We’re a month into the new year. Do you still remember your new year’s resolutions? While everyone starts a fresh year with grand plans for self-improvement, keeping up your momentum can prove challenging throughout the year.
February is a great time to take stock of your plans so far and refocus. We put together a checklist to help you keep your lofty aims front of mind—and make sure that this year, you follow through with them.
Write Down Your Resolutions and Display Them
The old expression “out of sight, out of mind” is certainly true for new year’s resolutions. When you can see what you’re working toward every day, you’re more likely to take action to achieve your goals. Each morning when you get to your desk, take a look at your list and think about one way you can move a step closer to achieving it.
Break Down Your Resolution Into Doable Tasks
Say you want to get a promotion. That’s a nebulous goal, so you need to have tangible things to work toward. Think of ways to attract management’s attention and show them you are ready for bigger things. You might:
- Volunteer to lead a project.
- Offer to train a new employee.
- Arrive early to meetings and take notes.
By setting smaller goals within your bigger one, you ensure you put in the work to make progress.
Enlist an Accountability Partner
Getting someone else to join you in your goal-setting makes it more likely you will make them come true. Tell each other your resolutions and also your vision for making them happen. Set up a once-a-week check-in — it can be by text, email or in person — and tell the other person one thing you did related to your resolution. The weekly check-in will motivate you to work harder. We never want to let someone else down, which is why teams often achieve the greatest results at work.
Talk to Your Mentor
No matter where you are in your career, you can benefit from having a mentor. No one is too old to get a mentor, and your mentor doesn’t have to be older than you. They simply need experience you haven’t gained yet. A mentor can give you a fresh perspective on your resolutions and brainstorm ideas on how to meet them. They may also offer gentle input on adjusting them to be more realistic if yours are too pie-in-the-sky. Having big dreams is great, but you can become discouraged if you can’t hit them right away.
Give Yourself a Reward
The carrot really is mightier than the stick. Rewarding yourself for a job well-done gives you an incentive to keep pushing.
The reward can mean different things to different people. For you, a one-hour massage might be a good way to say “well done.” For others, scheduling a lunch date with an old friend or buying a new marinade for your next barbeque may be more appropriate. Decide what you respond to, and reward yourself for a job well done. Come December, you will revel in setting new resolutions that you can achieve once again!
