I hope this Cardinal Rule Press Blog finds you with a full heart from a wonderful holiday and some downtime to enjoy those you love! If you’re anything like us crazy marketers, rounding into the “New Year” can sometimes create a false pressure to set big resolutions, create new business plans, and basically reinvent ourselves.

Instead – we’re offering some tricks our marketing experts have discovered that allow for some “creative space” to breathe and dream. Let’s dive in!

MOST GREAT IDEAS HAPPEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT SITTING AT A DESK

In the shower, in the car listening to your favorite song, when you’re waiting for soccer practice to be over. THESE are often the moments when your best ideas strike. We recommend always having a little notepad in your car or bedside table to scratch down ideas. Believe it or not, “scheduled company brainstorm meetings” rarely produce a really fresh, creative idea. Shocker! 😉

FREEBIE ALERT: If you haven’t already, make sure you are signed up for the Cardinal Rule Press Newsletter to receive great offers like our Books We Love Tracker. Starting to create a wish list of books to read in 2021? Here’s a place to start!

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE INSPIRED – AND FIX IT IF YOU’RE NOT

Are you on social media? When is the last time you REALLY looked at your feed? Do you feel better or worse after spending some time scrolling? During this quieter time of year, we encourage you to clean out your “follows,” and make sure you’re curating a social media feed of things that make you feel good, that inspire your daily life, or someone you admire for their business acumen. Delete accounts that don’t offer you any value or make you feel crummy. And, of course, keep that daily cat pic account that makes you smile. They’re important too!

ASK WHY – EVEN WHEN IT’S NOT EASY

Our days are busy, and oftentimes we are moving so fast we don’t really stop to think about WHY we are so busy. One of the BEST things you can do, from a marketing perspective, is stop and ask yourself WHY you’re working on a task, that report, sitting in this weekly meeting, posting that image. Is that task STILL serving you? Or is it a habit or routine that your business “always does?” Are all of your tasks really meaningful to your work today? Is it truly moving the needle towards your goals? It’s not always easy to leave that comfort zone and ask yourself AND others around you: WHY are we doing this? But it’s a valuable way to reevaluate what keeps you busy each day, and what you might be able to edit or remove from your day, leaving room for other top priorities.

In summary, slow seasons can become little gifts of time to evaluate your daily intake. Great ideas can happen anywhere, be mindful, and remember to edit life (for the better) on the regular.

Don’t forget to download your FREE Books We Love Template & grab a favorite Cardinal Rule Press Title over at our bookstore!

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

~ Your Marketing friends at Cardinal Rule Press