2023 New Year’s career resolutions you’ll want to keep

It’s the same every year – good resolutions are made…and then broken.

Why? Well, for a few different reasons. Maybe the resolutions you’ve chosen are simply unattainable, so you don’t have enough commitment or motivation to stick it out and see the results. Perhaps you’ve chosen a resolution because everyone else is doing it, and it turns out to be something that doesn’t mean enough to you to want to achieve the results in the end.

So, how do you keep new year’s resolutions? The two most important things are to ensure your goals are personal enough to you, and to make it a priority to achieve them. Here are some ideas for new year resolutions you can take, personalize and use to boost your career in 2023.

9 career resolutions to help you achieve your professional goals 

1. Maintain a positive attitude

Having a positive attitude in the workplace is beneficial in a few different ways. It will help prevent you from getting dragged down into negativity, office politics and gossip. 

You’ll be contributing to a better workplace culture, and your attitude has a domino effect on your colleagues, too, lifting them up and helping those around you be more positive. If you maintain a positive outlook and can encourage your colleagues to do the same, this will boost team spirit and, in turn, productivity and efficiency.

2. Strive to balance work and your personal life

I’ll touch more on how your career resolutions are intertwined with your personal life later, but a great resolution to have is a healthy work/life balance. This is important both at work and at home, and is more appreciated now that we’ve been through the pandemic (although why it took a global crisis to help us realize this is a question for another time). 

Being relaxed, having time for your family, friends and hobbies and prioritizing your wellbeing naturally helps you approach work differently. You simply have more energy, focus and willingness to do a great job.

3. Be part of creating a great company culture

You get out of work what you put into it. If you choose to be a part of shaping your company’s culture, rather than simply being told what your company culture is and not really living it, you might find that your experience of the workplace is much more positive. Invest yourself into helping create a positive, friendly, inclusive workplace, and you’ll be part of making it a better place for everyone.

4. Allow your team to have flexibility

If you’re a leader, you could make it a career resolution to give your team more flexibility. Putting your trust in people often raises them up, and you might find that they work better as a team than if you’re watching closely over them or micromanaging them.

5. Praise your team publicly when they do a great job

Avoid having employees feel undervalued or underappreciated. As a team leader or manager, try appreciating your team more – and not just in their appraisals or reviews. Praising your team and their successes to your colleagues and managers will make your team feel their worth, and it will raise them across the business.

6. Up your skill set

Learning new skills, whether that’s directly to support your role or you want to transition into a new role that might require different skills, is a great way to boost your career in 2023. 

There are plenty of online courses available and many are free, or you could see what training is available through your employer. Something else you could consider is either volunteering to be a mentor, or finding a mentor of your own.

7. Improve your time management

Something that’s really important in the workplace, as it is everywhere in life, is to prioritize what’s important and set boundaries. This resolution covers both your career and your personal life. In the workplace, being able to manage your time is a critical skill – maybe your resolution could be to stop procrastinating, making a list of the most important things to do each day or week or ensuring you take a lunch break so you feel refreshed and ready for the rest of the day.

At home, maybe you could try spending less time on social media, reading more books instead of watching TV or intentionally taking the time to get things done that you’ve been putting off, like organizing your space.

8. Develop deeper relationships

Strengthening relationships in the workplace has many benefits. Taking the time to nurture relationships helps you build a strong book of contacts, gives you people you can ask questions of and can even bring about new opportunities.

9. Get networking

Meeting new people and making new social connections can help in more ways than you may think. 

Firstly, you don’t know who you’ll meet in your sector or industry who might make a difference to your professional life. Secondly, purposefully building a support network of individuals you can turn to for advice and inspiration not only helps you navigate your career, but can also help you in your personal life.

And that leads me on to how creating New Year’s career resolutions is about much more than your job. Career planning and goals are intrinsically linked to your personal life – how fulfilled (or not) you are in your job or at your company, for example, has a big impact on you and those around you.

Personal and work aren’t two separate entities, and it works the other way, too. Resolutions you set for yourself on a personal level will have a bearing on your work life and can also support your professional goals. For example, you might set yourself the goal of being more organized, being better at money management or living a healthier lifestyle. All of these can impact your career. If you eat better or work out more, you’ll probably prevent visits to your doctor, feel more energized and be able to sleep better so your concentration is improved.

And all that sounds great, right? These are resolutions that we all probably want to achieve. But how do we keep them? 

How to keep New Year’s career resolutions 

Firstly, don’t have too many resolutions, and prioritize the ones you do have. Set attainable goals (maybe even break your goals down into smaller, more manageable steps) and keep track of your progress. Celebrate your wins, and don’t get derailed if you experience a setback. Just dust yourself off and get back on track – don’t give up, and learn from your setbacks.

Another way of ensuring you keep your career resolutions is to get support from those around you – your colleagues, friends and family, and let them know how you want them to support you. But they need to know you’re committed to keeping your resolution(s) and taking it seriously in order to hold you accountable.

Are you seeking career advice or a new role? Contact me directly and let’s set up a call.