December 31, 2007. Absolutely nothing different from today other than the fact that tomorrow we flip the year to 2008. But so much hinges on this last day. It is the last day for most corporations’ years. For some individuals, it’s a day to reflect over the last year and set New Year’s resolutions for the upcoming.

The power of 12/31 is this: it puts a stake in the ground as a means to measure the past 364 days.

It’s the power of measuring. It provides the individual or company a consistent timeframe to size themselves up. It answers the questions: How are we doing and what do we need to be doing differently?

Most people or organizations that go through this each year gets a significant benefit from the exercise. So why not shorten the timeframe and therefore get the benefit more often?

Consider shortening your timeframe to a monthly or quarterly review and ask yourself the timeframe questions. Make adjustments throughout the year instead of just once at the end of the year.

And why you’re at it, schedule your web site for a monthly review. How did you do? How many visitors and what was your conversion rate versus previous months? What do you need to change to your web site to make sure it performs better for the next quarter?

May 2008 prove to be a great year because you’ve measured and adjusted on 12/31. And instead of waiting another year before your next review, I hope you have some of the best months or quarters you’ve ever had because you choose to review more often in 2008.