Resolutions That Work: 11 Tips for a Fresh Start in the New Year

As 2013 winds down and 2014 approaches, we hear the siren call of the New Year’s resolution: Exercise more, eat less, save money, lose weight, call your mother.

These resolutions make frequent appearances on everyone’s annual do-better list. But people often forget to make work-related resolutions, which is odd, considering how much time we spend at work and how important careers are in our lives. This is the perfect time to remember that New Year’s resolutions are not just for your personal life; you can and should set goals for your professional life, too.

New Year, new you -- at work too!

Here are 11 tips to help you get a fresh start professionally in the New Year (and by the way, these tips work for making and establishing personal goals, too):

1. Be as specific as possible. Vague, pie-in-the-sky goals don’t work and won’t help you stay motivated.  For example, “I want to be a more productive worker” is an admirable goal, but it may not provide the kick you need when the going gets tough. Think tangible and measurable, like, “I want to earn a 3 percent merit raise at my next performance review” or "I want to master PowerPoint and Excel" or "I want a promotion to vice president of marketing." Lofty goals don't work. Resolutions have to be specific to be achievable.

2. Establish a game plan. Once you've set a specific goal then you can develop a game plan for achieving it. For example, if you want a promotion, what do you need to do to get that job? Are there new skills you need to master? Another degree? Classes you should take? If your goal is to network more, what are the tangible ways you will do it? If you want to master a new skill, where and when will you take classes? Do your research and establish a game plan.

3. Put it on the schedule. Don’t assume wanting to establish a new work habit is enough. Schedule time to practice the habit. For example, if keeping your inbox empty is your resolution, then put a recurring 30-minute appointment on your calendar to process messages in your inbox.

Want it to work? Schedule it.

4. Pace yourself and start small. You’re likely to achieve more success if you incorporate one new work habit at a time. So if getting to the office by 7:30 a.m., never eating lunch alone, and clearing your inbox every day are your three 2014 work resolutions, choose one to master before you start with the second and then the third.

5. Measure your progress. Some of us are motivated by measurable progress. If that’s you, then make sure you quantify the impact of implementing your resolution. How many more business opportunities have you identified by making sure that you never eat lunch alone? How many more actions are you able to complete each day now that you get to the office early? How many more days a week do you leave work feeling satisfied now that you made sure your email inbox is empty each day? Knowing that your resolution is working will motivate you to stick with it. If it’s not working, then maybe you need to modify the resolution or ask for help.

6. Make it a game. Resolutions require effort, but that doesn’t mean it has to feel like work. Gameify your resolutions. Develop some simple rules about implementing your resolution and identify a feedback system—i.e., a way to keep score. For example, measure how long it takes you to process your inbox. Track total minutes, total items, and items per minute. Post your high scores on a Post-it next on your desk.

7. Every beginning starts with an ending. Remember that there was at least one really good reason why you weren’t practicing this new work habit before you made the resolution. Somehow, eating lunch alone most days was serving you. Maybe it was preserving your status as a free agent who was above office politics. Or maybe it was a way to conserve your pride by avoiding being rejected for a lunch date. Knowing the good reason why you weren’t practicing your desired work habit may help you avoid sabotaging yourself.

8. Expect setbacks and plan for them. It’s likely that you’ll mess up. You’ll oversleep and get to work 45 minutes later than you planned. Don’t let setbacks derail you. Expect them and plan for them. For example, give yourself two do-overs a month to cover any backsliding or mishaps. If you don’t use your do-overs in any particular month, then you can give yourself an appropriate reward.

9. Use an accountability system. Publically declaring your resolution and your progress implementing it can be a powerful motivator. Find an accountability buddy with whom you can share your success. Tweet your progress to your followers. Use social media to your advantage. Consider using an app like Lift to keep you on track. (https://lift.do)

10. Be your own cheerleader. Break out your pom-poms and self-talk your way to success. Leave a new motivational Post-it note by your computer when you leave the office on Fridays so that it encourages you when you get to your desk on Monday. Use your computer screensaver or calendar appointment reminder function to give yourself periodic boosts.

Remember, it takes time. Repetition is key.

11. Give yourself time. Remember, it takes time to form a new habit or learn something new. Some experts say it takes 21 days to form (or break) a habit, some say it takes 30. Whatever the case, make sure you give each new work habit enough time to truly become a part of your regular routine. And decide at the start how you’ll know when you’ve sufficiently mastered the new habit and can rest on your laurels or incorporate additional habits into your work life.

One last thing: have fun. Even though establishing a new work habit will require effort, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be enjoyable. In fact, if you’re not enjoying the habit or the outcomes it produces, that may be the sign that you’ve gotten off track or need to adjust your goal.

Feel free to share what other tips you’ve seen or used to incorporate new work habits. We’d love to hear them. Happy New Year everyone! And good luck!

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http://www.careerstonegroup.com

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Resolve to re-try: 5 tips to get back on track for your resolutions

By now, most New Year’s resolutions have been forgotten or abandoned. Maybe you still have that Post-it note on the fridge that says, “Eat more veggies,” or that notecard on your desk that says, “Take a Photoshop class,” or that sign on your door that says, “Exercise more.”

Don’t fret. We’ve all been there. But don't give up just yet. Yes, we’re four months into the year, but there is still plenty of time to meet your goals or make new ones, if you really want to. Here are five tips to help you get back on track and to set resolutions and goals that stick:

1. Re-establish your goal. Don't beat yourself up. Decide to make a clean start and move forward. Do you still want to lose weight, exercise more, take a professional development class, spend more time with the kids, go to church, volunteer more, join a book club, etc.? What did you want to do, and do you still want to do it? Don't be beholden to the goal you set on January 1. You can always tweak that goal or set a new one.

2. Consider why your original resolution failed. What were the obstacles that kept you from your goal? Was it the wrong goal for you? Did you not have the time? Did you lose interest? Did something else present itself? By looking at the reasons you weren't able to stick to the resolution, you might be able to determine what didn't work for you and what you can do to change that.

3. Make sure your goal is specific. Many goals fail because they aren't specific enough. For example, the goal of losing weight is actually fairly nebulous. How much weight? Five pounds or 20? And by when? Is there a size you want to be? If your goal is to exercise more, what exactly does that mean? Once a week? Three times a week? And for how long? When setting your goal, be as specific as possible: I want to lose 15 pounds by November 1; I want to be proficient in Photoshop by September 1; I want to exercise three times a week; etc.

4. Be realistic. The best way to meet a goal is to be realistic about it. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Losing 50 pounds by your high school reunion in September isn't realistic. Becoming fluent in German by the time you go to Munich for Oktoberfest probably won't happen. Getting up at 4 a.m. to exercise might not work for you. Your goal should be realistic, attuned to your lifestyle, the time you have, your financial constraints, etc. Don't set yourself up for failure by making a goal that is impossible to achieve.

5. Develop a game plan. Once you have a specific, realistic goal you can develop a specific game plan to meet it. Back away from it and then break it down to its moving parts so that you can figure out how to achieve it. Factor in all the things that have to happen and all the things you might need to make this work, from child care to transportation to equipment you might need, to when you will be able to study, etc. 

For example, if your goal is exercise three days a week for 30 minutes, figure out when, how, and where you will exercise. Then, get out your calendar and schedule it. Make it a standing appointment. If your goal is take a class, figure out your schedule, then get on-line immediately and find one. If your goal is to lose weight, figure out how you will do it: Weight Watchers? Counting calories? Atkins? Whatever method you choose, be sure you understand what it will take to make it work and how you will go about it on a daily basis.

It’s never too late to jump start that old New Year’s resolution or set a new goal for the year. If your goal is specific and realistic with a realistic game plan to back it up, your chances of success are terrific. Good luck!

New Year's resolutions that work

Resolutions are easy to make, but hard to keep. That’s because people make unrealistic resolutions with no game plan of how to achieve them. Well, I am going to tell you how you can make and keep realistic resolutions.


First, let’s jettison the use of the word resolutions and use goals instead.

Second, if you made a resolution today, or tomorrow or on New Year’s Day, throw it away. You did it too early. Over the holidays we are all off our game. We haven’t been at work, we’ve been home or traveling, we’ve overindulged or overspent or over imbibed. We’re sick of our families or sick of ourselves or can’t button our pants. Setting a goal amidst this highly charged atmosphere is not a good idea.

Once you chose your word or theme, think about what you need to do or change to live that life. Set measurable, realistic actions to get there. Then write them down.

Instead take a few weeks to get back into the swing of things, so you can take a more accurate stock of where you are and where you want to be. Then, ask yourself:

•What do I want more of in my life?
•What do I want less of?
•What do I want to improve?
•What do I want to change?
•Where do I want to be professionally?

Now you can set the right goals. For one’s personal life, instead of setting a goal, I recommend choosing a word or theme for the year.

Think about how you want to live your life and think of a word that captures that. For example, if you want to lose weight and shape up, your word may be Slim or Healthy. If you want to make do with less or be less cluttered, your word may be Simplify. If you want more money, your word may be Wealth. Think of a positive word that conjures the vision of how you want to live, and then develop a game plan to achieve that.

Last year, my word was Quality. I wanted a better quality of life, both personally and professionally. So I started say no to things and only focused on the highest quality interactions, the things that really mattered to me. And it was a great year. That one word infused all of my personal and professional dealings and interactions, from the clothes I bought to the trips I took to the clients and projects I took on.

The key is to think about what you really want in the coming year and then choose a word that captures it. For example, if your word of the year is Wealth, your goal is to have more money, so your action items may be to get a raise (and all that that entails), clip coupons, car pool, walk to work, pack your lunch, find a new financial adviser, etc. If your word of the year is Slim and your goal is to lose weight, your action items will include choosing apples over chips, taking the stairs, getting more exercise, using smaller plates, walking to work, etc.


But remember: every action must be doable. You can’t plan to work out an hour a day if that is impossible, so chose action items that are realistic. And all of the choices you make every day must work toward that goal, not away from it.

Now, for your work life, think about what you want to achieve professionally. If you are an assistant manager and want to be a manager, figure out the steps you need to take to get there. A good way to do this is find someone who has the position or career you want and find out how they got there. What do people in that position have that you don’t? What was their career course? Your action plan may include working longer hours, doing more networking, taking professional development classes, etc.

Here are a few final points to make about goals:

•Write your goals or word of the year down, and put it where you can see it. You need to remind yourself what you are working toward.
•Reevaluate your goals and your action plans. If you aren’t seeing results, perhaps you may need to tweak the game plan a bit. Don’t despair; just figure out why it isn’t working and how to make it work.
•Slow and steady wins the race, every time. Remember, you have to develop new habits to reach your goal. It is the little, daily steps that will add up to results. Ask yourself: Are my actions, however small, moving me closer to my goal or away from it?


Think broadly and realistically about your life—where you are and where you want to be both personally and professionally. Make sure the goals you set for yourself are realistic, attainable, measurable, and mesh with what you really want out of life.