10 New Year Resolutions That Will Boost Your Career in 2020!

The line to join the gym is around the block.  Grocery stores have all their health foods, vitamins, and supplements lined up at the door.

Sporting good stores have weights, treadmills, elliptical machines, yoga mats, and running shoes for sale.  These are all telltale signs of the upcoming New Year.

Many people sit down and write a New Year resolutions list for the next year.  They want to make changes and the New Year seems like the perfect time to start.

If you want a change or boost in your career then you should focus your New Year resolution on your goals and aspirations.

Ask yourself, “What do you want to achieve next year?”  To help you out, we made a list of 10 career-boosting resolutions you should make!

1. Wake up earlier

“Early bird gets the worm” has been a motto to live by since the 17^th century.  When you stop having late nights and start sleeping more your memory and concentration levels will improve.

According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep decreases brain signals that cause forgetfulness.  By getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night, your brain will work with optimal efficiency.

Going from your normal 10AM wake up time to a 7AM wake up time can be hard, so let your body adjust by first setting your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier, then 30 minutes earlier, 45 minutes earlier, and so on.

You’ll be surprised how much more you get done in the morning and how much more productive your day will be once you start waking up earlier.

2. Get Organized

With the New Year coming, it’s the perfect time to get organized.  The first step to getting organized is getting a planner with a monthly and weekly calendar.

Use the monthly schedule to plan out your week.  Once your week is planned, you’ll get more work done efficiently and be less stressed because you won’t be worried about forgetting an important event or deadline.

3. Exercise

This might sound weird but exercising actually gives you more energy.  Researchers have found that exercising improves circulation and supports heart health.

Both of these components contribute to increased energy levels. Plus, exercising also decreases stress levels.  So do exercise to beat stress. Add a short 15-minute cardio workout in to your daily schedule.

This short workout will leave you feeling better about yourself and give you more energy to finish the rest of your day.

4. Make a monthly goal

Goals are important.  They keep you focused and motivated to finish your daily tasks.  Start small.  Use the weekly calendar in your planner to write down your goals for the week.

For example, you can make exercising three times a week a goal.  Once you reach it, increase the workouts to five times a week.  Now, make exercising a habit.

Each of these steps is a goal.  By starting small, you’ll have small milestones you can celebrate and that keep you focused on your monthly goal.  A monthly goal can be a healthier weight or toning your muscles.

Whatever your goals are, here’s an important tip.  Your weekly goals should help you reach your monthly goal.  Every weekly goal you complete should get you closer to reaching your monthly goal.

Once you have mastered weekly and monthly goals, start making 5-year and 10-year goals.

Ask yourself two questions: “Where do you want to be?” and “Is what you’re doing now going to take you there?”  Once you have those questions answered, start righting out your long-term goals.

Now, you should center every weekly and monthly goal on those long-term goals.  In five years, you’ll be amazed at what you achieved.

5. Work More Efficiently

Instead of focusing on working harder and adding more overtime, find ways to work more efficiently.  Start by making a to-do list that coincides with your weekly schedule.

This list should have 3 to 5 key items on it.  Put the items in order by importance and complete the list from the top down.

When you don’t have a list, it’s easy to get sidetracked, forget about different tasks, and get overwhelmed by the amount of work you have in front of you.

By breaking down the tasks in to 3 to 5 things, you’re breaking down the work in to smaller, more manageable steps.

By giving yourself a list and writing out what you need to get done, you’ll be able to stay focused longer and be more motivated to complete the tasks at hand.

6. Use your time wisely

One tip we can learn from all entrepreneurs is don’t waste time.  Every entrepreneur understands how valuable time is because once its gone you can’t get it back.

So, don’t spend hours doing useless things.  Check your schedule and your to-do list.  Do only things that will get you farther in your career and closer to your goals.

7. Look for ways to improve your-self

There is always room for improvement and more things to learn.  A student mentality can help you in every aspect of your life.

With the upcoming New Year, ask yourself, “What skills could I learn? What will help me reach my goal?”

Find ways to improve yourself by taking a class, reading an article every day, watching a TED talk, or reading a book that relates to your field.

All of these things can teach you various skills and lessons you can incorporate in your daily life.  When you’re constantly learning and improving, you’re constantly growing.

8. Find a hobby

Hobbies aren’t just a waste of time.  Steve Jobs decided to learn the art of calligraphy.  He said, “It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.”

By focusing on a fun project or something you’re passionate about outside of work, you’ll de-stress. Plus, learning a new hobby lets you learn a new skill without the pressures of work.

You never know when your new hobby can actually be useful at work. According to Jobs, he took calligraphy class because it looked interesting.

He thought, “None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when [he and his friends] were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to [him].”

He used his calligraphy skills to make the first computer with perfectly spaced fonts in a variety of typefaces.

9. Plan a vacation

Ask yourself, “When was your last vacation?” If the answer doesn’t come right away then it’s been too long.  A weekend away might be the exact thing you need to rejuvenate yourself before getting back to work.

When you’re constantly working, you’ll feel stressed out, overwhelmed, and tired.  So, why not take a small vacation to give you and your brain a break.  Getting ahead and wanting to reach your goals is great, but if you’re not happy then what’s the point?

10. Become a mentor

Management skills are important for any career.  Take it on yourself to mentor a co-worker or a student.  By teaching others, you’ll learn more about yourself, become more knowledgeable, and build a respectful reputation in the workplace.

2018 has flown by.  It seems like it was June just a few days ago.  But we are now a day away from January and that means the start of a new year.

And you’ve been thinking about a career change or working towards a promotion.  So, let’s start 2020 right by honing in on these 10 career boosting New Year resolutions.