As a small business owner or founder, it’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting for the calendar to reset before making any major changes or taking any big risks. Maybe you tell yourself that you’ll start that new marketing campaign in the new year, or that you’ll reevaluate your business model at the beginning of the next quarter. But here’s the thing: waiting for the calendar to reset can be a dangerous mindset.

First of all, time is a valuable resource that you can’t get back. If you’re constantly putting off important decisions or actions until a specific date in the future, you’re potentially missing out on valuable opportunities and valuable time. The world doesn’t stop just because the calendar has flipped to a new month or year, and your competitors aren’t going to take a break just because it’s a new quarter.

In addition, waiting for the calendar to reset can also be a form of procrastination. It’s easy to use the excuse of “I’ll do it later” as a way to avoid tackling a difficult or intimidating task. But the longer you put something off, the harder it becomes to actually follow through.

So, what can you do instead? Here are a few tips for breaking out of the “wait for the calendar to reset” mindset:

1. Set specific, achievable goals. Instead of saying “I’ll start that new marketing campaign next year,” set a specific goal for when you want to launch the campaign, and work backwards to create a plan for how you’ll make it happen.
2. Take action now. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to make a change or take a risk. There will always be something that could go wrong, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
3. Embrace the idea of continuous improvement. Instead of waiting for the calendar to reset to make changes, try to constantly be looking for ways to improve your business. This could be something as small as streamlining a process, or as big as launching a new product line.

Final thoughts this evening….. don’t wait for the calendar to reset before making important changes or taking big risks in your business. Time is a valuable resource that you can’t get back, and waiting for the “perfect” moment can be a form of procrastination. Set specific, achievable goals, take action now, and embrace the idea of continuous improvement to help you break out of the “wait for the calendar to reset” mindset.