Oof… January. Along with “where did it go?” and “how did that happen?” we’ll add this little doozy: did anyone even get around to making resolutions? Neither did we—and we’ve decided that’s a good thing. No one, after all, can overhaul their life or business in one calendar day. It needs to happen thoughtfully throughout the year. That’s why—this year—instead of choosing a guiding word or resolution, we’re opting for a “More of This & Less of That” list. Good, right?! And infinitely more achievable.

So instead of climbing that impossible mountain you gazed up at 30-some days ago, join us this month in making your own list of sustainable goals. As for January, let’s just think of it as a free trial. Here are our lists!

More of…

• Following our intuition. Not the seat-of-our-pants kind, either. We’re talking about the values-based principals that we’ve built our business on. Things like knowing that a person’s attitude is their real calling card and that self-awareness is the best risk-management tool you can possess.
• Making time to work on the business, instead of just in it. Yup, zooming out is the only way to truly see the big picture. It’s where innovation and creativity thrive, and we want more of it.
• Time to read. And we don’t mean emails. Books, blogs, magazines—things that fill us up, time us out, and generally let us sit with our thoughts (or blissful lack of them).
• In-person conversations. We’re big fans of a phone call, but face-to-face check-ins are where we connect the strongest. Yes, they take more time. Yes, they take more energy. But they’re also so worth it.
• Decisive action. Which is basically just fancy talk for “solving the right problem.” It’s easy to get caught up in the “what if” fears of decision-making. But if you’ve done all the front-end work and factored in contingencies, it’s way less tempting to put off the big decisions that you know need to be made.

Less of…

• Overscheduling. Feeling overworked and under-slept is a reality of life, but it shouldn’t be a baseline.
• Taking on more than we should to try and make everyone happy Saying “yes” when you know that “no” is the smarter answer never yields the “happy” you think it will. Meeting expectations is a win only if those expectations are reasonable. Will overdelivering still forever be our goal? Absolutely! But so will pragmatism.
• Making excuses. No, the dog does not eat our homework around here, but he might occasionally chew on the corners. The excuses we’re talking about fall under the category of self-awareness. Things on the back-burner that we know are there, but let simmer too long, and then try to justify to ourselves (see points 1 and 2). Less of those, please.