First Thing Every Morning by Lewis Timberlake
If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,400 – with no balance carried from day to day forcing you to spend it – what would you do? Well, you do have such a bank… time.

Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as “lost” whatever you have failed to use toward good purposes. It carries over no balances and allows no overdrafts. You can’t hoard it, save it, store it, loan it or invest it. You can only use it – time.

This is an excellent message as we kick off the new year… and for each and every day. Use the time we are given each day wisely so that you can reach your goals. Below are a few ideas on what you can do to get your year off to a great start.

1. Establish Your Annual Goal
   It is not an easy task to put together a written plan for the year… but it is essential. If we do not have a plan, then we are planning to fail. As Zig Zaglar famously said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”
2. Break Your Goal up into an Action Steps
   It is important to break your goal into quarterly objectives. Spell out what activities you need to focus on daily, weekly and monthly to achieve your desired result.
3. Listen to (and follow) your best advice
   In my daily coaching with my team, over 30 entrepreneurs, and through the articles I write, I need to be honest with myself. Do I always practice what I preach? I need to put the advice I give into action. Are you listening to (and following) the excellent advice that you are giving?
4. Create a short list of big things you will accomplish this year and publicly commit to doing one thing
   Keep things very simple. I believe that a short list wins (you can always add more). Personally I am working to be more ‘green’ and ‘paper-free’ in 2013. I have moved to using my iPad more effectively and reducing my dependency on paper. What one thing are you going to announce publicly?
5. Reach out to 5 potential new customers from your list of contacts
   Go through all of your contacts (those that have done business with you and those who have not). Ask them how things are going with their current provider. You may uncover an opportunity and the timing may be right to give you a try.
6. Call Your Customers
   Call all of your current customers and thank them for doing business with you. Do not ask them for anything… just say thanks. You will be amazed at some of the reactions that you get.
7. Dedicate time to research your top competitor
   Take some time as we begin the new year to research what your top competitor is doing. Do an honest assessment, what are they doing better than you? What can you learn from them? What are you doing better?

Finally, I am sharing a tool I use on a daily basis to keep me on track – Focus For Today. We know it is impossible to get everything done in a day… so let’s focus and get the important ones done!

Focus for Today

Priority (must do first): ____________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________

Tips:

• Make Certain that these activities tie into the overall goals you need to achieve.
• Block time on your calendar to complete these tasks.
• Reward yourself for completing these tasks.

Let’s use every one of our 86,400 seconds we are given each day productively and start 2013 strong!

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