Here we are at the end of January.   So how are those resolutions holding out for you?  Hopefully, you're still doing pretty well.  I'm sorry to admit that a few I made have fallen by the wayside already.   I guess if they didn't have enough staying power to make it through the first month, they weren't that good to begin with.  I'm okay with that.  Sometimes it's knowing when to stop doing something that really matters.

One of the best ways to figure out if you should stop doing something is to just stop doing it and see what the repercussions are.  Sometimes quitting something just makes a lot of sense.  We're all hardwired with different levels of resilience.  I know for myself, I find it difficult to know when to persevere or just quit.  We know that on one hand, we need to persevere...we need to stick it out to be successful.  But in some cases, quitting gives us an appropriate escape so we can let go of the present result and take another action that gives us another chance for success. Decisions.  Decisions.  How to do it?  I like to think that I can make choices by looking at both my passion or energy level for something, together with cash flow.  I like cash flow.  I think most of us do.  But just like we know that the successful don't do what they do just for the paycheck they earn, we can't only look at cash flow as a single or suitable determinant for our decision to move forward or completely change direction.

I'm a talker. I like to ask questions and learn the experiences of  trusted advisors that I have an opportunity to interact with. That said, I find that if I check my confidence meter, do some old-fashioned pen to paper, or more up-to-date spreadsheet and cash flow analysis followed by listening to my gut, I seem to keep on track of whether to quit or move forward.  And most of the time I err on the side of not quitting.  I'll bet you operate in a very similar fashion.

So back to resolutions.  They tend to fall into both business and personal categories. Some of the more popular ones year-after-year tend to be drink less, get some additional education, find a better or new job, get more physically fit and lose weight, manage stress, quit smoking, (yes, there really are people who still smoke), do something good for the environment, save money, take more time off and volunteer to help others.  There's another one that has become really popular in recent years...manage e-mail better.  It's one of my top resolutions.  Of course it's been at the top for more years than I like to admit.  I refined the Outlook resolution this year from "successfully managing my e-mails" to "continue to fight Outlook from overtaking my life."  The problem is threefold: 1. There are too many e-mails.  2.  It takes too much time to respond to e-mails.  3. It's difficult keeping organized so I can find emails later when necessary.  To help with the battle, my goal will be to check e-mail no more than 3 to 4 times per day when in the office and use a mobile device to handle email to fill otherwise wasted time.  I'll use my Delete key as often as possible and not be tempted to categorize something as "read later" or "file" and keep my Dragon Naturally Speaking headset on so I can verbally answer and create most e-mails.  And lastly, utilize our QuickConnectPlus CRM together with a really good Outlook folder system for filing.

So I think the two resolutions I've publicly admitted to you - focusing on what not to do or what to quit doing and fighting the e-mail battle - have a pretty good chance of survival. I hope you're doing a good job with your resolutions.  Let's check back with one another in a few months and see if there's anything that needs intensive care.

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Magruders, Inc. trades as Magruders at eight locations throughout MD, VA and Washington, DC.  The supermarkets occupy spaces of 25,000 sq.ft. to 32,000 sq.ft. in strip centers.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout the existing markets during the coming 18 months.  For more information, contact Steven Fanaroff, Magruders, Inc., 981 Rollins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850.

Au Bon Pain operates 226 locations nationwide and internationally. The casual bakeries and cafes occupy spaces of 2,200 sq.ft. to 3,000 sq.ft. in urban/downtown areas. Plans call for three openings throughout the Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC metropolitan areas during the coming 18 months, with representation by Woodmark Commercial Services.  For more information, contact Anastasia Kharchenko, Woodmark Commercial Services, 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street Northwest, Suite 170, Washington, DC 20007.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf operates 800 locations nationwide and internationally. The restaurants occupy spaces of 1,000 sq.ft. to 1,600 sq.ft. in urban/downtown areas and endcaps of lifestyle, power and regional centers. Plans call for 10 openings throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties in CA during the coming 18 months, with representation by Retail Net Lease Properties, Inc. Typical leases run five years. Major competitors include Starbucks and Peet's Coffee. The company prefers sites with a drive-thru. For more information, contact Charlie Cangelosi, Retail Net Lease Properties, Inc., 360 North Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 1020, El Segundo, CA 90245.

The Sherwin Williams Co. (Eastern Division) trades as Sherwin-Williams at 3,350 locations nationwide and throughout Canada. The stores, offering paint and related products, occupy spaces of 5,000 sq.ft. in freestanding locations, strip centers and downtown areas. Growth opportunities are sought throughout CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT and WV, as well as Canada during the coming 18 months. Typical leases run five years with options. For more information, contact Bill Siehl, The Sherwin Williams Co. (Eastern Division), 313 Technology Drive, Malvern, PA 19355. 

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