Make your extra day pay
What are your plans for Leap Day?
Whilst researching this blog I came across a whole raft of weird and wonderful things to do with your extra Leap Day, from playing leap frog to taking a duvet day. Not to mention honouring the tradition of proposing, which I’m sure any unmarried ladies are sick of hearing about right now.
I went to high school with a girl who was born on 29 February. She claimed it made her ‘different’ to the rest of us. I distinctly remember gleefully celebrating her sixteenth birthday with her, when in fact, in reality she was only four. I’ve always been quite jealous of those born on or celebrating an anniversary on Leap Day - they really do have something unique and special in their lives which will forever be a great talking point.
But then, as a business owner, so do you - your company!
So it got me thinking… let’s forget about staying in bed on Monday 29 February. Instead let’s leap into action and do something productive for our unique and special businesses. Here’s my take on some fun and rewarding communications tasks to tackle:
1. Clear out your twitter feed Does the thought of browsing your twitter feed fill you with dread? As our businesses evolve, so do our social networks. If you’re fed up with reading a trail of repetitive or uninspiring messages, then it’s time for a spot of housekeeping. Simply ‘unfollow’ those feeds that don’t add value to your business. If you run the risk of offending someone by unfollowing them, then it’s advisable to click the ‘mute’ button instead!
2. Connect with someone With all those extra hours to play with, Leap Day is an ideal opportunity to meet up with an old friend. Pick up the phone and call that long lost colleague or contact you've been meaning to get in touch with, or send them a message via LinkedIn. You never know, it could lead to new business.
3. Eat the frog No, it’s not a tenuous link to leap frog, but a suggestion to catch up on a task or project you've been meaning to get round to for ages. You know, that one you keep putting to the bottom of the pile that you really don’t want to do. We all have them! If you assign the task to Leap Day, then you only have to do it once every four years - result!
4. Write yourself a letter What do you want to achieve in your business over the next four years? Where will you be on 29 Feb 2020? Write a quick note to yourself and put it away until the next Leap Day. You’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve in that time and have fun celebrating your successes when you open it in 2020.
5. Take a fresh look at your website When did you last sit down and read the content on your website? Have you ever looked at it from a customer’s perspective? For many businesses our websites are our shop windows, so it’s essential they’re up to date and look, feel and speak to your customers. It’s often helpful to get someone independent to review it for you. If you’re interested in this service from Comma Sense then please get in touch.
On Monday 29 February I’m meeting a lovely lady I met at an event last week. She’s also recently started her own business in a similar sector so we’ll be sharing our experiences and finding out how we can help and support one another in our endeavours. After writing a letter to my future self, I’ll be catching up with some wonderful friends for coffee, one of whom is about to take a ‘leap’ into self-employment too. I’ll be supporting her every step of the way!
I’d love to hear how you got on with these tasks, or if you’re doing something completely different with your extra day. Please share your comments below.