New Year, New You.
You’ve heard it, read it, or said it yourself. You’ve set your own New Year’s resolutions or heard resolutions from friends, family, and colleagues. Were the resolutions full of “eat better”, “join a gym”, “spend less, save more”? I wouldn’t be surprised since those are three of the five Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions made across the US. There’s a common factor, too: improving yourself through health or wealth.
When making resolutions, it seems we aren’t thinking about the 2,080+ hours/year we spend working (that’s 23% of one year, by the way!) and the opportunity to make those hours better. Let’s take a look at ways to make professional growth part of your 2020 New Year’s Resolutions list.
THINK ABOUT THE CURRENT YEAR
- What do you enjoy most about your job and how can you spend more time doing that?
- What’s holding you back and how can you overcome it?
- What’s a negative aspect of your job and how can you change that?
- Where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing in July 2020 – six short months after the new year?
- Where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing in December 2020, one year from now?
HOW TO ENJOY 25% OF YOUR NEW YEAR
Here’s some examples of goals and resolutions. If these don’t do it for you, use them for inspiration.
Learn a new skill or gain a professional certification
Think about what you want to learn that ties in closely with current tasks. Once you’ve decided what it is that you want to learn, it’s likely as simple as letting your manager know.
Read books and articles
Make them relevant to your position, industry, or daily tasks. It’s as easy as completing a quick Google search online.
Update your resume
We forget to do this until we absolutely have to do it. Do it now (and throughout the year) while you can still remember and recall all the amazing things you do!
Build a professional network
This can be done in-person or online. Try the 30-day LinkedIn challenge presented by PMG’s own Market & Innovation Development Associate, Josh Erickson. You can find it here: LinkedIn 30-Day Challenge
If you’re not on LinkedIn, make that your first resolution and feel the high of successfully meeting one resolution already!
Find a work mentor
Work mentors aren’t just there to tell you how to change and improve. Mentors do so much more! Here’s some ideas for finding a mentor from national bestselling author, Jeff Goins.
Clean up and clean out
I’m talking about your filing cabinet, toolbox, email inbox, even your car! Clearing out these spaces improves productivity and performance. This article applies to an office setting but you can easily apply it to the shop floor, the employee lunch room, or any other aspect closely related to your job and career.
SCARED OF FAILING YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS?
Don’t let your New Year’s Resolutions Become Dissolutions. Make sure you follow the best practices for success, including:
- Being reasonable and realistic about your goals. Choosing the right goals.
- Setting goals that can be measured
- Setting goals that can be achieved through increments – “mini-goals”
- Sharing your goals with those who can support you
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Don’t forget to celebrate your wins!
Cheers to the New Year and Cheers to You!
Kim Mooney, Technical Manager & Coach
