New Year’s Resolutions at Work

Making Career Resolutions in the New Year

2017 is nearly here and, for many of us, that means that it’s time for the yearly tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. Now, it’s common knowledge that many people don’t actually keep their resolutions (including me sometimes!), but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. Making New Year’s resolutions can help you focus on your goals and setting work-related resolutions can actually lead to a positive affect on your career.

The key is to set the right resolutions.

One of the most important tips for setting New Year’s resolutions is to establish goals that are specific and measurable. With that in mind, here are a few common career-related New Year’s resolutions and some paths you can take to achieve these goals. Obviously, these are just suggestions and your actual resolutions will be specifically tailored for you. However, this is a good starting point for anyone who is having trouble coming up with how to jump start your career growth.

Re-Write your Resume

Even if you’re not looking for a new job, it’s still a good idea to re-write your resume. The key term here is “re-write.” A lot of times, we simply change a few dates on our resume, add a line or two, and consider it updated. However, occasionally it’s a good idea to redo the whole thing from scratch. You might have left out important details in the past or you may want to focus on a different skillset or use a different resume style going forward. Don’t worry, you can keep your old resume for reference and it’s always possible to go back to it if you don’t like the new one.

Read X Number of Books

It’s obvious that reading is important. We know that successful people are avid readers. It helps us learn new things, consider different viewpoints we haven’t contemplated before, and see things from different perspectives. It’s also entertaining, intellectually stimulating and better for your mind than whatever smart phone game you’re currently addicted to. Super Mario Run anyone?!

This year, resolve to read a certain number of books each month (or a total for the year.) Choose a mixture of industry-related books, general reference books and books for pleasure. You’ll find that making the time to read regularly will provide you with many benefits.

Get at Least Seven Hours of Sleep Each Night

Most of us don’t get enough sleep. We’re all guilty of skipping sleep in order to get another few hours of work done. I’ve done this many times, despite the fact that I know how important a good night’s sleep can be.

This year, resolve to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. You might not hit this goal every night, but don’t let it stop you from trying. “Scheduling” a good night’s sleep won’t just leave you feeling more relaxed, alert and focused, but it will also help you to become better at scheduling the rest of your day. When you stick to a sleep schedule,  you won’t squeeze in “just a few more emails” by avoiding your bed time anymore.

Clean Out Your Inbox

We all get a lot of email. Too much email, in fact! At the beginning of the New Year, take a few hours to get your inbox under control. Delete or achieve emails you don’t want. Take action on those that require action. Unsubscribe from newsletters, mailing lists and services that you do not find useful (though hopefully you will want to continue to receive the n-gen e-blast 😉). Organize your email into folders or use labels to keep things under control. Turn off the email notifications – the noise and pop up window  do nothing other than distract you from more important tasks. Once your inbox is clean, the challenge is to keep this up for the entire year. Commit to doing a monthly purge. Having an organized inbox will streamline your workflow and enhance your productivity.

Achieve Your Resolutions

To achieve your resolutions and turn them into concrete habits, it’s important that you review your goals throughout the year and it’s a good idea to chart your progress. This is one of the reasons why setting specific and measurable resolutions is so important. You need to be able to identify how far you have come and what you still need to do to be successful. If your resolutions are too vague, there’s no way that you can measure your progress and see how well you’re doing.

When you’re reviewing your goals, don’t afraid to make modifications. Situations and circumstances change throughout the year, so don’t feel pressured to stick with your original resolutions if they no longer serve you. Adjust, adapt and reset your goals so that you achieve them and feel great about your accomplishments at the end of next year.

Wishing you much success in 2017 and a Happy New Year!

Giselle Kovary

As president and co-founder of n-gen People Performance Inc., Giselle is dedicated to building strategies and programs that target, motivate and engage a multigenerational workforce. She is a sought after resource to industry leaders, having worked with 18 of the top Fortune 500 companies. Over 60,000 people globally have experienced an n-gen workshop or presentation. She has devoted more than fifteen years to researching the impact that generational differences have on organizational performance. Giselle has co-authored two books: Loyalty Unplugged: How to Get, Keep & Grow All Four Generations and Upgrade Now: 9 Advanced Leadership Skills. She has a Master’s degree in communication studies from the University of Windsor.