Starting off your business year with simple tasks

Every day as an entrepreneur feels like a never-ending list of tasks.

Personally, I like doing the easy tasks first. I get a spark of excitement when I check a small tasks off of my list because look! I checked a box!

I used to think that this was cheating, but then I noticed that when I completed the smallest tasks, I now had the energy and confidence to tackle the larger ones. So now I check off those small ones first, get that hit of dopamine, congratulate myself and get more done.

The easy and achievable list

Lots of our tasks can fall into that category of “basic, non-urgent, but utterly necessary.” Small tiny details can add up to a business that functions with more ease and less worry. So tackle one (or more!) of those small worries and clear it out of your head.

Oh, and if you don’t do these in January, no biggies (except for the tax stuff – that’s time sensitive)

• Update the copyright year on your website and email footers (2 minutes)

• Review your automated introductory email and make sure your images and text are still relevant (5 minutes, more if you need to add new photos)

• Assess and inventory your shipping and packaging post-holiday – do you need to replenish boxes, ribbon, cards, etc.? (10 minutes, more if you need to place orders)

• Jewelers – Check your oxygen and/or fuel levels – do you need to refill or pick up more? (2 minutes to check, more to refill)

• Also Jewelers – Assess your solder, flux, and pickle levels to see if you need to order more. (5 minutes to asses, add 10-15 if you need to place an order)

• All makers – look ahead 6 months and find your next show applications. (5-10 minutes)

The challenging but also achievable to-do list

So now that you’ve done your easy list, what could you tackle from the intermediate list? And what’s on that list for you?

• Look at your analytics and compare your website’s year-over-year stats and your month-to-month stats and make any notes about positive and negative changes – 30 minutes depending on which stats you are comparing.

• Double-check your product listings for alt text in the images – 1-2 hours. Feel free to break this one up over a few days.

• That pile of jewelry or bags or ceramics that haven’t been photographed and listed on your site yet? Yeah, how about we tackle this one so you can make some sales.

  • Start by taking some photos, and if you need help with your impromptu photography session, Imelda from Sunset Shutterbug and I had a whole talk about best practices. 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how many pieces you have to photograph.

  • Write copy and remember to follow your checklist for each product. – 1-2 hours. Feel free to break up this task too.

  • List the products on your website – 1-2 hours.

Photo sessions, editing, and copywriting are larger tasks, but they are tied directly to making sales, so I always give priority to the money-making tasks.

List of tasks that are actually the worst

OK. I’ll be taking a deep breath in through my nose and exhaling out through my mouth. Here is the list of tasks that are onerous, more urgent, and vital. The good news is that they may not take you as long as you thought.

• If you do your own taxes, start your taxes by running your Profit and Loss (P&L) statement from the previous year (or quarter if you pay quarterly). Remember that you can file Federal taxes for free.

  • Running your month-by-month P&L – 5 minutes

  • Reviewing your P&L – depends – it usually takes me 20 minutes if I’ve been keeping up with my Quickbooks record keeping. If I have to recategorize any expenses or income, or if I have to reconcile my books, then it could take 45 minutes.

  • Entering my information and calculating what I owe and paying it – half an hour to3 hours depending on whether it is a quarter or a year.

• Filing my state sales taxes once a quarter

  • Reviewing my quarterly P&L – 20-45 minutes

  • Entering the appropriate numbers into the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration’s website. – 10 minutes (really! It’s a very straightforward set of forms to fill out.)

  • Paying – 2 minutes.

Could you commit to taking one or even two of of these tasks off of your plate today? Feel free to post in the comments which task you’d like to take care of. Public accountability can help you stay on top of your to-do list. What will you accomplish today?