3 Ways to Stay on Track With Your 2016 Goals
From shooting for that big promotion, aiming to learn a new technology, or simply doing your best to get along with your coworkers better this year, 2016 just started and many of us have made goals and resolutions that we hope we’ll stick to throughout the year. Want a little help with your 2016 goals or resolutions? Here are three ways you can stay on track:
1. Use If-Then Statements: When you have a goal or a resolution to improve your career performance it can be difficult to resist falling into old, bad habits. By turning your goals into if-then statements you’ll be able to avoid those pitfalls and stay on track! For example, if your goal is to find more time at work to diversify your skillset some of the if-then statements could be, “if I’m confronted with a large project I’ve done a million times before then I’ll focus on that but make sure half the time I spend on that large project I carve out for a project that will help me diversify” or “if no one wants my help on their projects then I will dedicate an hour that night to a side project that helps me develop diversified skills that will be applicable on the job”.
2. Make them Actionable: If your goal is to earn a raise, that’s great! But, if your goal is to earn a $5,000 raise by doing x,y, and z throughout the year that’s even better and certainly more effective. Making sure your goals and resolutions are specific and actionable is a great help when you’re trying to stick to them and achieve them because it breaks vague or lofty goals down into smaller, bite-sized, clearly designated pieces that you can take action on.
3. Quarterly Assessment: Any good business will assess and reassess their hiring needs and profit or growth projections on a quarterly basis (at minimum). You should do the same with your career related goals and resolutions! Set smaller goals that help you achieve your larger resolutions on a quarterly basis then, when a quarter ends, take time to reflect and make new and improved goals for the next quarter, all the while keeping your main resolution in mind. This is one of the best strategies for sticking with your goals because it helps you monitor your progress and adjust as needed throughout the year instead of waiting for another new year to come around.
Having clear goals and resolutions can help propel your career success forward, but only if you stick with them. Use these strategies to stay on track with your goals in 2016 and beyond and you’ll be amazed at how much you can achieve!