The new year is often a time of reflection, stock-taking, and goal setting, especially as many organisations shut down for a couple of weeks over the festive season, slowing down the pace of life and giving their employees the opportunity for a much-needed breather.
As Christmas dinners and New Year’s Eve revelries fade into memory, many of us are turning our attention to the year ahead. What does 2024 hold in store? How can we set ourselves (and our organisations) up for success? How can we brace ourselves for the inevitable rollercoaster that is doing business in New Zealand?
Drawing on productivity research, science, and our own experiences as small business leaders, here are the five key activities to make time for as we ease back into working life and charge ahead into the year.
1. Book your holidays for the year ahead
Let's start with the often-neglected but crucial "R-word": rest. It can be hard to find a good time to be away from work, especially if you’re in a small team or the owner of a business.
However - trust us on this one - regular breaks are not only essential for your overall well-being (correlating with longer, healthier lives) but also a secret ingredient to boosting productivity (up to 8% for every 10 hours of leave, according to one study from Ernst & Young).
Do you like to take short, frequent breaks? Are you someone who saves up your leave for a nice long winter break in August? Do you have an important event coming up, like a family wedding or sports tournament?
Whether it's planning a big trip or strategically placing a few long weekends throughout the year, make sure that you’re scheduling time to down tools and spend time doing what’s important to you. Remember, a well-rested you is the healthiest you, to say nothing of your productivity.
2. Reflect on 2023: what worked? What didn’t?
Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”, which is as relevant to our professional lives as our lives outside work. So, before we charge ahead into 2024, let's take a stroll down memory lane and revisit the twists and turns of 2023.
(This reflective practice can be applied to the strategies, behaviours, or habits that you use, or more broadly to the practices and rhythms of your team or organisation.)
There are lots of tools you can choose from to make the most of your reflecting time:
- Use a model to provide some structure to the process (stop-start-continue is a perennial favourite).
- Keep a journal and reflect in bit-sized chunks on an ongoing basis (research also shows that writing exercises can reduce distress, increase our sense of wellbeing, and lower our blood pressure).
- Ask for feedback from those you work most closely with.
Whatever approach you take, we guarantee you’ll uncover at least two gems that you can take into 2024 to support your success.
3. Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise
Now, let's tackle that overwhelming, seemingly endless to-do list that can loom over us like a dark cloud (putting Auckland’s summer showers to shame).
Take a deep breath and jot down your top priorities for the year 2024. Are you launching a new product this year? Do you need to overhaul your company policies? Will you have several new faces joining your team?
Order them from most important to least important. Be practical and, if you need to, be ruthless about what stays on your list and how high up it is.
Once you've got them down, here's the twist: cut that list in half.
And no, that’s not a typo.
Humans are really bad at predicting how much we can get done, a phenomenon known as the planning fallacy. It's a common trap to overestimate what can realistically be accomplished in a single year, even if we’re pretty experienced or have done similar work before.
By paring down your list to only the essential items, you can channel your energy and resources where they truly matter, ensuring you're not spreading yourself too thin.
4. Schedule your "big rock" items
With your streamlined priorities in hand, it's time to take action. We highly recommend employing a wall planner or digital calendar to schedule those "big rock" items – those significant projects, milestones, or goals that will propel your organisation forward.
By placing them prominently on a wall planner, or sharing access to a digital calendar, you not only keep them visible to yourself but also to your entire team. This transparency serves the dual purpose of keeping everyone aligned with your vision and holding you accountable for achieving your goals.
As you move through the year, take note of what tasks, activities, and priorities are aligned with your “big rocks” – and what is just noise or shiny distractions that don’t move you forward.
5. Embrace technology and automation
One of the key digital innovations in 2023 was the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language model chatbots – for example, ChatGPT, a popular application, grew from 1 million users in December 2022 to over 100 million users by January 2023.
It can be tricky to stay on top of new tools and solutions that make running an organisation easier – working in the business takes up so much time that it’s hard to find clear air to work on the business, too.
In 2024, staying ahead of the curve means embracing technology and automation. Evaluate your business processes and identify areas where you can implement smart software solutions or automation tools. Whether it's streamlining your HR tasks, automating your marketing efforts, or optimising your supply chain, technology can save you time and money while improving efficiency.
Don't be afraid to explore new software or platforms that can help your business thrive in the digital age. By staying tech-savvy, you'll not only enhance your productivity but also stay competitive in your industry.
