I'm The Blog

What if the most pressing danger of AI is not its ability to replace jobs, as more than one in five U.S. workers fear, but its potential to cause cognitive decline?

Researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University published a new study last month that claims to be the first to examine the effects of AI tools on critical thinking.

The researchers found that the more confident human beings were in AI’s abilities to get a task done, the fewer critical-thinking skills they used. Humans confident in AI left critical thinking to ChatGPT instead of doing it themselves and strengthening their cognitive abilities.

Related: Would You Pay $200 for ChatGPT? OpenAI’s New Reasoning Model Has a Hefty Price Tag.

“Used improperly, technologies can and do result in the deterioration of cognitive faculties that ought to be preserved,” the researchers wrote, adding that “a key irony of automation is that by mechanizing routine tasks and leaving exception-handling to the human user, you deprive the user of the routine opportunities to practice their judgment and strengthen their cognitive musculature, leaving them atrophied and unprepared when the exceptions do arise.”

The researchers surveyed 319 knowledge workers, or workers who handle data or information, to find how confident they were in AI’s capabilities and how much critical thinking they employed when using AI to complete tasks. Critical thinking was defined as falling under one of six categories: knowledge (remembering ideas), comprehension (understanding ideas), application (putting ideas to work in the real world), analysis (contrasting and relating ideas), synthesis (combining ideas), and evaluation (judging ideas).

The surveyed knowledge workers used AI like ChatGPT at least once a week and gave 936 examples of how they used AI at work, ranging from looking up facts to summarizing a text. They mainly used critical thinking to set clear prompts, refine prompts, and verify AI responses against external sources.

Six out of the seven researchers listed are associated with Microsoft Research, the research subsidiary of Microsoft created in 1991. Microsoft has deep interests in AI, with its investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI totaling close to $14 billion and its plans to spend $80 billion on AI data centers in the fiscal year ending in June.

The researchers caution that while AI can make workplaces more efficient, it could “also reduce critical engagement, particularly in routine or lower-stakes tasks in which users simply rely on AI, raising concerns about long-term reliance and diminished independent problem-solving.”

In other words, AI has a hidden cost: It could lead workers to lose muscle memory for more routine tasks.

Related: DeepSeek AI Cost Less Than $6 Million to Develop. Here’s Why Meta and Microsoft Are Justifying Spending Billions.

Airbnb announced a Live and Work Anywhere remote work policy in April 2022, which allows the company’s global employees to work from home from any location — as long as they meet up in person regularly for team gatherings.

Now Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is clarifying for the first time what he means by “regular” meetups.

“I have a simple rule: we basically ask people to come to San Francisco one week a month,” Chesky told host Bob Safian on a recent episode of the Masters of Scale Rapid Response podcast. “Some people come for just two or three days. Some people come for the full week.”

^{Brian Chesky. Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for WIRED}

Chesky calls the return-to-office week a “gathering week” when Airbnb coordinates everyone being together in San Francisco. The focus is on collaboration, not on getting people to work harder by having them show up to the office, he says.

“I have not found a huge value in people being in the office all the time,” Chesky said, adding, “What I want is, for the most part, people coming to the San Francisco office, but I can’t get everyone to move here to San Francisco, and I can’t get them to fly here every week.”

Most Airbnb employees are based in San Francisco, Chesky says. Airbnb flies out-of-state or out-of-country employees to the San Francisco office once a month for in-person meetups. Chesky says that the cost is worth it and more affordable than thousands of people coming to work in person five days per week. Even if it was more expensive, he says it would still be worth it.

Related: Airbnb’s New ‘Icons’ Cost Less Than $100 Per Night, Including the House from ‘Up’ and Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’

“I think the output for us is superior,” Chesky said.

Since Airbnb introduced its Live and Work Anywhere, about 20% of employees have relocated to states within the U.S. or abroad. According to Forbes, Airbnb has 6,907 employees.

Chesky also stated in the interview that the way to make a team work harder wasn’t by forcing them to work in person from the office but by setting rigorous milestones.

“If you want a team to work harder, don’t make them come to the office, give them a crazy deadline and check on their progress every week,” Chesky said. “That’s how you get them to work harder, not by being in the office.”

Related: Airbnb Side Hustlers Are Making Thousands of Dollars Every Month. Here Are 10 Things to Know to Turn Your Extra Space Into Cash.

Several large companies have issued return-to-office mandates recently. JPMorgan, for example, announced a mandate last month directing its 300,000-person workforce to work from the office every weekday beginning in March. Gap stated a goal earlier this month of having its corporate employees back in the office five days a week by the fall.

Almost 60% of entrepreneurs worked in the corporate world before starting their own businesses, according to data from accounting software company Xero. So they are probably used to working with Microsoft Office programs. It’s always easier working with familiar programs, but a Microsoft 365 subscription is fairly pricey. Fortunately, for a limited time, you can get a great deal on the top eight MS Office programs with a lifetime license for MS Office Professional 2021 priced at $59.97.

With a lifetime license for Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Access, Outlook, Publisher and OneNote, you’ll find everything a professional needs in one suite of programs, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional. It’s the perfect choice for anyone who needs to handle documents and data. It has so many new features that will help you become more productive in tasks from processing documents to designing presentations from scratch.

Users will appreciate the familiar ribbon-based interface that makes all the available features, customizations and tools so easily accessible. Quickly customize a wide variety of details, including layout, font, indentation size in documents and much more. You also won’t need to sacrifice work-related functions such as creating presentations or formatting emails just to make your documents more aesthetically pleasing.

This one-time purchase includes an MS Office Pro 2021 license for a single PC with Windows 10 or 11 installed that you can use at work or at home. Please note that the license will be connected to the device on which it’s installed and NOT to your Microsoft account.

You’ll receive your download links instantly by email as soon as you complete your purchase and access your software license keys immediately. Free customer service is also included, so you’ll have the best support.

Get a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows while the price has been dropped to $59.97 through 11:59 p.m. PT February 23.

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License – $59.97

See Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

When my wife, Maria Baradell, posted Instagram and TikTok videos of herself kneading sourdough on an international flight, I knew it had the potential to capture attention. It was quirky, visually interesting and relatable — all the ingredients of a social media hit. What I didn’t expect was how quickly it would jump from TikTok to major outlets like CNN, The Guardian and USA Today.

The results were extraordinary: According to CoverageBook, Maria’s in-flight sourdough story generated 95 pieces of media coverage, reached a combined audience of 1.26 billion people and earned 11.3 million estimated views across digital and print platforms. With an average domain authority of 70 for the publications covering it, the story didn’t just resonate online — it became a global conversation.

For journalists, Maria’s video wasn’t just a fun human-interest story — it was exactly the kind of content they love to cover. Visual? Check. Built-in quotes from TikTok comments? Check. Proven public interest via likes, shares and views? Check. No need to leave the desk or make a single phone call? Double check.

In a media ecosystem shaped by tight deadlines and shrinking newsroom resources, social media has become the primary fodder for journalists. Viral content doesn’t just suggest public interest — it proves it. For brands and PR professionals, this presents a massive opportunity to connect with audiences by crafting moments that check the right boxes.

Related: How to Create a Viral Video Smash Hit

Why Maria’s video captured the world’s attention

Maria’s video resonated because it wasn’t just a quirky clip — it hit all the marks that make a story viral and newsworthy.

The act of kneading dough mid-flight was unexpected, immediately grabbing attention and sparking curiosity. It felt authentic, showcasing Maria’s passion for baking in an unscripted and relatable way. The video also evoked an emotional connection, blending admiration for her creativity with humor over the absurdity of the situation.

However, what really gave the story momentum was the controversy it stirred. While most viewers found the video amusing or inspiring, others were genuinely upset. Critics questioned the hygiene of kneading dough in such a confined public space, while some labeled it inconsiderate to fellow passengers. These strong reactions fueled heated discussions, driving engagement on social media and making the story even more appealing to journalists.

Finally, the video’s visual appeal — a baker rolling dough at 30,000 feet — made it a natural fit for headlines. It wasn’t just a story people wanted to share; it was one that outlets could easily illustrate with striking imagery.

These elements worked together to ensure the video didn’t just resonate online but transitioned seamlessly into global media coverage.

It has since led to Maria appearing on cooking segments on major-market morning TV, being interviewed on top baking podcasts and appearing on national streaming services to share tips for the perfect holiday feast.

How to create media-friendly social media content

For brands and PR professionals, Maria’s story offers a blueprint for creating social media content that bridges the gap to traditional media. To succeed, your content should combine emotional resonance, compelling visuals and broader relevance.

1. Focus on strong visuals: Great visuals don’t just perform well on social media — they’re essential for media coverage. Invest in imagery or videos that stand out and grab attention immediately.

2. Tap into emotions: Stories that make people laugh, admire or debate are far more likely to be shared — and picked up by journalists. Think about what emotional response your content will evoke.

3. Add depth and context: The most successful social media stories touch on broader cultural themes. Consider how your content can connect to trending conversations or universal experiences.

4. Engage your audience: Encourage comments, questions and debates around your content. Journalists love to pull quotes from comment sections to illustrate public reaction.

5. Be ready for the crossover: Viral moments don’t stay online. When your content gains traction, journalists may come calling. Prepare in advance with clear messaging, spokespeople and follow-up content to keep the momentum going.

Related: 4 Unconventional Marketing Campaigns That Demanded Media Attention — and What Your Brand Can Learn From Them

Why social media is the perfect newsroom fuel

Social media stories like Maria’s work because they come with all the elements newsrooms need to turn around a quick, engaging piece.

Maria’s video was highly visual, came with ready-made quotes from TikTok’s comment section and had proven public interest through its likes, shares and views. It required no additional reporting, making it easy for journalists to cover in minutes. For outlets juggling tight deadlines and shrinking budgets, stories like this are gold.

The growing reliance on social media as a source for news presents a unique opportunity for brands. By creating content that resonates emotionally, sparks discussion and is visually striking, you can position your stories to bridge the gap between social platforms and traditional media.

The takeaway: Social media drives modern journalism

Maria’s sourdough moment wasn’t just a quirky viral video; it was a textbook example of how social media fuels modern journalism. For many outlets, stories like hers are the perfect package — visual, engaging and pre-approved by the audience.

For brands and PR professionals, the opportunity is clear. By crafting content that combines emotional resonance, visual appeal and relevance to broader conversations, you can significantly increase your chances of transitioning from social media to traditional media.

In today’s media landscape, the best stories don’t just travel — they get amplified. Sometimes, all it takes is a ball of dough, a tray table and a little creativity to spark a global conversation.

Related: How Social Media Can Help With PR

Stop guessing what works in your marketing. Most entrepreneurs use AI for basic tasks, but you’re about to discover a hidden goldmine: turning Google AI Studio into your personal, 24/7 marketing consultant — and it won’t cost you a dime.

In this video, I reveal a five-step framework to analyze your existing email campaigns, identify your top performers and use those insights to craft high-converting emails, landing pages and even optimize your order forms. This isn’t about generic AI advice; it’s about using your data to unlock explosive growth.

This is the key to transforming your marketing from guesswork to a data-driven, profit-generating machine. Are you ready to tap into the hidden AI goldmine? Watch now!

Download the free “AI Success Kit” (limited time only). And you’ll also get a free chapter from Ben’s brand new book, “The Wolf is at The Door – How to Survive and Thrive in an AI-Driven World.”

Walmart may have generated the most revenue of any other company in the S&P 500 for the past 12 consecutive years, but another e-commerce giant is coming for its crown.

Amazon reported revenue of $187.8 billion in its latest earnings release for the fourth quarter of 2024 after market close on Thursday, which is more than the $180 billion in revenue Walmart is projected to report for the same quarter on February 20, according to a Thursday report from CNBC.

If the Walmart projection comes to pass, it would mark the first time in over a decade that another company has usurped Walmart as the top revenue-generator on the S&P 500. In 2012, Walmart took the top spot from Exxon Mobil, per CNBC.

Related: Walmart Is Laying Off Hundreds, Relocating Others as the Company Closes a U.S. Office

“The holiday shopping season was the most successful yet for Amazon and we appreciate the support of our customers, selling partners, and employees who helped make it so,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated in the earnings release.

Amazon’s online shopping business has skyrocketed since the pandemic. The company’s annual sales in North America have grown by more than 100% since 2019, per CNBC.

Amazon’s successful cloud business, Amazon Web Services (AWS), also contributed to its revenue growth. Revenue in the division has swelled in the past few years, growing from $45.37 billion in 2020 to nearly double that amount, or $90.76 billion, in 2023, according to Statista.

^{Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

In the third quarter of 2024, AWS revenue increased 19% year-over-year and contributed to 17% of total sales.

Amazon also hit a milestone for its revenue for the full year of 2024. The company crossed the $600 billion mark for the first time in 2024 with a record revenue of $638 billion.

In this measure, Amazon isn’t expected to surpass Walmart, which is predicted to report full-year revenue of $681 billion for 2024 and has already exceeded the $600 billion mark in 2023 with revenue of $611.3 billion.

Related: Top-Performing Walmart Managers Can Now Make $620,000 a Year

Americans can’t get enough of side hustles — the gigs allowing them to earn extra cash outside of their 9-5 jobs — and young entrepreneurs are especially keen to start their own. These days, 44% of millennials and 48% of Gen Z have a side hustle, according to Bankrate’s Side Hustles Survey.

However, millennial and Gen Z side hustlers are no longer the newest on the scene: Gen Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, might be between the ages of 1 and 14, but many of them are already taking control of their financial futures.

Related: Move Over Boomers and Millennials — Here’s How Gen Alpha’s Top Entrepreneurs Are Printing Money

A staggering 69% of Gen Alpha say they’ve started or plan to start a side hustle, according to the Acorns Money Matters Report™ for Kids.

Acorns’ report, which surveyed more than 60,000 6-to-14-year-olds and 2,000 of their parents, explores Gen Alpha‘s financial planning — and their parents’ own financial concerns.

An “economic powerhouse” with an estimated $11.3 billion spending power, Gen Alpha is getting proactive about their personal finances: They’re planning or starting side hustles to earn additional spending money (58%) or save funds for the future (31%), the report found.

Related: ‘My Schedule Is Mayhem’: Nearly 50% of Parents Now Have Side Hustles, According to a New Survey

“It’s encouraging to see how mindful Gen Alpha already is about financial security,” Acorns CEO Noah Kerner says.

What exactly are these young side hustlers saving for? According to the report, 19% are already saving for college, 24% for their first car, 11% for their first home and 6% for their retirement.

What’s more, Gen Alpha’s parents might be contributing to their children’s money mentalities.

Most kids and teens aged 10 to 14 (63%) hear their parents talk about money often, and among children in that age group who associate stress with money, more than three-quarters of their parents report feeling the same way, Acorns’ research revealed.

Related: ‘It Was Taboo’: Parents Shape Their Children’s Relationship With Money. Here’s How to Set Kids Up for Long-Term Success Instead of Struggle.

Northwestern Mutual vice president and chief portfolio manager Matt Stucky told Entrepreneur that parents can instill strong money management skills in their kids like any other good habit.

“It just takes a lot of repetition — things like saving, investing,” Stucky says. “I’m not going to teach my 4-year-old about investing, but just the idea of if I save a dollar, that means I can spend it down the road on something that I really want. That takes a while to sink in.”

This article is part of our ongoing Young Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a young business owner.

Citigroup isn’t following fellow Wall Street banks like JPMorgan and implementing a strict return-to-office policy. According to recent reports, Citigroup has decided to stick with its hybrid schedule which allows staff up to two days per week of remote work.

Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser told managing directors on a quarterly call in mid-January that the bank will continue to have a hybrid work schedule, The Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Per the report, Fraser said that Citigroup’s hybrid work policy gives it a competitive advantage by allowing it to recruit talented staff.

The majority of Citigroup’s 210,000-person workforce is on the hybrid schedule now, with only traders and staff at bank branches expected to be in the office five days per week.

^{Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images}

Fraser has taken measures to help Citigroup’s workforce establish a measure of work-life balance. In March 2021, she sent a memo to the bank’s staff creating Zoom-Free Fridays, where employees were not required to take video calls on Fridays. She also encouraged staff to keep their work to working hours and take their vacation time.

Related: Remote Walmart Employees Question Return-to-Office Policy, Some Opt to Quit Instead of Relocating

“When our work regularly spills over into nights, very early mornings, and weekends, it can prevent us from recharging fully, and that isn’t good for you, nor, ultimately, for Citi,” Fraser wrote in the memo.

Fraser’s stance on hybrid work, as giving Citigroup an advantage over the competition, contrasts with that of other banks on Wall Street, like JPMorgan. Last month, JPMorgan asked all of its 300,000-plus employees to return to the office five days per week by March. Employees pushed back almost immediately on a company post announcing the mandate, with over 300 comments explaining that the policy would affect their childcare costs, commute, and work-life balance.

Other Wall Street institutions asked employees back to the office even earlier. Goldman Sachs told its U.S. employees that they had to be back in the office by June 2021.

Meanwhile, several major companies have decided to stay with more flexible schedules. Starbucks has maintained a hybrid schedule with two days working remotely for its corporate employees while Spotify has a work-from-anywhere policy.

Related: ‘Retiring the Hybrid Policy’: Dell Issues a Strict Return-to-Office Mandate for Most Employees

I am competitive, and I hate to lose. When I feel like someone is going to be better than me at something, it flips a switch somewhere deep inside of me and puts me into overdrive.

This isn’t limited to the work I do at FutureFund, my free fundraising platform for K-12 school groups. I want to be the best athlete, coach, family man and software engineer that I can be. And for the most part, this works. It motivates me to strive for excellence and keep challenging myself instead of becoming too comfortable and stagnating.

But the same tendency that drives me to excel at these things can sometimes become counterproductive. My dislike of losing is actually so strong that I often hate playing board games. As you can imagine, that can really put a damper on family game night if I don’t keep it in check.

Lots of people in tech are like this because it’s a competitive landscape. Maybe it’s the same for you: anything you do, you have to do 100% — and because you put 100% of yourself into something, it’s almost impossible for your success or failure not to feel like a reflection of who you are. Like me, you have a brand, and that brand is: when you do something, you will succeed.

The trick is to keep your sense of competition healthy so that it serves your work and personal goals instead of getting in your way. Here’s how I do it — and how you can, too.

Related: Stop Bossing Your Team Around — How Coaching Can Remove Your Blind Spots and Transform Your Leadership Style

The way you respond to competition is a choice

Not everyone responds to competition in the same way. People tend to fall into one of two groups when they witness someone else succeeding at a goal they have for themselves.

The first group tries to sabotage the success they see in others. They ask how they can shift their competition’s reputation so that it’s negative. This is more commonly accepted than you might assume. We tend to look down on brands who run obvious smear campaigns against their rivals, but lots of companies get away with writing press releases that favorably compare their products or services to those of their biggest competitors.

The second group tries to improve themselves so they can match and surpass the success they see others experiencing. They become motivated to better themselves instead of casting aspersions on their rivals. This approach can feel like a lot more work, but I have found that it’s also frequently much more rewarding.

The first group’s approach might work at first — but there are obvious risks. Not only can this blow back on you if you’re too heavy-handed, but it can also provoke your rivals and motivate them to work harder against you than they normally would have. But the biggest problem is that focusing on others doesn’t do anything to improve your abilities.

The second group’s approach requires you to be unflinchingly honest with yourself and your team about your strengths and weaknesses, which can be challenging at first. But it also pays dividends. You learn where to invest your time and effort for maximum gains. You become more efficient and less likely to blame others for your mistakes, and you ultimately get closer to becoming the best you can be at what you’re doing.

Related: Why You Have to Let People Fail Now So They Can Succeed Later

Wanting to win vs. hating to lose

Once you’ve chosen to motivate yourself instead of tearing down your competitors, the next question is how to do it. Here’s one way to think about it that’s always helped me:

It’s not just about wanting to win; it’s about hating to lose. If you’re anything like me, the disappointment of losing is usually stronger for you than the joy of winning.

This doesn’t permit you to be a sore loser on those occasions when it inevitably does happen — you don’t want to ruin family game night. But making it a priority to avoid unfavorable outcomes is often helpful because it makes you more likely to fix the kinds of things that people might let slide if they’re too focused on their wins.

One of FutureFund’s major competitors ultimately went out of business because their support team routinely took weeks to get back to people. This issue would have been easy to correct, but they let it become their Achilles heel. Although it might not have felt important enough for them to fix, it turned out to be important for their users.

So we decided that one of our non-negotiables would be to answer support tickets in a reasonable amount of time — a couple of hours or less. That was easy to commit to, but it had a profoundly positive impact on our success.

Think about this in the context of your startup. Staying competitive means celebrating your wins, but never letting yourself be complacent about where there’s room for improvement.

Related: 4 Coaching Stages Every Leader Should Master to Help Others Grow

You define what winning is

Finally, you need a healthy way to quantify and acknowledge your wins. That can be difficult because, in business, it’s not always clear who’s winning. There are no universal goalposts that everyone can see.

Here’s my rule: competition is healthy when you decide what success looks like instead of letting others do it. Measure your progress by how far you’ve come in relation to the goals you’ve set instead of letting your competitors control the narrative and always being one step behind them.

Success, for me, is about being a little better than I was the day before. When you’re in a startup, your product won’t be perfect at first — or maybe ever. But you work to make sure it’s better today than it was last month — or last week, or yesterday. This way, you can at least make sure you’re heading in the right direction.

If you’ve chosen your mission carefully, this kind of progress becomes a much better benchmark for success than what some other company is doing. You can read more about that in my next article below:

I travel a lot for my job, and although there are many downsides to being on the road, there is one significant benefit: it gives me time to think.

When you travel — particularly when you’re solo, as I oftentimes am — you have a lot of time to think. In the Uber. In security. Walking through the airport. Waiting for your flight. Being on your flight. Doing the reverse at your destination. Some people listen to music or podcasts during this downtime, and there are occasions when I do the same. But most of the time, I’m thinking. What are my thoughts?

Same as you, if you’re a business owner. I’m thinking about things going on in my life and my company. A new product we’re working on. A sales campaign I want to try. A challenging client situation. A difficult employee. Whether the Phillies should trade Alec Bohm. Why the guy sitting next to me is wearing sandals. Lots of thoughts are going through my little, silly, pathetic mind. But that’s fine. Thinking is good. And when I return from a trip, I usually have new ideas, different approaches to a problem — brilliant thoughts to share.

When I travel, I’m not on the phone as much as when I’m in the office. I’m also not sending as many emails or attending as many meetings. I’m doing less, but actually, I’m doing more.

Back in my office the next day, I’m completing tasks. I’m reviewing contracts. I’m working on a proposal. I’m on Zoom. I’m messaging an employee. I’m calling a contractor. I’m running to a client meeting. I’m doing a lot. But am I doing the right things? Am I really contributing to the long-term profitability and growth of my business? Am I acting or just reacting? I think you know the answer.

As business owners, we all spend too much time doing too many irrelevant things instead of what’s really important: thinking. Thinking about the future. Thinking about how to make our customers delighted, our products better, our employees happier. We should be thinking about the economy, regulations and new laws that may affect our business and how we’re going to deal with them. We should be thinking of our cash flow, our investments and how to increase the value of our businesses. But what about all the daily minutiae we have to deal with? I need to do less of them. So, I accomplish more.

Here are some actions I’m going to take this year so that I can accomplish more by doing less.

Related: 10 Growth Strategies Every Business Owner Should Know

Outsource to experts

I should not be doing my own payroll, creating quotes, researching issues or sending out bulk emails. This year, I’ll outsource these tasks. I’ll pay accountants, salespeople and outside marketers to do this for me. This will save me hours of time. And yes, it will cost, but the cost-benefit ratio will be much higher.

Force myself to get out more

I will leave my desk, play squash or ride my bike in the middle of the day, visit more clients, and have lunch with people I should’ve had lunch with years ago. The more I’m out, the more I leave my business to be run by my talented people, and the more time I will have to think about the business and how to scale it.

Join a CEO group

There are many great organizations around the country that assemble local groups of CEOs and business owners who regularly get together to discuss their businesses. They discuss their problems, share their financial information, offer guidance and ask for help. If I were to take the time to be with them and listen to what they have to say, I would benefit and grow. I may even have a few thoughts to help them, too.

Follow the 80/20 rule

It is amazing to me how much time I spend on clients that generate so little profit. Like many, I just want to please people. I realize that every client is important, and I want a client paying me $100 to be just as satisfied as a client paying me $10,000. But come on, does that really make sense? This year, I’m going to spend less time agonizing over small, marginally profitable accounts and focus on the clients who are truly the most valuable to my business. I’m not going to ignore the smaller clients. But I’m going to have a limit as to how much time I’m going to spend on them. I’ll do the same with our products and services. Do we need to have so many? Can we get more done with fewer offerings?

Related: 5 Innovative Ways to Create Growth Opportunities for Your Employees

Finally, I’m going to lean more into tech this year

I will look at every task I perform during the day — responding to emails, following up on opportunities, sending bulk messages, attending meetings, reviewing invoices, and writing proposals — and ask myself how this can be done quicker with technology. My company uses a great CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software application that comes with many workflow and automation features that are beginning to leverage AI, all designed to get more things done in less time. I will speak frequently to this vendor and ask how I can be doing things quicker and better with their software.

2025 is when I will do less. Less busy work. Less micromanaging. Less detailed tasks. That’s what my smartest clients do: they make the time to think. They accomplish more by doing less.