The autumn equinox arrived yesterday evening at 9:04p EDT. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, it marks shorter daylight hours and cooler weather. The current indicator of change is that it gets light later in the morning and gets dark earlier in the evening.
Different cultures commemorate the equinox with various customs. I typically notice a shift in the workplace at this time of the year. The looser environment of summer transitions into more of a settled and focused workplace.
It’s a time when back-burnered 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 if you realize that you’re off track in accomplishing your 2022 goals.
Consider taking an hour to review the goals that you’ve completed to date and look at what remains. Are these initiatives still relevant or important? Is it realistic that you’ll accomplish them by year end? Can some of these be moved into the first quarter of 2023?
Think about what drives these decisions. Is it revenue? Cash flow? Staffing? New products or services? Solidifying your organizational brand? Answer these questions and it will help you solidify how you 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 where 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 in more diligent in weekly planning and execution, particularly if you have a robust agenda.
Header image by Towfiqu Barbhuiya/Unsplash.
