Nine ‘Must-Have’ New Year Resolutions To Get Ahead at Work

WE ALL make New Year resolutions.

Unfortunately, very few of us actually fulfil those resolutions and go on to achieve our goals.

In a recent Inc.com article, leadership expert Marla Tabaka explains how all of us are capable of achieving our New Year resolutions – in business as well as in our personal lives.

With this in mind, she outlines nine tips to help us to better achieve our goals and get ahead at work:

1. Make only one goal for your New Year resolution, as too many are likely to overwhelm and confuse
2. Consider your resolution carefully and ahead of time, as this will give you plenty of time to reflect on it
3. Don’t dwell on past failures - look ahead with positivity and enthusiasm
4. Break your goal up into manageable and identifiable steps, and set a deadline
5. Identify something worthwhile and real - not just a trendy whim
6. Communicate your goal to everyone: not just the people at work but family and friends as well
7. Whenever you make progress towards the goal (even a small success), reward yourself
8. Document your progress by spreadsheet, journal or other means, to ‘keep it real’
9. Finally, if you do return to your old habits, be patient with yourself and treat it as a temporary setback.

Of course, it is essential to begin the New Year as you mean to go on.

This means getting on to your resolution right away - and not stalling or making excuses for not doing it.

Being happy and motivated in the workplace depends a great deal on the individual and their own personal attitude to their work.

For example, as a New Year resolution, you could commit to doing something you love every day: whether it be canvassing for new clients or simply ensuring you do what you do best daily.

Or you could set aside some ‘me-time’ every day - whether in work time - or before or after work.

This could be anything from exercising to relaxing, reflecting, meditating or writing in your journal.

Susan M. Heathfield explains in a recent thebalancecareers.com article, explains that there is no end to the opportunities available to both improve your work life balance, and maintain a New Year’s resolution.

For example, anyone who is ‘bogged down’ in the same old routine at work could make a resolution to strive to learn something new everyday.

This New Year resolution will continue to work for you for the entire year - and really help you to learn and grow.

It could involve anything from reading a relevant article each day, to discussing a new approach with your work colleague, or researching what other organisations are doing.

It is simply a matter of being rigorous and ensuring you do whatever it is at least once a day.

And if you share your findings with your colleagues this helps cement the learning even more.

Another possible New Year resolution is to make a firm commitment to network more, and reconnect with former colleagues.

Active participation in new groups and catching up with old workmates is an excellent way to both improve your confidence, and expand your professional network.

And by sticking to this or any other New Year resolution, you will reap significant benefits.