September is a great time to (not only buy new stationery!) but to refocus as the summer period comes to an end and we start approaching the last quarter of the year.

Set some objectives and define clear results:

We recommend you set 3 – 4 objectives and include something personal. What would feel really inspiring to achieve by the end of the year? Maybe you’d like a more vibrant practice or have a more cohesive team. Maybe personally, you’d like to feel you are getting more things done away from work or perhaps you have a fitness goal.

Once you have decided on how you would like to describe certain aspects of your business or personal life by the end of the year, take time to define black and white key results. What are the actual things you will have done to make those objectives happen? Maybe for one objective it is to be able to run a certain number of miles and for another it is to have an online HR system in place for all staff to access and engage with easily.  Define three to five results for each objective.

Just do it:

Once you have set your objectives and know what results are needed, it is time to get on with it. It is very possible that the tasks needed to achieve your goals are going to take you out of your comfort zone. A comfort zone is a lovely place to be but nothing much grows there.

Set proper time aside – don’t try and squeeze this important stuff into gaps between patients or after hours.

Be prepared – anticipate your future self. Will you find other things to do before you get started and end up spending all your time writing letters, cleaning out the stationery cupboard (so that you can fit all your new September stationery in) or generally shuffling things about?

Clear the space before your allocated time and have everything you need ready. If need be, take yourself somewhere where you won’t be distracted – I read about an author who booked an international flight there and back without time at the destination just so that he would complete writing his book!

Keep on track and celebrate

Make sure you check in with your progress regularly. Try time blocking specific activities on a weekly basis and check in at the end of the week to check you and your team have accomplished what you set out to do. Recognise if you generally under-estimate the length of time things take, or if you give tasks more time than needed and end up unnecessarily expanding the task into that time.

Decide on how you and your team will celebrate achieving the key results. Celebration is important as it gives you the drive for future goals. Our successes are the fuel that keeps us going – acknowledge them!