The New Year is right around the corner, and with it comes everyone’s favorite plan: New Year’s Resolutions. They range far and wide, but here we focus on your career-related goals for 2023. It could be something like being an employee of the month, getting a promotion, finding a job, or anything you want to achieve.
Starting your New Year’s Resolution is the easy part. Following through is a challenge that bests over 80% of people by March of each year. It has nothing to do with their passion or determination. Anyone can keep their New Year’s Resolution as long as they approach it the right way.
Tips to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution in 2023
Stick to your New Year’s Resolution and make 2023 your year with these five tips!
Choose a specific goal
Most New Year’s resolutions are ambiguous, with people saying they want to “find a new job” or “get paid more” with no framework. Finding a new job is a great goal, but that goal is hiding small and specific goals behind it, like sending out job applications, updating your resume and other materials, and learning new skills.
With a specific goal, you are able to better measure your progress. If you set “find a new job” as your New Year’s Resolution you’re out of luck until the day you get a new job. That takes a while! As one of those people, when March rolls around and you still don’t have a new job … that’s why so many people quit their New Year’s Resolutions. We recommend a step-by-step process to bring you closer and closer to your goal as the year goes on.
- If you want to get a new job, start by sending out one application a week. Nothing crazy. After a few weeks of that, add on another weekly task, like updating your LinkedIn, upping the number of applications sent, or spending time networking.
Hold yourself accountable…
When you make a New Year’s Resolution, you need to figure out what to do when you don’t meet your specific goals. No one is perfect, and any goal worth reaching has a few roadblocks along the way. Some people get swamped by trying to make up for the lost time and let any progress toward their goal slip away as weeks go by. A few weeks of missed goals turn into months, and before you know it – you’ve lost your New Year’s Resolution. If you don’t complete your specific goal for a week or a month, what should you do?
…Within reason
Give up on your New Year’s Resolution? Heck, no! Too many people get a little behind their ideal goal and stop, but nine good months and three bad months is a fantastic year, and one that we would consider a great success. When you plan your New Year’s Resolution, think about some ways to hold yourself accountable for times you don’t hit your goal. Let those times serve as lessons and think about how to better prepare for them in the future.
Set actionable items
Perhaps our most important tip in this list – set actionable items. Small steps are crucial in keeping morale high and motivation sufficient to continue towards your New Year’s Resolution. During the month of January, plan out the whole year. Think about where you want to be at the end of each quarter, and how to ensure that you are on a good track each month.
The goal of “getting a new job” is vague and hard to quantify. Splitting it up into all of its constituent parts lets you see progress and know when you’ve done enough for the week. Another reason people don’t follow through with their New Year’s Resolutions is because of burnout. If you push yourself too hard for the first couple of weeks it gets harder and harder to keep up the pace you set.
Put yourself on the path to success
In review
- Choose a specific goal for your New Year’s Resolution
- Hold yourself accountable for missteps throughout the year, but cut yourself some slack.
- Set actionable items that you can check off your list and use to keep track of your overall progress.
The specifics of keeping your New Year’s Resolution will vary from person to person, but we believe that you have all the tools you need to succeed in your career-related goals this year. If you want some extra help, we are here to help. Pathrise is a career accelerator that will pair you one-on-one with a mentor to help you search for a new job. Apply here today!
Apply today.
