If I sit here for a while I'm sure I can think of a million things my life doesn't need in 2011. For your sake and my sanity, I'll try to focus on the things that I'm going to make the largest effort to change.
1. The spare tire. Time to get this monkey off my back once and for all! I came home from college with an extra 15 pounds, and since then I've yo-yo'd back and forth according to my accomplishments and pitfalls +/- 10 pounds. I'd like to hit my ideal weight by April, but realistically speaking I'd just be happy with better muscle tone and a smaller dress size.
2. Clients who suck. Anyone who has ever owned a business can tell you that not all customers are right - a small and very special handful of them are just a headache waiting to happen. I'm over trying to please those clients who nitpick and waver on pricing, nickel and dime me, sap my energy. As a person I don't need it, and as a business owner I most certainly don't need it. I'm learning how to spot these people before they become a problem.
3. Worry - specifically for the future. I'm the queen of what-ifs, but thankfully many of the people I love are good at pulling me back from the edge. Who knows how your life could change for the better from one minute to the next? Some of the best opportunities I've had come from out of left field, and that's the way I like it.
4. Small deals. I love helping people out, but sometimes I say yes so often that I fail to think of myself, or the toll those yeses take on my time. Time to find balance between charitable causes and profitable work. I don't want my clients to suffer because I'm helping put together a week's worth of photos for a non-profit. Balance, balance, balance.
5. Indecisiveness. Who knows if this one can really be cured. When I'm down, I look at my horoscope. I'm a Virgo, and indecisiveness is in our nature. It's tiresome to go back and forth for minutes or hours or days. If I have to I'll learn to make lists of pros and cons. So far a good strategy has been to sleep on a hard decision and make it first thing when I wake up.
6. Distractions. Similar to small deals, small things that distract me from the bigger picture. This is another toughie since I have to pay the bills whether I have work or not, but this year I'm pledging to commit to fewer small jobs that, financially speaking, aren't worth my time.
7. Temper. Over the past few years my temper has been particularly hot for one reason or another. Usually it involved my former employer, but as I blogged before it's a learning process. Slow and steady.
8. Books! I hope beyond hope that my brother is getting me a Kindle for Christmas...My inner nerd squeals, "I'll finally be able to highlight my favorite passages and search texts!"
9. Hesitation. There's good sense in waiting for the right opportunity or the right timing, but hesitation is an entirely different story. Time to jump!
10. Procrastination. HA! Raise your hand if you suffer from this and are laughing because it's ludicrous to make an effort to eliminate it entirely. If I never procrastinated I'd never sleep. I have that much to do. Still, my meticulous lists and countless hours could be managed and prioritized a little better. Lifelong learning is good, but I need a little jump start.
11. Waste. I'll admit it, I take too much food when I'm really hungry. I watch TV when I could be having fun or doing something productive. I buy things occasionally that don't work for me, but I'm too lazy to return them and so they sit unused in whatever cubbyhole they made in my bank account. I'm happy to say I DO recycle (and I love it, I'm a freak like that). But learning not to waste my own time or talents or money is more difficult - oddly enough, it's much harder for me to take care of my own needs than someone else's.
These are the first things that came to mind. They're certainly not the only ones that need cleaning in my routine, but tossing or tidying 'em can help me run a tighter ship in 2011. Harder, better, faster, stronger. And above all, happier. You know?
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