Why January Is the Best Time to Fix the Systems That Didn’t Work Last Year (& How to Take Stock and Build Better Systems Now)

January is here, and you’re ready to set new goals for yourself and your business, but the reality is that change doesn’t happen with the passing of time (as much as we wish it did). While you and your team may feel rejuvenated and ready to reach new goals, there is real work that should be done in order to ensure burnout and declining motivation don’t kill dreams before they’re reached. 

Lucky for you, January is the best time to reevaluate and renew the systems that might be keeping you and your business down.

The Time for Change

In January, our minds are naturally more open and willing to change, which makes it the perfect time to figure out what was slowing us down in the past year and brainstorm how to fix those problems. Waiting to change processes or tools during busier times, when a system slowdown rears its ugly head, will make a shift much harder to accomplish.

Take that fresh feeling of a new year and put it to work to benefit you. Even small changes can make a big difference when you’re neck deep in a busy season. 

Reflection Leads to Renewal

The other benefit of assessing system slowdowns in January is that you have a whole year to reflect on, and you’re likely already doing so. The key is to turn that reflection into something physical. Take the time to write down what you know was working and what was giving you a headache.

It’s important to remember that not every problem is solved with a new system or tool. You might take your list of headaches and consider what the heart of each slowdown is:

• Is it an issue that would be solved through better support?

• Is it an issue that would be solved with a new or better tool?

• Is the issue arising due to a faulty or poor process?

An exercise like this can take you from simply ruminating on all of the issues of the past and help you to the step of solving the issues for the years to come.

Band Aids Only Hide What’s Broken

When reassessing and rebuilding processes, you want to avoid quick band aids fixes. While they’re attractive and easy in the moment, they’ll only lead to bigger business bleedouts in the future when they inevitably fall apart. Focusing on smart, intentional changes in January can help you avoid rushed changes when you don’t have the time. Even if you can only revamp a few processes, the effort will be worth it and potentially help solve new issues as they arise in the future.

Conclusion 

While it’s easy to hope that the new year will magically reset your team, it’s important to take advantage of the fresh energy of the new year to build processes that you can be excited about and that build motivation, not kill it. This way, your goals for growth can thrive with the support of systems that work for you, instead of against you.