Accomplish More by Doing Less in Your Print Business

accomplish more doing less

Are you frustrated at times with your progress in your printing industry job or print business? I know I am at times, and when this happens I have to remind myself that I am probably trying to do too much.

At these times, I need to take the time to re-examine what my most important projects are and to discard the rest of the items to be accomplished some other day.

When I take the time to do this, I almost always have a sense of relief that I have let myself off the hook. Shortly thereafter, I feel a sense of accomplishment as my progress gets back on track again.

Here are a few ideas to help you accomplish more by doing less:

Get Clear on Your Vision

Know what your vision is for the future. Keep working on this vision until you can see it, touch it, taste it, and feel it. Write it down and review it daily and weekly. When we are clear on our vision, our priorities get clearer and what we need to do seems to get simpler.

Set only 3-5 Major Goals

The fewer the goals the better, because we will accomplish more when we have less goals to think about each day (or each week). This is easier said than done, because in the print industry we always have a lot of projects, customers, and needs of the business to focus on every day.

Create an Action Plan

Under each major goal, create an action plan with a step-by-step process to achieve it with due dates for each action. This will keep you focused and on track to achieve your goals—and ultimately your vision—for your printing job or your print business.

Calendarize Your Actions

Do this for only your most important goals. For me, my most important way of getting items done is to write them on the calendar and keep that appointment with myself just as I would an appointment with any print customer. We know that what gets put on the calendar gets done.

Create a Weekly Review

Set time aside each week to review your actions, your calendar, your goals, and your projects. Note the progress you made on your most important goals so that you can feel good about your progress. Then, set appointments for the coming week to work on your most important goals. Is it planning for the most important print customer meeting? Is it to meet with a customer to discuss the latest print management contract? The weekly review keeps you focused and motivated.

To accomplish more, do less. Focus on your most important goals and priorities and then calendarize those appointments to work on those goals. To stay motivated, keep your eye on the target and what it will be like to accomplish each goal.

What ideas do you utilize to accomplish more by doing less?

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2 replies
  1. Melissa Sienicki
    Melissa Sienicki says:

    The weekly review is something we’ve recently started doing, and it is very helpful. It allows you to review what you’ve done, what you might have missed/still need to do, and helps you to set firm goals for the week. Thank you, Bill!

    • Bill Prettyman
      Bill Prettyman says:

      Melissa, I am glad you found the weekly review helpful. Frankly, it is difficult to stay on top of all projects and priorities even with a weekly review so I am not sure how anyone could stay organized and focused without it. I would enjoy continuing to hear about your progress.

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