Resolution Concepts for a Happy New Year

I generally follow the Larry David three-day “Happy New Year” statute of limitations, but since this is our first FIX of the year, I requested and granted us a brief extension.

As we’re halfway through January, many folks are well into abandoning their resolutions from a few weeks ago. Still, I find it useful to consider and reflect on some resolution concepts that have been helpful this time of year, particularly in our and our clients’ businesses.

1) Gary Klaben, a wildly successful entrepreneur and business coach, described a practice he performs on an annual basis that’s focused entirely on analyzing his habits: identifying them, assessing their usefulness, questioning them, updating them, and optimizing them. (Here’s that interview; the habit discussion comes in around 1:07). James Clear, the samurai ninja habit-former and -breaker, tweaks and formalizes this process nicely with his Habit Scorecard method, which then levels up with his Habit Tracker. I use all three methods from Gary and James and find them transformative.

2) Tim Ferriss has a really powerful annual review that starts by looking backward – using your calendar and your notes – to identify the top 20% of the events, people, and things that gave you the most energy and productivity and power, and the bottom 20% of the events, people and things that wasted your time or drained your energy, emotion, and mood. Once the review is completed, you optimize the new year by actively increasing the top 20% and eliminating the bottom 20%. (Pro-tip: once you list your top and bottom, prioritize those and start with the biggest boosters and drains and work your way down. Even if you maximize just one or two boosters and eliminate one or two drainers, you’ve just set yourself up for a much better future.)

3) The Gertsburg Licata team starts our weekly all-hands and leadership meetings with Wins for the past week. It gets the room into the most resourceful and productive mindset, which gives our discussions and our days the mental energy they deserve. We add firepower to this practice by recording our wins in a rolling journal. I do the same with my weekly planner. Throughout the year and especially around New Year’s (but also whenever anyone just needs an emotional pick-me-up), a review of the Wins list produces a tremendous confidence boost, which helps immensely when creating future plans. For a mind-bending twist on this practice, check out Dan Sullivan’s lessons on the Gap and the Gain here, and in his new book here.

Mindset is everything.

Gertsburg Licata is a full-service, strategic growth advisory firm focusing on business transactions and litigation, M&A, and executive talent solutions for start-up and middle-market enterprises. It is also the home of CoverMySix®, a unique, anti-litigation audit developed specifically for growing and middle-market companies.