Unless you work in hospitality or emergency services, it’s likely the bank holidays provided an opportunity for you to have a little time away from work.  We certainly took advantage of the fact the phones would be quiet and headed to the beautiful West cost of Scotland (hence the lack of posts in the past couple of weeks!)

I was horrified to read in the Financial Times over the holidays that almost 50% of workers check work emails over the weekend and that 60% work at home over the weekend to catch up.  (40% saying they would never get their work done if they didn’t.)  Those are frightening statistics and I don’t believe they bode well for our businesses.

It’s imperative to have time away from work – that’s when we do our best strategic planning.  I used to think that I had to spend every waking hour at my desk. I didn’t take lunch breaks (or any breaks) and was regularly at my desk into the evening.  And I didn’t get as much done as I now do.  You need regular breaks, so take advantage.  Your business will grow as a result.

Deciding what it is you want is an important start to the strategic planning process.  Just putting in your mind what you want to achieve can be very powerful in helping you prioritise your daily actions and routines.

It’s believed that just 20% of your actions each day generate 80% of your results – Pareto’s principle.  What you need to do therefore is try to work out which actions are important – and generate results.  These are often those that generate profits and are usually time spent with customers.

Why not spend the next 24 hours jotting down everything you do and the way you spend your time.  We can then have a look at whether that’s efficient use of time tomorrow and help you get more out of your day.

If you can use your time in a smarter way, you can improve your results and spend more time with family and friends.  As an example, in my first job when I was just 13, I took a weekly paper-round.  I soon realised I could deliver the three weekly papers in a similar amount of time to delivering just one – but I was paid three times as much.  Simple!

Whilst we’re thinking about planning, we thought we’d share with you the top ten New Year’s Resolutions, according to our latest Local Choice magazine.

What’s important about this list is that you can check your own goals against those most popular with others.  But, perhaps more importantly, it will also give you an insight into the goals of your employees and customers, which will help with your strategic planning and marketing techniques…

Ten Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Stop smoking
2. Get fit / lose weight
3. Enjoy life more
4. Cut down on alcohol
5. Get organised
6. Get a new job
7. Learn something new
8. Get out of debt / save money
9. Spend more time with the family
10. Do something to help others

These top ten things help you understand your customers and what their main drivers are – if you can tap into these trends and help them achieve some of their most important goals, that could be a remedy for success in 2010.  And could help ensure you achieve your New Year’s Resolutions.