How do you Handle the Last Two Weeks of the Year?

It’s that time of year again – the Holiday season.  As an employee it was pretty easy to sum up what I would do for the last two weeks of the year – VACATION.  Unless there was something very pressing it was settled very early in the year that I would be off and relaxing the last two weeks of the year.

But now here I am on the adventure of being a business owner, a top boss, the big decision maker, a change agent, the big cheese.  You know!  It’s the end of the year and not sure if I should stop, slow down, or get that last big push before the bell rings on December 31^st.

I suppose some of the decision is determined by ones expectations. What do I expect to happen in the upcoming year and when do I expect these changes to come forth? Do I want to start the year off fresh, rested with keen ideas?

Equipped with these questions I ponder how to best handle these last two weeks of the year.  I ponder my current position and visualize my next position and the steps required to achieve this task.

So here is my plan.  This may not work for you but here it goes:

1. The doors that are closing – let them close.  If I have done my best and served my clients well I can be confident with one door closing and look forward to another door opening.
2. Prepare for the next open doors by spending this low activity time to study, read, meditate, and expand my borders.
3. Work on projects that will be needed in the early part of the year. Schedule out these activities over the next two weeks but not over burdening myself.
4. Reduce my hours worked.  No need in starting the year tired. Give myself thinking time to visualize and plan the upcoming year.
5. Attend holiday social events to expand social circles but don’t try to sell anyone at these meetings.  The objective is to increase ones influence and connections.
6. Relax and enjoy the season.  Spend time with family and friends increasing and nurturing the bonds.
7. Drop good hints as to what I want for Christmas so I am very happy when the gifts are opened.
8. Give to others and  expect the harvest to come back – Enjoy the harvest

Do we think digital or film?

Recently, I took a vacation with the intention on taking some nice photos with my film and/or digital camera.  A few days into the trip my digital camera stopped functioning properly which left me with just my 35 mm film camera.  You all remember the film cameras right.  This was once the camera that felt like an extension of my arm. However, I have gotten pulled into the digital world and consequently I rarely shoot with any of my film cameras.  To those of you who are not into photography this may not seem like a big thing – but trust me it is to a person who enjoys photography.  But I don’t want to focus on photography but a few things I noticed during this little experience.

Shooting with film I tend to take more time to think through my photos.  Certain factors impact my actions such as the cost of film and the fact it is not as easily accessible these days.  Consequently, I take more time thinking about the frame and how I capture the subject within the frame.  I spend more time thinking about exposure and all the little elements that affect lighting and the feeling of the picture.  Once you pull the shutter you can not make any changes until after development.  On the other hand, when I shoot digital I spend less time thinking through these things because I can quickly see the results and make the adjustments on the spot.   Perhaps this causes me to be less fearful of mistakes so I take unusual chances while photographing my subjects.

So what does any of this have to do with business?  I wondered how often I make the mistake of rushing through something with a digital mentality believing I can fix it later.  How often have I jump into a business relationship when I should have stopped and analyzed it a little more.  Perhaps I should have utilized the techniques I learned from shooting with film.  Visualize how the relationship will look down the road and determine if it will still be acceptable.  Consider all the factors that may impact the relationship and the success.  Determine if I am willing to except the cost and/or benefits. If not, step away and return back to the drawing board.  This method probably could have saved me some time and money.

Prepare & Wait

It seems we are hearing more & more cases where mistakes (major) mistakes are made bacause of rushing. Leaders are rushing to beat some revenue deadline or obligation without any concern for the long-term affect.

In business today we have gotten so caught up in the voice of Wallstreet & finances we run our companies as if they close at the of the year. We need to remind ourselves the difference between the acctg life and the business life. An acctg period ends, a fiscal period ends, but a company should exist for years. Therefore, lets make decisions as if we really expect to be around in a few years to see the result. Let’s use more wisdom in our decisions and stop making mistakes that affect the lives of our employees and customers in a negative way.

July 15, 2010

Dear Diary,

I once again had to stop long enough today to take a deep breath. Lately, it seems that I have to purpose in my heart to stop & breath.

Many keep focusing on the economy instead of what it is they need to do. As a result they are getting more & more stressed. I once heard a car racer say whatever you focus on is where you will go. He suggested if your car ever got into trouble not to focus on the wall or any other object because you would end up hitting it.

I am going to focus on where my company is going & keep that in the forefront of my mind. Then I know no matter what the circumstances say- I will get to my desired point.

Thursday, June 3, 2010 (10:00 pm EST)

Dear Diary,

I now have more motivation to get my own airplane then I can ever remember.   No matter how well you plan and how busy your schedule seems, everything stops when you get in the hands of the airlines.  We had to stay on the runway for almost 1 hour until we could take off.  Needless to say I didn’t get to my final destination until much later then expected which meant my entire schedule had to be changed.

After I landed I spent time running around and readjusting plans and confirming appointments.  My evening appointment ran a little late which gave me a little more time to breathe.  I will admit there are times I am happy to hear of heavy traffic just because it gives me a moment to catch my breath.

The phone call the day before had to be rescheduled and we are in the process of playing phone tag.  The only people prospering at this point is the phone company.

LaDonna and I ended up doing a conference call while I took my walk.  I wouldn’t suggest this to everyone but there are times you have to condense things to get everything done in one day.