New Year’s is more than just celebrating the start of a new calendar year. It’s a time when we reflect upon our personal lives and evaluate what areas need improvement. Anyone can create a New Year’s Resolution – it’s easy. This year, make yours a smart one.

Think about how you can improve the way you run your business, the culture, your goals, your staff’s goals, etc. The list goes on. Of course, everybody wants to increase profits and decrease work load. Think about how this can be obtained and create goals that can be reached.

There are five components that make up a ‘SMART’ New Year’s Resolution:

Specific

This goal needs to be clear, focused, and well defined. Stay away from general terms, stick to details. If you see a problem with your staff’s, say specifically what is going wrong – not just  “fix the staff culture.”

Measurable

You must be able to measure the success of this goal. Figure out a way to measure with time frames, accomplishments, money, or any other way you can think of.

Action Oriented

The goal must require action, not reaction. This will help make the goal easier to measure. Try to look at your areas of improvement as things that you can do, instead of focusing on the negatives.

Realistic

Of course being a millionaire is in the back of most people’s heads when thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. But is that realistic? Can you do everything it takes to grow your business that much? Make sure your goals can be achieved, so you can accomplish them.

Time-Driven/Timely

Make sure this goal is time sensitive. Being too lenient with yourself can make it harder to accomplish the goals. Some people share their New Year’s Resolution with a family member or friend to hold each other accountable. Connect with another owner and keep each other on track.

Take some time to think about what your resolution will be. Make 2013 different than any other year. Accomplish your goals, don’t just set them.

What do you think a good New Year’s Resolution would be for school owners?