Ease into 2024
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." — Socrates
The Question
How to ease into 2024
Happy New Year!
I'm thrilled to kick off another year filled with tips and advice tailored just for you.
If you haven't yet shared your thoughts and feedback on what you'd like to see in this year's Hacking Management newsletter, it's never too late! We'd love to hear from you.
As we swiftly move through January, I wanted to take a different angle—not adding to the 'new year, new me' buzz.
Let's explore an alternative approach together.
The Research
After a bustling holiday season, trying to ease back into the groove during these cold, short, and dark days can be a bit of a challenge.
Not to mention the added pressure stemming from the New Year's resolutions we may or may not have set for ourselves.
It's not a big surprise that research has documented that January usually takes a bit of a productivity hit compared to rest of the months.
Some Advice
Now, this isn't an excuse to ditch any goals you might have committed to achieve in December, but instead, take this as an opportunity to do a feasibility check.
Setting goals during the holiday season might make it easy to underestimate the practical challenges when you're enjoying a stress-free break from your usual routine. You assume you'll have the same mental capacity to just get it done once the New Year arrives.
This is the projection bias in action—an interesting quirk in how we predict our future selves will be just like our current selves. It can subtly influence our decision-making, making us focus more on short-term thinking.
Your Hack
Though projection bias isn't fully avoidable through awareness alone, you can still implement a projection bias buffer into your goals.
This week's hack ties into that concept by urging you to focus on small actions that build momentum. This approach helps you get started on the low-hanging fruit and build momentum for consistency instead of relying on the boundless motivation you might have envisioned for your projected self.
领英推荐
Here are some ideas of what that might look like:
Parting Thoughts
Though you don't need a new year to chase new goals for yourself, take advantage of the sense of renewal that often comes with January.
Build it into your momentum and set yourself recurring times to reassess if your current systems are helping you progress to those big, hairy, audacious goals.
Focusing on the step in front of you instead of the winding road to go can make the journey more manageable. After all, it's the small, consistent efforts that pave the way for significant accomplishments.
Unicorn Leaders — The Podcast
Have you heard the newest episodes!?
Our most recent podcast guests are Andre Fernandez and Eva Manole.
Andre Fernandez (Co-Founder & CEO at Invert) dives into how he found his way into creating a socially impactful business while sharing valuable lessons and principles that he embraced on his journey to success as a leader, from letting go of micro details to building high performing teams and influencing decision-making processes, he's going to get into tactical ways that will transform your leadership approach and how you create meaningful impact.
Eva Manole (Director, Org. Dev. at Fullscript) shares the use of a product-led mindset for developing new strategies for learning and development at Fullscript, with about 800 employees. She dives into new strategies she used to build community among teams in her current role. She shares the tools, resources, and approaches used in developing opportunities that helped individuals blossom in their own way.
Take a listen & subscribe.
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Sincerely, The Unicorn Labs Team