A new year brings so much hope and promise that ‘this will be my year’ when it comes to work and careers. For many, this all fails to materialise into real change and demotivation can quickly follow. Why does this happen for so many people? Often it’s because of a lack of structure and the correct perspective right at the start of the year. Here’s our advice on how to start the year the right way for your career and professional life.
Review the previous year
Taking stock of the highs and lows of the last year is a great way to show you what to repeat, what to improve and what to never do again! Learn from mistakes, take incentive from wins and use it all to make the coming year even more successful. Sure, you’ll likely make some mistakes again, but they won’t be the same ones!
Close off previous projects/tasks
Hopefully you did this before you left for your break but if not, get on it straight away! Work that carries over from the previous period can be a huge source of demotivation so ties off those loose ends as a matter of priority.
Create a (flexible) plan for the year
Be realistic. You can’t possibly plan out your entire year in detail from the get-go, but you will have an idea of what you want to achieve. A high-level plan that you add to as you go along will help you to stay on course.
Plan the fun bits too
Don’t forget the downtime. Planning holidays, family time and any other similar events can help to motivate you as you go along, especially if you have a packed year coming up!
Focus on yourself
Everyone has their own path. Your plan is your own so avoid comparing what you’re doing with your career year with what others are doing. It can be useful to discuss your plans with colleagues or friends in similar professional situations but be careful not to use them as a benchmark for your own successes.
From the CA Team, here’s to a fantastic 2017!