A new year is the perfect time to reflect on your professional life and see what you would like to change and improve. 

 

Like career goals, work-related New Year’s resolutions will help you stay focused on what you want out of 2020 when it comes to your company. However, this year don’t create huge aspirations just to collapse under stress and other obligations. Instead, resolve to stick to one or two resolutions that will help you, your team and your company grow professionally. 

 

For a little inspiration, check out these four resolutions that you can set either personally or on a team-wide scale, as well as how to ensure that you actually stick to them this year: 

 

 

Build Your Professional Network IRL

In the digital age, it can be easy to feel like you have hundreds of personal and professional connections. After all, your last Instagram post got over 100 likes! But how many of these contacts can you really lean on for career advice, brainstorming or a simple catch-up coffee?

When it comes to your professional life, networking is a must, no matter what stage of the game you’re currently in. Having people in your industry that you can reach out to on a regular basis may be your greatest asset -- so in 2020, resolve to take your networking to the next level. 

That means making connections off the screen. For example, your New Year’s networking resolution could be to:

• Invite one of your existing LinkedIn or alumni contacts to a brainstorming lunch. Do this with someone new each month of the year. 
• Join a professional community or organisation, and attend one of their meetups. Or, even better, attend as many meetups as possible.  
• Reach out to someone at your company who you really respect, and ask if they would be interested in acting as your work mentor. Set goals together, and keep up on one another’s progress. 

 

 

In order to hold yourself accountable for these resolutions, hang a calendar next to your desk where you can record monthly coffee and conference dates. Schedule ahead, and put all of your networking plans in a noticeable colour, such as hot pink or lime green. To get the entire team involved, give everyone a promotional desktop calendar, and send out email reminders about upcoming industry events. 

 

 

Focus More on Work/Life Balance

For the majority of the population, New Year’s resolutions go something like, “Go to the gym more,” or “Eat healthier.” However, only the minority ends up following through with these resolutions past January.

This year, make your health and wellness resolution a little more specific -- and easier to stick to -- by focusing on your work/life balance. Long work days and weeks without any personal breaks or breathers can lead to burnout, stress and wider health problems. Even though you want yourself and your employees to make the most out of the work hours, a good work/life balance will keep everyone healthier, happier and more productive in the long run.

Set 2020 health and wellness resolutions for yourself and your entire team such as:

• Take a break to unplug every 60 or 90 minutes. Go for a walk outside, grab a healthy snack or have a quick catch-up with a co-worker. 
• Go out to lunch as a team or with a few co-workers at least once a week instead of spending your lunch hour at your desk. Suggest somewhere that is a comfortable walk away and that offers healthy options. 
• Encourage everyone to take their holiday time off -- no checking emails allowed. Ask about their plans during weekly meetings, then have a catch-up after they get back to share stories and photos with the entire team. 

 

For a cute reminder to keep up on their work life balance, give each of your employees a stress ball, such as this sun-shaped one, to keep at their desks. If they find themselves reaching for it throughout the day, that means it’s time for a break. 

 

Learn a New Skill

Resolutions are all about growing and improving throughout the year. One of the best ways to do this, especially when it comes to advancing in your professional career, is to learn something new. No matter how long you’ve been with a company, it’s second nature to get stuck in a routine. Unstick yourself by adding new training to your day-to-day -- even better if it’s training that you can add to your CV!

Not only will learning a new skill help you level up at work, but it will also keep your brain sharp inside and outside of the office. That means that no matter what new hobby or training you take up, it will assist you in dealing with everyday challenges that come your way.

Here are some 2020 resolutions to keep learning and growing:

• Read at least one industry-related book or article a month. Check out the latest professional self-help book everyone is raving about, or simply subscribe to a business magazine. 
• Scan LinkedIn to see what skills other people at your level in your industry have under their belt. Find something you’ve always wanted to be more proficient in, and enquire about a training or certification course in it. 
• Ask your co-workers about any additional classes they are taking outside of work hours. Even if it’s something not work-related, like a pottery class, joining in will help you network and build deeper professional connections. 

 

For many companies, business deals take place on the golf course. If you feel like you, or members of your team, are missing out because you don’t have much practice on the green, learning to golf might be the skill to focus on in the new year. Gift everyone at your workplace some golf balls branded with your company logo, and plan a corporate golf day to prepare for your next client meeting. 

 

Declutter Your Professional Life

Like a messy house can leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed, a cluttered work routine can make you less motivated and less constructive. Take a note from Marie Kondo and dispel anything that doesn’t spark joy -- or productivity, in this case. A more organised workspace means a more organised work day and, ultimately, a better work year.

In 2020, you can easily keep up on projects, emails and deadlines by making your entire professional routine more organised. Try these resolutions to declutter your professional life and reap the benefits of organisation:

• Put away time to go through and declutter your inbox and digital desktop every week or month. You can create folders to make this easier -- organise by email sender, project or subject. 
• Set a clear pre-work routine. Organised professionals are never late, either for morning meetings or for project deadlines. Resolve to declutter your mornings by waking up earlier, or making your coffee or lunch the night before. 
• Start using the organisation applications at your disposal. If your company relies on Google Calendar, download it on your smartphone as well as your desktop. Encourage everyone on your team to start using Slack to keep up on current and upcoming projects. Check out Evernote to store all of your files in one place. 

 

In order to inspire everyone in your workplace to stay on top of their organisation throughout the year, provide each employee with a bamboo desk organiser that also wirelessly charges smartphones. This will help them declutter at the most basic level -- by keeping their desks free of floating papers, pens and paperclips.

 

How to Stick to Your Resolutions

Creating New Year’s resolutions is much easier than sticking to them. In fact, as many as one third of resolutioners don’t make it past the first month. That’s because many people dream of a long-term outcome without coming up with an action plan to turn it into reality.

In order to ensure that both you and your entire team stick to their 2020 resolutions, follow these tried and true tips:

• Commit to reasonable and specific resolutions. This will give you something clear and actionable to focus on and work toward, rather than a far-off dream. It will also keep you interested in the challenge, without getting intimidated by something unattainable. 
• Write down the small steps necessary to achieve these resolutions. There is satisfaction in ticking things off of a list, so hitting each of these steps will motivate you to keep going. Breaking a goal into small steps will also make it seem more achievable from the start. 
• Set a timeline for when you want to achieve both your main resolution and each small step it takes to get there. This means that you should have both long-term and short-term goals, so there will always be something you are currently working on. 
• Record, and celebrate, your progress. Logging your small achievements in a journal, such as this daily planner, or smartphone app will help you keep track of your journey and reinforce your progress. If you’re doing a work-wide resolution, check in with your team every week, then go for a celebratory lunch if everyone has reached their goals.