This is our first blog post of a brand new year, Happy New Year!
(If you are reading this at any other time of the year: Happy [insert month]!)
Somehow we’ve got it into our heads that it’s normal to spend the first few weeks of January trying to change. Not just your personality but all your bad habits. I have to be frank: all this ‘New Year, New You’ bobbins does my head in. It’s an arbitrary date, you can change your habits any old day you choose.
But, I can’t argue with my personal guru. According to Gretchen Rubin, (the happiness habits expert) taking a ‘clean slate approach’ (which a New Year is, along with a new job, move to a new house, etc) is one of the best ways to embed a long desired new habit. As you start a ‘clean-slate’ you change your behaviour. e.g. I’ve started a new job, so I’m going to show up as a ‘non-smoker’ in my new job and stop smoking.
Instead of adding, take away
So this January, instead of adding extra-curricular skipping, origami or kale eating to your over-scheduled schedule in order to become the ULTIMATE version of yourself, how about using the ‘clean-slate’ to make a habit of taking things away instead?
Rather than attempting to spread your attention (already much reduced from what it was in December by three weeks on the pastry and gin diet) further, across extra pursuits and endeavours in the name of creating a ‘new you’ let’s keep the old you, and look at reducing your workload while increasing your focus.
At the Marketing Architect we are perennially guilty of trying to do too many things at a time – because there are always so many opportunities and marketing activities to do! But, this increases our stress levels, and reduces the impact that we are achieving in each area. In 2019 we are going to pursue our goals one task at a time, putting maximum and intense focus on each thing as it happens.
Join in!
If this sounds like something that could help you – and who isn’t craving a bit of ‘zen’ time after the clutter, chaos and delicious-maximilism of Christmas? – come along for the ride! This is the start of our ‘Mindful Marketing’ series of blog posts. Each week we will pick an area of marketing and work out how we can help you to simplify things (while increasing focus and getting better results). Next week we’ll kick off with social media!
We’d love your input on this – which aspects of marketing do you find complex, overwhelming, time-consuming and, frankly, nasty? Share in the comments below and we’ll focus in on those areas too.
Let’s make this year a calm one!
Great idea! I’ll definitely keep watching for tips on how to simplify.
Will you be sending the link to join in?
Hi Debbie, the first post will be here same time next week. I’ll send a link to it in The Drawing Board email that goes out on Wednesdays at 2.30pm. Are you signed up for that?
Great blog – really looking forward to this new series. Not easy keeping focused with so many shiny objects EVERYWHERE ??
I know! Let’s hope I can keep my focus long enough to write all the posts!
I’m starting something new and was literally just talking about fully focussing on one thing at a time. It feels like a weight has been lifted. I’d love to follow along. I’ll be honest I haven’t really done much (planned or strategic) marketing so it would be helpful to know how to chose something that will hopefully get results and that I will enjoy and therefore do consistently.
Brilliant! Can’t wait to hear what your new thing is Maria, and very happy to have you with us!
Great idea Pip. So the most overwhelming for me is recording the stats of all my marketing activities and platforms like google analytics, email as well as social platforms and offline networking etc. What exactly is useful that I should be tracking and how often and how long is reasonable to spend doing it?
Thanks Vee! Measurement will be one of my topic areas, so look out for that one!
Great post. There are so many things to overwhelm us – social media, lead gen tactics, the latest “this is what you must do” system or process, not to mention a to-do list long enough to paper the walls of your office!
My focus this year is on the ONE THING that will create the biggest results. ONE core sales funnel, leading to ONE core offer for ONE ideal client. You’ve got me thinking what my ONE core marketing activity should be!
I know, I feel your pain! Trying to feel more manageable with this series of blog posts!
Yes like a couple of the others have mentioned, knowing what to measure. And how often. I love my data but I wonder if I collect too much.