10 Tips to Finish the Year Strong
Thinking about the fourth quarter of your business year as a stress-inducing, revenue-ending disaster feels like a natural response. After all, you’ve spent the first nine months of your fiscal year working hard to establish and maintain your company’s brand, develop products or services, and find clients willing to buy what you’re selling. The last three months are when you cash in all those chips. So it makes sense that so many businesses dread October through December, right? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, read on for tips on how to make the fourth quarter of your business year a success.
1) Don’t procrastinate, get your work done ASAP
Procrastination is one of the biggest causes of stress and anxiety, so it’s important not to put off your work until the last minute. This can take a huge toll on your mental health, and it can be difficult to get up to speed if you’re caught up with work that should’ve been done much earlier. If something is due soon and you haven’t started on it yet, sit down and make a plan for when you’re going to get it done. Get it out of the way as soon as possible so you can move onto the next task. Keep in mind that you can’t have everything done at once, so prioritize and don’t try to do too much at once. It’s better to get a smaller amount of work done well than a large amount done poorly.
2) Focus on what’s most important
As the end of year is approaching you may start to feel that you have to do everything, or that you’re falling behind on everything at once, but remember, you can’t do it all, and you don’t have to do everything. You need to focus on what’s most important, so that you have time to get it all done well. Try to define what your top priorities are. Think about what will have the biggest impact on your life and your future. When you know what matters most, it’ll be easier to say no to the rest.
3) Set new goals and redefine your strategy
If you’ve been diligent about setting goals for yourself at the beginning of the year, now is the time to set new ones and adjust your strategy accordingly. Especially if you failed to meet your previous ones, now is the time to reevaluate your direction, set new ones and avoid making the same mistakes again. This can be especially useful if the year was difficult for you, but it’s still possible to turn things around. You might even consider setting a new goal that revises the trajectory for the entire year.
4) Don’t be afraid to shake things up
It’s important to recognize that change is inevitable. And as you make progress and achieve your goals, it’s likely you’ll want to shake things up. You might want to try out new strategies or take on new initiatives. Or you might realize that your current ones are not working. It’s important to shake things up in the fourth quarter. It’s when you want to make sure to shake things up and change things up. You don’t want to be afraid to try out new strategies and new ideas.
5) Create a Schedule and Stay Organized
The first step to finishing the year with a bang is creating a schedule. It might sound like a no-brainer, but many people don’t create a schedule. Instead, they just hope to get everything done. In reality, we all have the same amount of hours in a day, so the difference between productive people and unproductive people is how they use those hours. Organizing your time will help you get everything done and make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
6) Get help and delegate responsibilities
Craft the right culture starts with delegating tasks. You need to be delegating tasks and responsibilities to enable your team to excel. You’ll also find that delegating will help you carve out more time for yourself and your family. You should also think about delegating during the fourth quarter because it’s likely your team (or you) will be feeling pressed for time. And during this time of year, people often demand more of their team members. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to get help as soon as you can. You don’t have to deal with this on your own. No matter what your industry is and the services you offer, there are usually tons of resources and ways to get the support you need so that you can focus on what matters most.
7) Set small, reachable goals
When you’re in the middle of a busy week, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. This can lead to stress and anxiety, which won’t help you get your work done. But if you break your goals into small, manageable parts, you can reach the finish line with ease. What do we mean by "reachable goals"? Goals that are realistic, something you can do in the next week. This way you don’t get overwhelmed and can focus on one step at a time. For example, let’s say you have a big project due next week. You’re super nervous that you won’t have enough time to get it all done. Instead of stressing about the whole project, break it into small chunks. Focus on one part at a time. And before you know it, the project will be in the bag!
8) Take care of yourself
When you’re trying to fit everything in and meet all your deadlines, it can be easy to sacrifice your health. You may be tempted to stay up all night, skip meals, and shove caffeine down your throat. But this is a bad idea. So many things in your life depend on you being healthy. So be sure to take care of yourself. Eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, and take breaks when you need them. Caffeine and other stimulants can be helpful for the short-term, but they’re not a solution for long.
9) Celebrate small wins
You have a lot to do, a lot to prove, and a lot to finish up. And while it’s important to stay focused on your priorities, you also need to take a minute to celebrate your successes. Not only will this help you feel good about yourself, it’ll help you stay motivated. It’s easy to get caught up in the negative. You may want to finish a paper but be tempted to focus on the research that’s left instead of the research you’ve already done. But when you take the time to celebrate your personal and your business’s small wins, you can keep your head up and your mood up. You can look back and see how far you’ve come, and have the motivation to keep going even further.
10) Don’t forget to breathe
This is the last and perhaps most important tip on our list. As the year draws to a close, it’s important to remember to take care of yourself. You may also be thinking about what’s next for you and your business, but overthinking of what may or may not happen can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. When you’re feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, take a moment to breathe. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Take a few minutes to yourself to calm down and collect your thoughts. You can do anything, but you have to take care of yourself first.
Final Words
Now that we’ve reached the end of this article, you know how to make the fourth quarter of your business year a success. Follow the tips we’ve discussed, and you’ll sail through the rest of the year. The fourth quarter of any business year is a critical period. The end of any year is a great time to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future. It’s a great time to reset and make sure that things are moving in the right direction. And it’s a great time to make sure that your priorities are in order and that you’re making the most of your time. You can do this by setting new goals and redefining your strategy. Make sure to take care of yourself and pace yourself so you don’t get overwhelmed. Start by making a to-do list and organizing it into a calendar. When you have a clear idea of what you need to do, you’ll be less likely to fall behind. And when you’re caught up, take some time for yourself.
