Write yourself a YEAH! list

Anyway half-way through we are, so it’s time for me to do my six monthly “Yeah” list.

I began doing this about 4 years ago. My business was a year old and I was feeling like I hadn’t accomplished much. A wise friend suggested I’d just lost a bit of perspective. She told me to make a list of everything I’d done in the past 12 months and then see how I felt.

Of course she was right. I’d been so knee deep in the daily-do of my business that I couldn’t see how much I’d really done. Turns out it was a lot.

Because I still find it tricky to get perspective – and because I love a list – every six months I do it again. I’ve morphed it a bit and now call it the Yeah! list. That way it’s more about stuff I’m really pleased I’ve done, rather than just, you know, stuff.

Anyway it’s dead simple, it makes me feel good. And you might want to do one too.

Here’s how it works.

Get yourself: an hour of peace and quiet; a cup of tea; and a notebook.

Start writing down things you’re proud you’ve done. Now this list is a private list – for your eyes only – so feel free to be as nerdy and noddy as you want be.

Don’t stop writing until you’ve got at least 20 things on your list. If you find 20 easy go to 30 or 40. You want to force your mind into having a proper think. So don’t rest until you’ve given it a real workout.

You might get stuck so here’s a list of random questions to help your thinking.

1. Have I changed my product?

2. Have I improved my product?

3. Have I got a new product?

4. What have customers said about my product?

5. Have I got new customers?

6. Have I been marketing consistently (like doing a little something every day)?

7. Have I experimented with new ways of marketing?

8. Have I crossed anything off my BIG todo list (business-changing stuff)?

9. Have I done the stuff I said I’d do (maybe like ‘kept a blog’)

10. Have I spent enough time on my business?

11. Have I spent enough time away from my business?

12. Did I put my prices up?

13. Did I pay my bills on time?

Once you’re finished, have a read through your list. You should feel all warm and fuzzy and like you’ve done good. Now you just have to make sure there’s plenty to write about in the next six months!