The list of quick improvements

This is a good exercise.

Grab a piece of paper. Turn off the inputs and interruptions. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Namaste.

Now answer the question: “What can I change, improve upon, upgrade, do, or fix in just one or two minutes, that will have a lasting impact on my work?”

A few thoughts, though you will come up with more:

Change and improve your email signature. Add a fun quote. Make sure your phone number is in there. Make sure the fonts look good. Add a link to your LinkedIn profile, or your blog, or your website.

Change and improve your voicemail greeting. Sound happier. Sound interesting. Be more articulate. Practice brevity.

Do a quick clean of your desk.

Do a quick clean of your car.

Schedule your workouts for the next month (and stick to them).

Write a quick thank you card to someone who deserves it.

Update your LinkedIn profile. Or at least look at it.

Double check what comes up when you google yourself. What if you add “wine” after your name? What if you add your hometown? What about when you search images? (Hint: do all of this in a private browsing window so the google machine cookies don’t skew it toward yourself or your browsing history.)

Set up a google alert for your company, yourself, or any combination of words that you think of. You can refine it later as needed.

Look in the mirror. Do you look the way you want to look for your customers and prospects? What can you change? What can you work on?

Speaking of prospects, grab the phone and call one.

Make a short list of the crap you really want/need to get done. Three things max.

Figure out a self-incentive. Could be small (“If I complete that list of the short crap I need done then I’ll treat myself to a movie tonight”) or big (“If I sell 20% more wine in the next 30 days than I did in the same timeframe last year I’m buying that damn ticket to Phoenix and traveling in January”).

And you will come up with more…

Now here’s the important part: Keep this list handy and use it.

Use it when you find yourself watching too much YouTube, getting sucked into Facebook or CNN, or paddling through Twitter or Snapchat.

Use it to make better use of small windows of time during your workday.

Use it to make yourself better than you were yesterday.