The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, then starting on the first one
Mark Twain
Sustainability planning is just as important as companies do for their communications. Before that first tweet hits the airwaves, companies spend weeks planning what they’re going to say. Sustainability is no different.
First, your organization needs to decide what sustainability means, the initial part of the planning. Once you identify that, your company, with the most important pieces of sustainability in mind, can start to identify areas that you might target. This could be things like solid waste, food waste or water consumption, for example.
If your company is not equipped to consider some of these things due to situations like lack of knowledge, resources or time, consider partnering wtih local organizations or getting with a consultant to help you on your journey.
What are the benefits of marking a day of sustainability?
- The first step to planning is planning to plan. The creation of a day will bring some accountability and potentially get things off the ground, at least getting the conversation going.
- With sustainable thinking in play, innovations can occur within a company, especially if you give your employees time to make discoveries on their own during work hours. Sustainability can bring in new streams of business not explored by some companies.
- Brand recognition and positive brand health can occur with becoming more sustainable.
How do I get started with sustainability planning?
First, your company needs to decide that it wants to take this action. One great way to get going is to use SMART goals:
So unpacking this SMART goal method for your calendar example. We can be “specific” on the goal using our calendar to make more effective use of our time. This goal is measurable because we can measure how much we use our calendar. We can also measure the results of how much we get done within 40 hours, for example.
For the achievable part, we want to make sure we come up with a goal we can achieve. We can all learn to use our calendar and use it effectively. On relevancy, our larger picture goal is to work more effectively. Using a calendar to clear our heads of clutter and make sure we’re completing tasks is highly relevant. Last, we should make sure we put a time component on our goal–when we’ll reach it by. Choosing a reasonable time constraint to meet the goal will also make it more achievable. If you try to change too quickly, it might not be effective.
The biggest thing that can be said about this method is self-accountability. By structuring your response, while using sustainable thinking, action is likely to follow.