The autumn equinox arrived today at 2:20 pm UTC (10:19 am EDT). For those of us in the northern hemisphere, it is marked by shorter daylight hours and cooler weather. It’s still summer-like in New York, so the only real indicator of change is that it gets light later in the morning and gets dark earlier in the evening. But that will change soon.
Different cultures commemorate the equinox with various customs. So does the workplace, although it’s more subtle and much less obvious. I always notice a shift at this time of the year when the looser environment of summer transitions into a more settled and focused environment. It’s “back to school” in the workplace.
It’s a time when back-burned projects come to the forefront and leaders become more keenly aware that only about 100 days are left before the end of the calendar year. This becomes particularly sobering when you realize that you have limited time to complete your 2016 goals.
I recommend that you take an hour to review the goals that you’ve achieved to date and look at what remains. Are these initiatives still relevant? Is it realistic that you’ll accomplish them by year end? Can some of these be moved into the first quarter of 2017?
Think about what drives these decisions. Is it revenue? Cash flow? Staffing? New products or services? New markets? Solidifying your organizational brand? Answer these questions and it will help clarify how you will prioritize for the rest of this calendar year.
Projects that are important but not urgent often slip to lower priority when time sensitive, pressing issues take over. This is when your priorities can go awry.
One of the keys to your success between now and the end of the year is to stay focused on what is important. It will pay off if you are more diligent in your weekly planning, particularly when you have a robust agenda.
You can do it, so go get ’em!
Have a great week!
