Planning is always key at this time of year. Ticking off a few of your January tasks will set you up for a more organised and productive year.

Whether you run your own business or want to improve your productivity at work, here are a few tasks to have on your list. Complete them by the end of this month, if you haven't done them already.

Top 5 January Tasks

Complete your annual goals and objectives.

For your business, work and personal development. If you have a business plan, have you updated it for this year?

Break them down in to more manageable blocks of time - quarterly or monthly. Use this to plan and prioritise your activity each month.

Update your systems and processes.

If you completed a review for last year, highlight what worked and what didn't.

Understanding the way work flows in and out of your day can help to identify when things get 'stuck' (or forgotten). What stops you from working efficiently and what do you need to make things work better?

There's no one way to do things, but find what works for you. From a simple pen and paper approach, a spreadsheet or more complex Project Management Tool.

Review business plans and checklists

Update or change these to reflect what you want to focus on this year. Update and complete the ones for last year before you file them away.

I have a couple of key tracking worksheets and checklists that help me to do this. It's always good to revisit and update them at the start of the year. There have been a couple of 'aha' moments which I've now included for this year.

Keep things simple, automate where you can. Eliminate unnecessary or repetitive tasks.

Refresh your products or services.

Your review process and financials will help you identify your most popular, profitable or successful activity.

The world of work and business is changing, not only where we work - home, office, hybrid but how we work. This is also reflected in changes to how we now buy or access products and services. AI and technology, when used well, saves time and effort and makes life easier for our customers, clients and ourselves.

What can you improve, adapt or change so you can grow, develop and be more successful this year?

Clear and organise as you go.

File, archive or delete information from last year or anything you no longer need. Including:

• Financial information and data for the last tax year.
• Emails in your Inbox - project/client files.
• Newsletters and subscriptions.

If you're anything like me, over the course of the year, you've ended up subscribing to any number of downloads and newsletters. The next time one pops in to your Inbox, if it's no longer relevant or useful, unsubscribe. Clear out any related emails you haven't yet read. You're really not going to miss anything if you haven't read them already.

This is one of the more satisfying January tasks. Clearing the decks ready for the year. What can you do to stop things building up again as you go through the year?

If you do want to take action on your January tasks, clarify your goals, plans and priorities for the year, get in touch.

Together we can discuss your ideas, identify your blocks and help you gain insight and a fresh perspective into your challenges. You'll also create a plan of action and have a more simplified, manageable list of priorities and a timeline to work with.