The Business Cleanse (Will You Join Me?)

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
– Henry Miller

My wife and I have been trying a new dietary program called “Clean”. It’s not one of those juice fasts or anything; it’s more about eating foods that get rid of the excess toxins your body has stored like a squirrel saving for winter.

Now I’m not recommending you go on the program. Far from it actually. It’s been tough: no red meat, no alcohol, no gluten, no dairy, no eggs—no tomatoes for crying out loud!

But the program has forced me to shake up my routine and examine how I eat and prepare meals.

You see, I take a lot of shortcuts when preparing food. I buy pre-made stuff. Sometimes I buy frozen items. I make things simply because they taste good even though they have little or no nutritional value.

And that got me thinking: don’t I do the same things in my business?

I seem to get stuck in the day-after-day business routine where I do the same things, take the same shortcuts, and goof off in the same ways without ever coming up for air and examining why I’m doing things the way I am and how well they’re working.

So I’m issuing a challenge to myself, and I’m wondering if you’ll join me.

I heard recently that it takes a full 21 days to form a new habit. So starting Monday, April 5 and ending Friday, April 30 I’m going on a business cleanse. (Okay, so that’s only 20 days, but who’s counting?)

The purpose of this business cleanse is to clean out the crappy work habits and replace them with good ones.

How The Business Cleanse Will Work

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

If you’re still reading, that means you’re at least somewhat interested in joining me on this journey, right?

Well it’s no secret that if you want things to be different than they are (in your business, your life, whatever) you must first act as if that change has already occurred.

Now this doesn’t mean that if you want a million dollars you should go out and buy a Lamborghini (although if you can, that would be sweet).

Instead, consider what your life would look like if you already had the Lamborghini. What would your ideal workday look like? How would the “new you” handle difficult situations? How would others see you?

What we’re going to do on this business cleanse is act like we’ve already “made it”. (Wherever “it” is for you.)

For these 20 days in April, we’re going to cut out all the crap that typically fills our time and makes us unproductive, and we’re going to replace it with our ideal work habits.

Here’s what I’m doing for my new habits:

1. Only check my email and social media accounts twice daily.
2. Start each day by focusing on the one thing that is most important to my business.
3. Take a short break each hour to let my mind recharge, even if I don’t think I need to.
4. Drink more water (it fuels your mind).
5. Write a short list of accomplishable tasks each day and work only from that list.
6. At the end of the day, give myself permission to relax (work will still be there tomorrow).
7. Allow myself time to exercise for 20-30 minutes each day.

Will This Work?

“To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions.” – Sam Keen

I have no idea if this will work. But what’s the worst that could happen?

I learned from Donald Trump in The Art of the Deal that if you can live with the absolute worst-case scenario then a deal is solid. By that measure, this is a no brainer.

I know I can live with the worst-case scenario of the business cleanse, because I’ll be implementing my ideal workday. So the worst thing that could happen is—what? I learn that my ideal day sucks? Fine, then I’ll reformulate it, and strive for something different.

Will You Join Me?

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

Now, if you already think your work habits are perfect, then this whole business cleanse experiment isn’t for you. Lucky you. You’re perfect. (And why are you still reading this?)

But I think the rest of us could benefit from this crazy idea and I’d love to have you as my partner. We can hold each other accountable and whatnot.

So if you’re interested, leave a comment and we’ll be sure to stay in touch. And remember, the business cleanse starts Monday, April 5, so this weekend think about what your ideal workday looks like.

Here’s to you, and to happier, more productive, and more profitable businesses for us all.

Top photo by lrargerich

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