When we think of New Year, often one word springs to mind... resolutions. Whether you’re a fan or not, New Year is a great time to reflect on your personal goals and achievements and plan your success for the future.

Self-improvement or at least the desire to, is something we often experience as we approach New Year. However, for all the good intentions we have, only a tiny proportion of people achieve their New Year’s resolution.

Goal setting is incredibly important, however we usually aren’t good at this, especially around New Year. Some people are often overwhelmed with the thought of making New Year’s resolutions as the goals set aren’t achievable.

5 goals.

It’s incredibly easy to feel overwhelmed so if you don’t know where to start, it may be worth asking yourself a question, ‘What do I want to achieve in these next 12 months?’ Have a go at writing 5 goals, however big or small that you want to achieve and then prioritise them.

Short and simple.

We’re all guilty of making extreme New Year’s resolutions that often are knowingly impossible to achieve, therefore keeping your resolutions short and simple is easier and more manageable. They become attainable and you don’t end up failing at the first hurdle.

Manageable missions.

Setting your resolutions is all well and good but it’s what happens next that counts. For example, if your resolution is to develop your leadership and management skills, how are you going to get to this point? You need a short plan to outline how you are going to achieve your ambitions. Rather than being vague, make sure you are specific as this will motivate you further.

Take your time.

Often the confines of a nine hour working day, paired with commitments outside of work can often result in us having too much to do and too little time. To tackle this, take 15 minutes of each day to plan. The simplest way to do this would be to write a list. Managing your time effectively plays a key role in the working environment. With important tasks, it’s vital to steer away from distractions, therefore close all irrelevant browser windows, put your phone away and find a quiet, comfortable place to work.

Start as you mean to go on.

Once you have completed a task, remember to tick this off your list. Getting into the routine of achieving everyday will develop a great sense of accomplishment and positivity. Remember, recognising that your time is extremely important increases your personal productivity to achieve a greater work-life balance. Applying this can eliminate time being wasted and improve your overall performance in and out of work.

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