Every year, only about 8% of people stick with their New Year’s resolutions through the full year, and only 25% of people actually manage to stick with their resolutions for even the first month. There are plenty of reasons to give up, but there are even more reasons to stick with it. Last month, we offered you some business-related New Year’s resolutions ideas to help you make the most of your new year. Now, we want to offer tips to motivate you to help make your resolutions stick. They might just apply to your non-business-related resolutions, too!
For the purpose of this blog, let’s assume that your New Year’s resolution is to save your business money. There are a lot of great ways to accomplish exactly that. So, here are some tips to help you on your path to achieving that goal.
1. Write Down Your Resolution, Then Break It Down
It’s great to say that your resolution is to save your business money in the New Year. However, if you don’t have an actionable plan for getting it there, you may find yourself sorely disappointed when 2021 rolls around when you’ve ended up spending more without reasonable results. To help you keep your resolution this year, start by writing down the big-picture resolution: the goal you’re trying to achieve. Then, break it down into smaller steps that both you and your drivers can accomplish. For some goals, like saving the business money, this could mean writing out both the steps you want to take after a vehicle goes out each time, and the steps you want to take each week or each month throughout the year.
If you have a goal that has multiple parts, consider creating a checklist: a solid list of exactly what you need to accomplish and in what order. As you mark those items off, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment that will help you keep pushing forward with your resolution throughout the year.
2. Communicate (And Focus On) Positive Experiences as You Make Your Way Toward Your Goal
With any New Year’s resolutions, there are going to be moments when you don’t quite meet your goals. If it was a personal resolution to lose weight, for example, the arrival of a birthday or event might cause you to fall off the diet train. The same is true of your business resolutions. Indeed, there will be setbacks along the way. You may experience unexpected expenses, or make a big purchase that could have been accomplished without the expense, for example. You might hire more drivers than you need or purchase an upgrade for the fleet that does little to help you accomplish your real goals.
Don’t focus on those failures! When you focus on your failures, you may grow discouraged with your resolution and start to wonder if you will be able to meet your goals at all. Instead, focus on those positive experiences. Did you save money compared to this time last year? Make a purchase for a lower price than you could have made it elsewhere? Focus on those small gains and how they fit into the bigger picture. As you’re communicating with your colleagues, make sure you share and focus on that progress. It will keep both you and your drivers motivated to continue pushing toward achieving that goal.
3. Learn From Negative Experiences Along the Way
Remember those setbacks? You might have to accept that a few setbacks along the way are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean that you have to repeat the same errors over and over again. Instead, learn from those mistakes and move on. Instead of beating yourself up over those mistakes or focusing hard on them, learn from them and move on!
Find a supplier whose shipping charges are way too high? Overpaying for repairs on a vehicle? Learn from the experience, make note of it so that you don’t do it again, and then move on! Use those negative experiences to learn and inform future choices so that you can get to where you want to be. However, don’t linger on them to the point that they negatively impact your resolution.
4. Celebrate the Small Wins
Throughout your journey to achieving your resolution, you will have many moments of small progress toward your goal: little wins that can, in the big picture, really add up. Celebrate those small wins and what they accomplish for your business. No, saving a little money on repairs for one truck won’t magically help you reach your goal, but it does represent progress. Not only are those small wins just as important as the big ones in the big picture (saving $100 every month could be $1200 in savings by the end of the year, after all), they can be the incentive you need to keep motivated and keep making progress toward your goals.
5. Reach out for Advice and Support
Some goals, you may simply not have the tools you need to accomplish on your own. You might, for example, have no idea how to really cut costs for your business–not the little ones, but the big expenses that could really make a difference for your bottom line. Don’t be afraid to reach out for advice and support! There are plenty of places to acquire it:
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LinkedIn groups
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Delegates at trade shows
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Industry consultants
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Mentors who can provide valuable advice
Don’t hesitate to ask questions or to reach out when you need support. Often, asking for help is the most effective way to accomplish your goals–and it can help prevent setbacks along the way.
Learn More About Making Your Fleet Management Resolutions Stick
Are you looking for a way to save money on fleet maintenance and keep up with all the regular repairs and inspections needed by your fleet’s vehicles? Contact us today to learn more about how our platform can help you reach those important goals.
