A new year brings fresh opportunities—and a fresh to-do list. But if the thought of a massive overhaul is too overwhelming right now, don’t worry. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest impact on daily operations. Below are the 10 quick-win tasks that we personally do in the first week back each year. Each task includes a brief explanation of why it’s important and how to get it done. Let’s dive in!

1. Add All Public Holidays and School Holidays to Your Calendar

WHY:
Public holidays and school breaks can affect not only your team’s availability but also your customers’ habits. Staying aware of these dates helps you avoid scheduling conflicts, prepare for potential drops or increases in customer traffic, and ensure everyone is on the same page.

HOW:

• Public Holidays: Most digital calendars (Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar) allow you to add region-specific holidays with a few clicks. The issue with this is that they tend to show as an event at the top of the day so instead of relying on this to manage your calendar, have someone in the team setup events from your opening time to closing time and invite the team in. Click here for access to all Australian public holidays.
• School Holidays: Check your local school district or education authority’s website for the academic calendar. Manually input these dates. If you are someone who takes time off over these holidays, be sure to set the events to cover the days that you are unavailable. For example, I work half days during the school holidays to allow me to spend time with the family. In my calendar, I block out half a day each day (sometimes morning, sometime afternoon).
• Team Sync: Share or invite your team to the updated calendar so everyone can plan accordingly.

2. Update All Google Business Profile Special Hours / Closed Days

WHY:
Your Google Business Profile often appears first in search results when customers look up your business. Showing accurate special hours (especially around holidays) helps set the right expectations. If customers find your hours incorrect, it can lead to frustration, missed opportunities, or negative impressions.

HOW:

• Access Your Listing: Go to your Google Business Profile dashboard (previously Google My Business) or simply Google yourself!
• Info Section: Navigate to “Business Information” and look for “Hours.” Under here you will find an option to add in ‘Special Hours’ – this is where you can put that you are closed or update your opening hours.
• Add Dates: Mark the dates you’re closed or have reduced hours.
• Verify: After updating, double-check that the changes are visible to the public.

3. Bring Your Task Management Tool Up to Date

WHY:
An outdated or messy task management system can breed confusion and lead to missed deadlines. By tidying it up, you’ll streamline your workflow and give your team a clear snapshot of priorities and responsibilities.

HOW:

• Clean House: Archive or delete completed tasks. If you see tasks that no longer apply, remove them.
• Assign & Update: Reassign tasks to the right people, and add or revise due dates.
• Communicate: Once done, inform your team of any significant changes so everyone’s aligned.

4. Check Contact Forms and Website Links

WHY:
Your contact forms and website links are some of the primary ways customers reach out to you. If they’re broken or lead to the wrong page, you risk losing leads and damaging trust. Regularly testing these ensures a smooth user experience.

HOW:

• Form Testing: Fill out each form with a test message or email address. See if you receive the submission or if there are any error messages. If you are expecting to be added to an email marketing sequence, check to see if this has triggered correctly.
• Link Checker: Use a free online tool or manually click through your homepage, navigation menu, and footer to confirm each link points to the right destination.
• Fix and Verify: If you find an issue, correct it right away, then retest to make sure it’s resolved.

5. Review Email Signature

WHY:
Your email signature is like a digital business card. It conveys professionalism and can guide recipients to important links or calls to action (like scheduling a meeting or following your social profiles). An outdated signature might include an old job title or a broken link.

HOW:

• Find the Settings: In Gmail, Outlook, or your preferred email client, locate the signature editor (if you need help to locate this, let us know!)
• Refresh Info: Update your job title, phone number, website, and any social media links.
• Add a Call-to-Action: Consider including a quick link to schedule a consultation or view your latest offerings.
• Check Brand Consistency: Make sure fonts, colors, and logos match your current branding.

6. Check All Payment Links

WHY:
Smooth payment processes are vital for maintaining customer trust and a healthy cash flow. If your payment links are broken or outdated, you could be losing revenue without even realising it.

HOW:

• Compile Links: Gather all the payment links you share, including invoice templates, e-commerce pages, or subscription pages.
• Test Them Out: Make a small test purchase or ask a friend to do so. Watch for any error messages or unexpected fees.
• Update as Needed: If something’s amiss, adjust the link in your payment gateway settings or reach out to customer support.

7. Check Team Tools and Access/Permissions

WHY:
When team members either lack access to the tools they need or hold permissions that are no longer relevant, it creates security and efficiency issues. Keeping permissions up to date ensures everyone can do their job without unnecessary barriers and keeps your data secure.

HOW:

• List All Tools: Project management software, file-sharing platforms, CRMs, etc. 
• Match Roles to Access: Verify each person’s role and adjust their permissions accordingly.
• Remove Old Accounts: If any former employees, contractors, or interns still have access, revoke it right away.
• Document Everything: Keep a secure log of current access privileges for quick reference.

8. Check Recurring Software Expenses

WHY:
It’s easy to rack up monthly fees for software and subscriptions, especially when you’re busy. Reviewing these expenses helps you see if any tools are underused or if cheaper, more efficient alternatives are available, ultimately saving you money.

HOW:

• Review Billing Statements: Look at bank or credit card statements for recurring charges.
• Evaluate Each Tool: Ask if each subscription still provides enough value to justify the cost.
• Downgrade or Cancel: If a tool is underused, consider a lower plan or cancel it altogether.
• Explore Alternatives: Sometimes switching to another service can give you better features at a lower price.
• Quick Option: Something we do at ProjectBox once a year is to cancel our debit card that all subscription payments are linked to. This is also a great way to see if there is anything that you have missed – they will soon contact you once the payment starts bouncing!

Here at ProjectBox, we keep a list in ClickUp that tracks not only permissions and access, but also our software recurring expenses. If you would like a copy, please feel free to reach out!

9. Check Team Contact Details

WHY:
Having the correct contact information for your team is crucial for day-to-day communication and emergency situations. Outdated contact info can slow down productivity and cause confusion.

HOW:

• Request Updates: We recommend that you create a form of some kind (we use ClickUp forms for this purpose) that you can send out to the team to complete. Prompt each team member to provide their phone number, email address, and emergency contact. You could also use this as a chance to ask the team if there is anything they would like help in, for further training, or general feedback!

10. Consolidate Team/Project Calendars

WHY:
If your team’s important dates are scattered across different tools and platforms, it’s a recipe for double-bookings and missed deadlines. Consolidating calendars ensures everyone knows what’s happening and when.

HOW:

• Choose a Calendar Platform: Decide whether you’ll use your task management tool, Google Calendar, Outlook, or another platform that everyone can access.
• Share Calendars: Invite team members to view or edit a central team calendar.
• Encourage Consistent Updates: Stress the importance of updating the calendar with deadlines, meetings, and any time off so that scheduling conflicts are minimised.

Final Thoughts

These 10 quick-win tasks might seem small, but they each play a crucial role in keeping your business running smoothly. By knocking them out early in the year, you’ll set a positive tone for the months ahead—ensuring your team stays organised, your customers remain informed, and your bottom line is protected from preventable errors. As an extra tip – create an annual recurring task with these 10 things listed and assign each one to the person who is responsible for it’s completion! This way you never have to remember to do it again.