The New Year is upon us, the time that gets many of us thinking how we can enhance our careers or even have a brand new start. New Year's resolutions and dreams may often be forgotten after a few months, but it’s still as good a time as any to think about your personal and professional progression. So here's a list of popular steps to help you achieve your goals and boost your career for the next 12 months:
1.Reduce the stress
Stress could be coming from your work environment, but it's possible that’s it's been building up inside too. Hearing about layoffs and budget reductions every now and then could be traumatising you. You can't manage external stress in the sense that you can't undo the economic crisis for example, but it's important you manage your personal anxiety. Take responsibility for your emotional health and wellbeing and try to identify your sources of stress and eliminate them. Improving your work-life balance will help as well.
2.Improve your work-life balance
When you're passionate about your work, or simply have to work long hours and possibly on weekends too if your job is demanding, the line between your professional and personal lives becomes unclear. Establishing a healthy balance can be tricky, so make some effort to achieve it by doing things like focusing more on your other passions, bringing your family to work sometimes and vice versa, planning for long vacations ahead of time and being generally organised.
3.Be more organised
The two main tips here are to keep your calendar handy and your desk clean. And maybe in addition to that, don't overwhelm yourself by trying to get everything in order. Focus on one area at a time.
4.Improve your people skills
In order to succeed, you have to get along with the people you work with. This involves listening to them, offering to help every once in a while and giving your boss, colleagues and clients the benefit of the doubt.
5.Volunteer for something
You will not only instantly feel better, you will also connect in a better way with your fellow employees if it's something your company has organised or participated in. Giving some of your time and energy away, whether to help clean a park or deliver food to poor people, will take your mind off work and energise you.
6.Read more
Read about your field of work and more specifically about your specialisation. You'll find it more interesting when you read about what other professionals say about it, and more likely than not learn some new skills. Start with a simple Google search.
7.Get a degree
Many people regret not getting a degree later in life, but it's really never too late for that. This could be one of the most rewarding New Year's resolutions if you really want it. There are endless online options available for you whether you're looking for an undergraduate degree or considering graduate programmes that can boost your career. You should go for it!
And if it all seems like a lot of work, stick to this tried and tested New Year's resolution: Set a goal. Don't go into life-long planning if it's exhausting to you, just pick one single goal and start working towards it. Happy 2020.
