When the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Marion, N.Y., brothers Ethan and Oren Welch from participating in sports and their usual extracurricular activities, the 15-year-old twins started building quality wooden apple bins to supply to apple growers in their county. Now, Welch Brothers Bins builds 100 bins each month that are promoted through a website and social media platforms.

RightMetric CEO Charlie Grinnell shares a content marketing framework that he used while working at Red Bull to create a video format that's attracted more than 100 million views. Grinnell explains how to measure high-performing content within your brand category to identify key themes that will be interesting for audiences but aren't already covered by competitors.

Focus on taking customers though a seven-stage journey as opportunities work through your company's customer relationship management system, writes Simon Severino, CEO of Strategy Sprints. For example, when a customer responds to an email, a solid CRM system will allow you to track that customer's actions across your platforms and generate an appropriate follow-up that provides an appropriate customer service response.

Creating separate lists -- one for projects with end dates and for life "domains" that are open-ended -- can help you prioritize your time, especially when tasks are ranked and regularly reviewed, writes Khe Hy. "Once you've nailed the basics, you'll realize that tasks play a small role in a broader integrated system of designing a life rich with purpose and meaning," Hy writes.

The pandemic has accelerated transformation, and employers must embrace "change agility" to set their business up for success, Josh Bersin writes. Change agility is "about human-centered leadership, building a strong culture of purpose, taking care of your people, and creating a design discipline of 'micro-nudges' and stories that bring people to the new world," Bersin explains.

By applying practical steps, you can fight the exhausting cycle of overwork and lackluster results. The process starts by picturing your ideal clients and how your business meets their needs. From there, identify your own strengths and weaknesses and where you spend the most time to determine the areas of your business that can be delegated.

Pressure from the pandemic is causing many leaders to spend large parts of their workday either feeling burned out or facing negative emotions. However, it's possible to shift into a more positive mode by avoiding harsh self-judgment and by working to improve the experience of others.

The Federal Reserve convenes this week for the first policy meeting of the year and is widely expected to confirm a plan to increase interest rates in March.