Things I Could Do Better

I'm a weird beast--I actually love New Years Resolutions. I loved them even in the days when I used to forget all about them within the first two months of a new year. I loved making lists--I'm a bit of a list junkie. In 2011, one thing I did differently with my life was actually stick to my resolutions--and I made discernible progress in some things. I really liked that. I think I'll try to make it a habit.

So I have a lot of resolutions for my creative stuff--novels, acting, and so on. But I also have a few for my business. Some of these are tentative--if I get to them or can afford them, great; if not, maybe next year. Some are a bit more important.

Get better about client appreciation. I'm sorry to say it, but this isn't my strong point. I am not much for Christmas cards. Or any types of cards. Or anything that makes me go to the post office. But I have several regular clients, and I realize that client appreciation is a good thing. I deeply appreciate these clients and love working with them. I just think I should be better about telling them that every so often.

I think maybe this year I'll get in the habit of sending a "thank you" postcard to one client per month. That can't be too hard, right?

Get a nifty blog redesign. This has been a goal of mine for years. I would love to get CatalystBlogger off blogger and onto its own URL, with some really professional graphics. Maybe even graphics that match my copywriting website. So this year I plan to do some research and talk to some people and get some quotes. We'll see where it leads.

Get a little better about marketing. This has been something I've struggled with every year. I only market when I need to. And usually that's fine. But this year I kinda want to move to a better neighborhood in New York, and doing that means making more money...and making more money will probably entail putting more effort into the "business" side of business. I know marketing doesn't have to be that time-consuming. So my goal is to read some marketing e-books--Lori Widmer has one I've got my eye on--and put together an easy strategy I can do regularly. The key is not to be too ambitious--I need things I can fit quickly into a regular routine.

Meet more freelancers in person. The thing about freelancing is it can be isolating. I don't have coworkers. Really, while I had the blog running consistently, this was my coworking community--and where I came to talk about the biz and commiserate with people who really got it. But in New York, there are so many freelancers to get to know--and I'd love to make some in-person freelancing friends. Not necessarily to generate more work--although that couldn't hurt. Just to get myself out there and meet new people.

So what are your goals for this year?