After the Christmas and New Year holidays are over, do you look forward to throwing yourself back into your job, refreshed and reinvigorated? Or are you dreading the return? Planning ahead and setting goals for the coming year can help you feel more optimistic and motivated.
New Year’s Resolutions
What went wrong for you last year at work, and what went right? Identify the areas you weren’t happy with, and think about how you could improve matters. If you’ve been upset by conflict with a colleague, come up with a plan of action and make up your mind to tackle the situation calmly and confidently. Discuss your ambitions and concerns with your manager, and decide together on your goals for the year ahead.
On a personal level, a goal like arriving and leaving on time, or bringing a packed lunch to save money, can help make your working day feel more satisfactory.
Develop your skills
If you’re stuck in a rut, learning something new can help you get out of it. Acquiring new skills or developing the ones you have already can help rekindle interest in your job, and perhaps lead to a promotion or pay rise. Decide what new skill would benefit both you and your employer, and research courses. Then, when you put in a request for training, you will be able to present a good case.
If your workplace doesn’t offer training as part of its package, consider investing your own time and money on a course or some textbooks. Improved career prospects will make it worthwhile in the long run, either at your current employer or a new one. And if there are no work-related areas you want to develop, why not take up a new hobby outside work? Having somewhere to go in the evening motivates you to get your work done for the day and leave on time. Who knows, it might even lead you to a new career entirely.
Keep your options open
If you’re unhappy at your current workplace, make this the year you do something about it. Polish your CV and keep an eye on job listings in newspapers and online. Use friends and former colleagues as networking contacts to keep you apprised of opportunities, and get your details on the desks of a few recruiting agencies in your sector.
Even if you have no intention of changing jobs, it can do no harm to keep an eye on the market. Knowing who else is recruiting, what skills they’re looking for, and how much they will pay, can provide a useful bargaining tool if you’re after a pay rise or some training to acquire a new skill.
Book a holiday
This is the time of year to start thinking about future trips, and if you book early you can often pick up bargains on flights and accommodation. You’ll work more efficiently before you leave, as you tie up all those loose ends, and you’re likely to return feeling more energetic, and see your job with a fresh perspective. A few treats from abroad are always appreciated by coworkers, too. No matter how much you enjoy your job, a break from it will help you relax and unwind.
Keith Barrett takes an interest in all areas of employment, careers and business. Working with Total Franchise on franchising opportunities in the UK, he appreciates the approach of dedicated professionals.
