The start of a new year can feel like a blank chapter of a book just waiting to be written. Indeed if you are like me, you might have received a lovely new notebook for Christmas which you are breaking open to write your to do list in. The new year is both a good and bad time to reflect on the past and look forward to what lies ahead. The ritual of new year’s resolutions is, it appears, a marmite tradition with some resisting it saying that you should make resolutions throughout the year for them to be meaningful and others pointing to past successes with new year’s resolutions they have made which changed their lives for the better.
Whatever camp you are in it is hard not to be reflective at this time of year. At no other time of year are so many of us off work and spending so much time together. The emails generally seem to stop and there is a shared quiet. So why not try focussing in on setting work resolutions at this time?
Work resolutions can give you an opportunity to sharpen focus, address challenges and find solutions. Setting intentional work resolutions can set the tone for a successful year ahead.
The benefits
Work resolutions can help us to:
- Clarify our goals – focus on what is important to gain direction and purpose
- Stay competitive – develop your skills and experience to help you to get ahead
- Find fulfilment – resolutions around work life balance, human connection and kindness can improve happiness in the workplace
Where to start
Here are some suggestions that you may want to consider:
- Mastering new skills – consider your personal development and sign up for conference, training courses or workshops which help you to develop new skills over the coming year. None of us are ever too old to learn new skills and to get the satisfaction of mastering something new.
- Improving time management and working smarter not harder – explore tools such as time-blocking, ways to prioritise takes such as the Eisenhower matrix and consider how you delegate and set deadlines. One of the biggest wins you can achieve for yourself is improving the way you spend your time so you are focussed on what matters most and on being as productive as you can be.
- Strengthening workplace relationships and network more strategically – focus on improving communication, spend time with colleagues, in person if you can. Consider ways in which you can get to know them better and better support their development. Time spent building workplace relationships is time well spent. Build your network bey attending industry events and engaging on LinkedIn.
- Set career goals – define where you want to be by the end of the year. What do you want to have achieved, what would you like to say about the year that has just gone by. Whether it’s a new job, a promotion, expanding your current role or simply achieving more in the role you have, setting your intentions now will help you to focus and prioritise.
Making them ‘stick’
So once you have chosen a work resolution you will need to work at making it last, consider the following tips:
- Be specific – the clearer you are about exactly what you are trying to achieve the more likely you are to achieve it.
- Track your progress – regularly review your progress to see how you are getting on. You can do this through a journal or diary. Celebrate milestones and progress towards your goal. Small steps are big achievements.
- Seek accountability – share your resolution with others, encourage a trusted colleagues or mentor to check on your progress towards your goal. They can help you to keep on track.
- Be flexible – if something isn’t working review it and reconsider how you frame it to help you to succeed. It might be that you need to adjust your goals to help you to achieve the overall result.
Work resolutions should be thoughtful goals which you can commit to with the overall goal being to have a fulfilling, impactful year.
Whether resolutions are for you – here is to a happy, healthy, productive, impactful 2025!
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