A New Year's Resolution Guide for Professionals

We’re excited to see what the New Year will bring and we’re sure that you are too. We have put together some easy to follow New Year resolution ideas for you and your company (that you’ve actually got a chance at keeping!). Increase your working network  Meet new people, talk more and get to know what they do. You can never know enough people in your industry. Get to know someone from the same industry as you, or even in the same role as you and learn about how they do their job and what skills they use in their role. Listen intently and see if there’s anything you can learn from them which you can adopt into your own work. Interacting with new people in a professional network outside of a work setting is a great way to improve your connections. Make sure you add any new connections to your circle of contacts so you can contact them for advice, favours or invite them to events. Find ways to get along better with your co-workers In life you will find people you may not get along as well as you’d hoped, or simply not at all! This applies to a work setting too.You may have co-workers who just get on your nerves, and you know what, that’s okay. There are ways you can minimise the time you have to spend with them. However, what if you’d have to work on a project with this person? You cannot refuse something just because you do not get along with the person you’re working with, especially when it comes to work. If you dislike someone or a co-worker dislikes you, do not act upon it. Instead use this instance to practice your office etiquette. Good manners will play a part in how people perceive you. If somebody doesn’t like you for any reason, rise above it and still be nice to them. Be kind even if you are having a bad day! Kindness can make people feel better, especially at times when work is particularly stressful. It’s important to avoid falling out with others at work as it can disrupt other colleagues and destroy team morale. Do not spread gossip that could come back around and respect your colleagues in the same way you would want them to respect you. Good work relationships can help you to do better at work, as it can improve your mood and help you to enjoy your working week. Develop more self written goals  Develop realistic but ambitious goals for yourself and follow them. Make 3 goals each month, both personal and professional, and strive to achieve them. Even if your goals are small, achieving them will make you feel positive and improve your confidence. Setting career goals will make you feel more focussed and motivated about work. For example, aim to read more business books and keep up with industry news. Once you have started you’ll hopefully get into the habit of doing it and even begin to enjoy it! You will realise that you’ll begin to work smarter and start to really enjoy your work. Set personal goals such as waking up earlier and doing exercise before work. The more you get into these goals the more they will become natural. Once you achieve personal goals, you will definitely find that achieving similar things become easier and you’ll achieve new goals quicker, as you are more motivated. Find things to make you irreplaceable to your company Think about what people value about you and your work at your company. Make them unique for yourself and develop them to make them stronger. Consider why are you hired and what you are good at. You then will be able to learn new things and develop new skills. Show you are committed to professional development by identifying your weaknesses and working to improve your skills in these areas. Don’t be complacent in your work, there’s always something you can develop and improve on. Read more, be inquisitive and ask questions to show you are engaged. Show passion and enthusiasm in the tasks you undertake to show your employers just how much you love your job. Your employers are unlikely to want to hold on to you if are lethargic, lack motivation, and do the bare minimum work to get by. Not only will a positive attitude improve your work, but it will also rub off on others, making for an altogether more energised and motivated team.