I heard Dave Ramsey on the radio this morning reading a list of tips for getting through the recession.  I didn’t catch who wrote the piece and I hardly caught the dozen or more tips, but below is my own list that includes what I gathered from that, mixed with my own thoughts.

1. Start work earlier and work a little later – do what it takes to get more done
2. Work harder and smarter – up your effort and look for ways to improve efficiency
3. Pay attention to the details as if your life depended on it – now is the worst possible time for a slip-up
4. Take better care of yourself – eat well, exercise, and get some sleep (seriously, sleep)
5. Pamper your existing clients – getting new clients is difficult, you can not afford to lose the business you already have
6. Market, market, market – double down on your marketing efforts, money is being spent, make sure it’s spent with you
7. Don’t neglect those close to you – surviving will not be easy, you will need your friends and family and they will need you (if #1 seems to interfere with #7, see #8)
8. Give up non-necessities – whether it’s your $4 coffee drink or your 2 hours of ESPN, if it’s not necessary to survive forgo it
9. Plan to work, and work the plan – if you want to achieve anything, putting it in written from is critical.  Budgets, marketing plans, operations goals, etc. should all be written down and read on a regular basis.
10. Stay positive – things could be worse, things could always be worse.  You must find the silver lining. And when you can’t, fake it until you can, no one wants to hang around Chicken Little.

Do you have any tips on how to survive the recession?