With the new year comes the age-old tradition of setting goals or resolutions for yourself, whether that be to eat healthier, spend more time with family, take on a new project, etc. However, often within three to six months, we abandon said plans because they were too hard or unachievable. It is common for us to set a goal without rhyme or reason, and with a lack of planning comes a lack of results.
This year, when it comes to setting your professional goals, it is important not only to define what you want to achieve, but how you will get there. Planning is half the battle, so here are some steps to ensure you are actually achieving your professional goals in 2023:
- Define what is important to you: Decide what aspects of your professional life have room for improvement and rank them in order of importance. You cannot achieve every goal you have in a year, so prioritize those that feel most relevant to where you currently are in your career.
- Look at past successes to gain insight: When figuring out how you will achieve your goals, consider your strengths and past experiences that were successful. What impacted the outcome? How can you use the same tactics to make this endeavor just as successful?
- Create a visual aspect: Find something you can look at regularly to remind you of your goals. Whether that be a vision board, diagram or post-it note reminder, make sure your goals always stay at the forefront of your mind.
- Set a timeline: Creating small objectives or milestone markers will help ensure you stay on track to achieve your goals by the end of the year. Put monthly goals in your calendar and continue to check in with yourself to make sure you are on track to meet them. As time goes on, adjust these to best suit your schedule and abilities. This is YOUR goal, so if you are struggling with the deadlines you’ve set, change them!
- Habit stacking: Make achieving your goals easier on yourself. Combining something you want to do with something you need to do can help you solidify a routine and be more productive throughout the day.
- Reward yourself: When working day-in and day-out we can forget how much we actually accomplish. Whether it’s booking that massage, taking a longer lunch break or simply congratulating yourself, rewarding yourself is proven to boost confidence and motivation to continue reaching your goals. You deserve it!
Setting goals for yourself – especially professional ones – can be difficult, so don’t rush the process. Take your time identifying goals you want to achieve and how you will accomplish them. There is no right way to set professional goals, just a way that is right for you. Clearly define what you want to accomplish, decide how you’ll track your progress and have fun with it. From all of us at THE rAVe Agency, good luck, and Happy New Year!
