drum up further business in your local area. Its quick, easy and effective.

Monday Focus:

1. Aim for “Gravity Marketing” – this involves pulling prospects toward you rather than pushing on (closed) doors
2. Have regular events planned throughout the year - this helps reinforce the perception in the marketplace that you are active and busy doing (ideally cool!) stuff
3. Differentiate or die!

Monday Focus:

1. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing it right!
2. Ready, fire, aim
3. Fail fast, fail cheap

Aim for (at least) 6 mistakes every day this week.

What improvements to your business could you focus on implementing for the week ahead?

Here are 3 suggestions:

1. No internal meetings longer than 30 mins. Less talking. More doing.
2. Write more. What gets recorded (tends) to get done.
3. Drag head out of inbox and talk (more).

Any further suggestions?