The new year is almost here. So, it’s not too late to begin planning ahead.

Every year, about 45 percent of Americans will make at least one resolution. And, only about 8% of these people will actually follow through with them.

With those stats, you’d think there is no benefit to creating a list of resolutions. Though, lists are always good. They help you organize your thoughts, reflect, and plan.

Lists are also useful for making business plans. So, instead of committing to losing weight or quitting smoking, you may want to make a list for your business goals.

Sure, you could spend more of your time focusing on personal growth. But, why not devote some of your efforts on business growth?

Here are a few ideas that you can use to get started on your 2017 New Year’s business resolutions.

Learn How to Delegate and Outsource
A smart business owner should know when to back off and let someone else take over. This is difficult for entrepreneurs that treat their business like a baby.

You don’t want anyone else to hold your finances and product research. But, you need to learn to let go.

When you outsource, you gain two main advantages. First, you get to hire someone with more experience. Even if you consider yourself a jack of all trades, there are certain tasks that are best left to an expert.

So, if you don’t know everything about online marketing, consider working with a marketing firm. If you want to redesign your website, work with a web design firm.

The next advantage is that you have more time for other aspects of your business. You’ll find that you can think clearer and make better decisions when you’re not trying to juggle too many tasks.

This last advantage will also come from delegating tasks. If you have staff, then make sure they get their fill of work. Though, delegating provides so much more.

Delegating tasks can help balance the workload among staff members, improve communication, and increase work efficiency.

Don’t be afraid to pass things off to other people, whether you choose to outsource or delegate to another employee.

Join Another Business Organization
This next resolution will require a bit of your time. But, if you’re learning to delegate, you could have the time available to join a business organization.

In most regions, you can find business organizations that are essentially networking opportunities.

While many of these organizations operate with the mission of helping the local community, the organization is really a chance for local business owners to get together and talk shop.

Join one of these groups in your area and find out when they’re holding their next event or meeting. Use this as a chance to brush up on your networking skills. And, while you’re at it, you may make some valuable business connections.

Contribute More to Your Local Community
Following the purpose of most business organizations, you could contribute more of your money or time to your local community.

Helping a community is good for PR, but also does wonders for your mindset. Giving back provides instant gratification.

This goodwill can help lift your spirits and reinvigorate your dedication to your business. This happens when you see the good that you can do with your business success.

Contributing to the community also helps build a positive reputation. If you depend on local sales, then this can go a long way towards helping you retain customers.

Though, contributions are not just for local businesses. Online shops and global organizations can enjoy many of the same advantages. Helping communities can detract from other issues or paint your business in a more positive light.

Make Sure You Set Aside Time for Family
It’s easy to get wrapped up in your day-to-day business operations. This is especially true when you’re first starting out on your own.

You want your fledgling business to succeed no matter what and are willing to devote all your time to it. But, you can’t neglect your home life.

You should set limits for your workday. With proper time management, you shouldn’t need to work from dawn to dusk, which leads to the next resolution…

Learn How to Manage Your Time
Time management can be a real struggle. Microsoft conducted a survey in 2015 that showed most people use 60% or less of available work time.

This means that even though an employee is physically in their chair, they could be missing out on 2 full days of work each week.

So, how do you make better use of your time? Start by setting one main goal for the day. Each work day should have one primary goal that you’re working toward that needs to be completed. This comes before all other tasks.

This same approach works with longer projects. You simply set a milestone for your project that you must reach by the end of the day.

Having one main goal will help you spend less time on meaningless tasks. You’ll get done what you can and then move on.

Along with the one-goal approach, you should divide your day into blocks of time. Set 2-hour blocks and make every effort to avoid common distractions during each 2-hour period. If you want to check your phone or browse Facebook, wait for your break.

These are just a few resolution ideas. Obviously, everyone should set their own goals for the coming up. But, hopefully, this list gave you a few helpful ideas.

Learning how to delegate tasks can free up some of your time, which will help with your time management goals. You can also devote more time to charity or local organizations to help your community.

Basically, your New Year’s resolutions give you the opportunity to take a critical look at what you’re doing and decide what’s working and what’s not.

Now, get ready for the new year. Start putting together your own list. Make this the year where not only do you conquer time management, you also accomplish the rest of your resolutions.