Take on the new year with the rule of fours

January is the perfect time to implement some strategic thinking and goal setting for farm businesses, because farmers tend to slow down a bit - harvest permitting of course.

It’s a good time to reflect on the year just gone and look forward to the one ahead, but it can be hard to know where to start.

I first heard about the 4x4x4x4 model from a participant in one of my workshops and it’s stuck with me ever since.

It’s easy to remember and works brilliantly for farming businesses.

I’ve seen the positive results and I encourage you to give it a go as well.

Try four new things in the business or farm this year

Whether it’s a new pasture variety or the length of time you join your rams with ewes, try something new.

They don’t have to be massive changes and you don’t normally change your whole farm program.

I like to think of these as small research trials, so try your new pasture species alongside a current one to see if it’s better.

This allows for small positive steps to improve your farm business, without a large risk, and the benefits will stack up year on year to keep your farm moving forward.

Attend four workshops or seminars a year

This could be a farm walk, an online seminar or it might be just to get to a field day to see what’s new.

Continued learning and education is important in all industries and keeping up to date with industry best practice, research and new equipment is valuable.

However, one of the other benefits of attending these events is that you end up seeing the same people and building a professional network as well as friendships.

You can talk about things that are troubling or worrying you, even if you don’t learn much from formal stuff.

Four weeks a year working on the business

This equates to about a day a fortnight working on your business, not in it.

That is paying bills, ordering, planning, budgeting, and importantly recognises that working on your business is a legitimate use of time.

Too many farmers think unless they are physically working on the farm, they are not working at all.

I would also recommend that this work takes place in a dedicated farm office, not at the kitchen table, if possible.

I’ve found that people who do the books after dinner on the table, with the kids around, or after a glass of wine, don’t do it well and don’t enjoy it.

Four weeks holiday away from the business

Ideally at least two of those weeks should be in one chunk to get optimal results.

These holidays usually take a bit of planning around busy times such as calving, shearing or haymaking, but they don’t have to cost a lot of money.

They don’t have to be big international trips, but rather a chance to get off farm and recharge.

The people who do this say they are refreshed and reinvigorated, even if they were worried about losing momentum before they tried it.

The 4x4x4x4 rule gives farmers and business owners a framework to plan to and set up their year ahead.

Get out a pen and paper, or computer if you prefer, and work out how following the rules would look for your farm and family this year.

Some forward planning can help you achieve the 4x4x4x4 and your business and family will be all the better for it.