End of Year Manager Checklist

Hey, it's the end of the year and nobody is in. Magically finding you have a ton of free time to get work done? What if I told you that most weeks could be like this?

Amazing isn't it? Having time to think, read and plan how your team should grow in 2022. What if I told you that most weeks could be like this? Nope. I'm not lying.

The below list is just a few ideas for managers as they go into the New Year with a fresh slate;

• Inbox zero. Always.
• Slack zero. Always.
• Cancel all 1-1 series' and leave a note with your team/colleagues that you will rebook these in 2022. If you don't tell them why you are cancelling they might think something is up.
• If you own a series of meetings with a group (weekly sync, team leads meeting or design reviews etc); cancel the series with the same message as 1-1.
• Find anything in your diary that you don't think you need to go to and decline.
• With a fresh(er) calendar; read this article on manager energy drain and use the "Appointment" event to start blocking time out for when you think you can block chain meetings. Colour code them.
• Don't book any of those meetings though; leave that for next year.
• Take a breath. You're doing great.
• Check on the progress of all 2022 promotion documents. These documents should be your focus when you get back.
• Check on the progress of all Personal Development Plans for your team. These documents should be your focus when you get back.
• (If you don't have Personal Development Plans for your team; make an appointment in your diary to get them sorted)
• Open up your favourite "Read It Later" account (Pocket etc) and delete 80% of the articles. If you haven't read them by now then you're not going to read them.
• Find all the unread books you have and pick 3 to keep. Give the rest away to colleagues or charity to stop feeling guilty about them sitting unread!
• Open your notes app (if you're analogue you can maybe do this) and clear what you don't need. If you need the note for something then store it somewhere. If you don't need it then delete it.