Monthly Archives: January 2026

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Productivity: How to Stay the Course

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Here we are at the top of the year. You may have made New Year’s resolutions and you’re now looking them over to assess, prioritize and incorporate them into your workflow. Although the year is young, it’s not too early to figure out how to maintain the enthusiasm and discipline it takes to achieve your goals. I think it’s imperative to avoid feeling overwhelmed because for me, at least, that’s the gateway to giving up. Maintaining motivation is what I must do and once in a while I need a flotation device, or something, to prevent me from sinking and keep me swimming toward the shore.

To that end, I suggest a strategy that I discovered that will show you how to break down the huge task that is your goal and will perhaps at times feel insurmountable or even unattainable. This strategy, experience tells me, is especially useful for Freelancers. We are a one-person team. Who’s to know whether or not you achieve what you’ve planned, unless you have a business coach or mastermind group to check in with and report your progress?

As a business owner, I’ve learned that maintaining focus and productivity requires discipline and motivation. One powerful tool that has transformed report on your achievement of your A-level, that is, your most important tasks. I was new to full-time work and my sales manager gave me a very useful book to read—How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein (1973). In his book, which also influenced Brian Treacy, a very simple and effective planning method helps prioritize high-value activities, ensuring that the most important tasks are addressed each week. On Sunday evening or Monday morning, you can envision what your workweek will look like and get yourself in the frame of mind to do certain things. Lakein proposes that you rank your projects and goals into A, B and C tasks to implement your strategy, enhance your productivity and drive your business forward. He also recommended the development of SMART goals—Specific, Actionable, Measurable, Realistic and Timely. He understood that success stands on the shoulders of productivity, that is, getting the right things done and feeling in control and not overwhelmed as you do.

What’s in it for you

  • Improve focus: By identifying your top priorities each week, you can maintain a clear focus on high-value activities and avoid getting sidetracked by less important tasks.
  • Improve time management: The big rock report helps you allocate your time effectively, ensuring that important tasks are completed on schedule.
  • Improve workflow: Breaking down your tasks into manageable weekly priorities reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed and helps you tackle your workload more effectively.
  • Improve productivity: Focusing on high-impact tasks ensures that you are making the best use of your time, leading to increased productivity and better results.

Get started

  • Identify and rank tasks: At the beginning of each week, identify the one to three high-value activities that you need to accomplish. These should be tasks that directly contribute to your business goals and have a significant impact on your success. For example, on Monday, it may work for you to identifying/ confirm/ discuss your A tasks in an email, phone, or video call to touch base in strategic planning / critical meetings with key clients, or roll up sleeves and jump into your front-burner A level major project milestone task.
  • Prioritize A-level tasks: Block out dedicated time in your calendar for each of your big rocks. Treat these appointments as non-negotiable commitments to ensure they receive your full attention.
  • Plan your week: Once you’ve scheduled your A tasks, plan the rest of your week around what is of high priority. Schedule medium-value B-tasks and low-value C-tasks in blocks of time where they will fit and your focus and energy allow. B-level tasks probably deserve your attention; C-level tasks might be somewhat worthwhile to you and your business, but they fade in comparison to A and B level responsibilities.
  • Monitor progress: At the end of each week, review your progress on your big rocks. Reflect on what you accomplished, any challenges you faced, and what you can improve for the following week.
  • Adjust as needed: If you find that you consistently struggle to complete your A tasks, reassess your approach. You may need to adjust your schedule, outsource certain tasks, or reassess and recalibrate your A level priorities.

Celebrate achievements

  1. Be realistic: Choose a manageable number of big rocks each week. Overloading yourself with too many high-priority tasks can lead to burnout and decreased productivity.
  2. Communicate: Share your big rocks with your client contact or team to ensure alignment and support. This helps everyone understand the top priorities and work together towards common goals.
  3. Be flexible: While it’s important to stick to your schedule, be prepared to adjust if unexpected high-priority tasks arise. The key is to stay focused on your top priorities while remaining adaptable.
  4. Celebrate achievements: At the end of each week, take time to celebrate your achievements. Recognizing your progress can boost motivation and encourage continued focus on high-value activities.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: r/aviation•5y ago AIRdomination

Cockpit Photo Landing in Seattle

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Give Your Personal Brand A January Jumpstart

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FACT: You have a personal brand—whether or not you realize it or choose to manage it. You may prefer to let it be and let your business acumen and client list represent you, and they are undeniably important factors. Nevertheless, be advised that your personal brand is your reputation. It sums you up, in a brief sentence or two, in the minds of peers, competitors, prospective clients and perhaps even power brokers whom you’ve yet to meet but could still, some day, be in a position to evaluate you, however quickly, and advance or limit your preferred business trajectory.

Especially for Freelance consulting experts and other business owners, the personal brand has impact. Rather than leave public perceptions of who you are and what you stand for to chance, it is far less risky to develop and present your personal brand narrative yourself—perhaps with the assistance of a public relations expert or a business coach whose background is not in behavioral therapy or counseling, nor exclusively in traditional employment, even at C-Suite level, but rather in boots-on-the-ground independent business ownership, Freelance or otherwise, and preferably a coach who has had public relations/ marketing responsibility.

Defining your Personal Brand

I’m no fan of Jeff Bezos, but nevertheless, I feel his definition of personal brand is spot-on: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” You can also assert a level of control over your personal brand, because it really is about you being yourself—on purpose. It’s both authentic (being yourself) and strategic (on purpose). You have actually have a responsibility to shape and define how you’re perceived, to the extent that it’s possible. Your personal brand exists to amplify your strengths, does it not?

Use storytelling to build, engage and connect with your community

Heads up—branding, personal or business, is not about your company colors and logo design. Those elements represent the company visually, but they cannot build your brand. Your story does the brand building. Branding expert Chris Do, founder and CEO of The Futur, has spent 22 years building design businesses and also teaching marketing creatives and others in search of client work how to succeed. Do quotes Michael Margolis, founder and CEO of Storied, a strategic messaging company: “A product, service, or organization without a story is a commodity.” Do emphasizes that when prospective customers and clients make a choice between a better product or a better brand, they choose the better brand nearly every time because they can relate to it.

Emotion matters. “Facts tell, stories sell,” Do explains. He encourages those with a brand to build and manage, like you, to share your journey. Tell it like it is—be real about your failures; make people feel what you felt. Author and actress Maya Angelou famously said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Always remember that your stories can never be copied by competitors. They describe and define you and they are authentic. Use your stories to stand out in an oversaturated market.

As Do sees it, your background isn’t baggage, it’s your superpower. “The origin story of you is the easiest one to tell because you’ve lived it,” he says. Your home town, what your dad (and/or mom) did for a living, the cultural references that were the foundation of the values that guided your parents as they raised you, the stories that they, and your aunts and uncles, shared with you at home and at family gatherings all shaped your worldview. Like Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a New York City native who grew up in Brooklyn, do not be afraid to keep your accent, your cultural references and your unique expressions. Your story creates cultural currency that connects you with your audience and brings them into your community. Don’t be self-conscious and hide the unique characteristics that define you. Do recognizes those quirks of personality and expression as shortcuts to understanding and trust with people who share similar experiences or just find your background fascinating—and authentic.

Take your personal brand public

Building and sustaining your preferred personal brand requires public exposure and your currency as a Thought leadership is often one of the first thing people think of when they think of a personal brand. You might publish an e-book, but there are other brand-building tools—such as publishing a blog or newsletter, appearing on webinars and podcasts and becoming an active and visible member of a local business group or national professional organization. It’s a great idea to Google yourself to see which links and images appear first and decide what you want others to see when they search your name and your company’s. What impression do your LinkedIn and other social media profiles present to the public? near the top of the search results? Update your headshot, reassess and align your headlines, perhaps revisit your unique selling proposition and align the description across all platforms. 

Finally, evaluate your network connections and go about building a community that is mutually beneficial. Your network is about quality, not quantity. Seek out professional connections across industries, functions, and even geographies. Furthermore, say yes to attending networking events, especially when they’re in-person. So what if you’re doing Dry January—order a sparkling water with a slice of lime and call it your mocktail!

When you meet new people, focus on generosity. Offer helpful introductions, send links to relevant articles, share timely insights. Always follow up. To all who’ve given you a business card, send a quick message to say something like “Great to meet you! If I can be of assistance, please reach out.” You want to do what’s possible to politely encourage beneficial relationships that reinforce your brand.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year,

Kim

Image: © George Marks (photographer) circa 1950s “Man in the Mirror”