On The 6th Day of Christmas at the Dojo...

...we made a list of all the things we need to fix/replace/paint/clean before January 1st.

Now, I know you're planning on taking advantage of some much-needed downtime over the holidays by, well, not working. However, with no one at the dojo this is a great time to spiff the place up a bit.

And if your dojo is like any of the ones I've owned and operated over the years, it's taken some serious wear and tear over the last twelve months. Chances are good there are plenty of things around the place that need scrubbed, painted, fixed and/or replaced, including walls, mats, floors, and equipment.

Speaking of which, after Christmas is typically when most equipment suppliers have clearance sales. That means this time of year is a great time to replace all that worn out gear (and also to pick up hot-selling items that you can sell at a nice profit after the New Year).

I'm aware that a lot of you out there hate replacing equipment, because you see a pad or whatever that is worn and cracked a bit as still being serviceable.

Well, consider walking into to your favorite local gym, and seeing that all the lifting machines, benches, and plates were cracked, worn, rusted, or broken. 

Sure, you can still get a workout, but what would really be going through your mind are questions like, "How often do they clean this place, and what diseases am I picking up when I train here?" and "Where the hell does my monthly membership fee go if they never replace any of the equipment?"

Same thing goes for walls with chipped paint, dusty light fixtures, torn mats, etc.

So, spend about thirty minutes today making a list of all the things that you need to fix, clean, repair, or replace. Then, order what you need to replace (right after Christmas when the sales start, of course), and set aside a half-day over the holidays when no one is around to take care of the rest of the list.