7 Ways to Get Your Career and Goals Back on Track Before the Year Ends
New Year’s Eve often brings reflection, goal setting, and inspiration. However, if you want to get a jump start on your goals for next year or if you need to get back on track in your career before the year ends, October is a great time to take action. Here are 7 ways you can get your career and goals back on track before the end of the year.
1. Plan Projects Backwards: Now that you’re starting to have an idea of what your schedule for upcoming holidays and the rest of the year’s workload looks like, you can plan your projects backwards to ensure all deadlines are hit before the end of the year. Divide projects into manageable chunks and lay them out on your calendar in reverse, going from December to now, so you can see if you realistically have enough time to accomplish everything you need to at the pace you’re currently going. If not, you may need to find time to put in extra hours or delegate tasks.
2. Take On Extra: Once you have a roughly laid out plan to finish your projects, you can see if there’s room in your schedule to take on extra responsibilities. Whether you’re hoping for an end of year raise or gunning for an upcoming promotion, taking on extra responsibilities will help you get there!
3. Keep Brainstorming Alive: Sometimes, when our plate is full of tasks that need to be done right now in order to get back on track, we forget to dream. Keep brainstorming alive by taking at least 10 minutes out of your busy schedule every day and dedicating it to brainstorming. This could help you come up with a great new idea your boss will love or it could help you figure out how to finish one small part of a project a little bit faster. Either way, brainstorming can help you make progress and it keeps you thinking like a creative problem solver at work every day.
4. Check In With Your Network: Everyone checks in and sends generic holiday messages to their professional network in late November and December, but you can get ahead of the curve and strengthen those relationships early by reaching out now! Set up a lunch, a coffee break, a phone call, or just reach out to say you were thinking of them now, that way it seems more sincere when you reach out again near Thanksgiving or other holidays.
5. Learn How You Like to Work: One of the reasons you feel that you’re falling behind on your goals or in your career may be that you simply don’t know how you like to work. You can read productivity methods all day and sample a few here and there but, if you don’t know which strategies truly motivate you and help you be your best at work, you’re fighting a losing battle. Take these last three months of the year to truly test out different ways to work and find out which ones suit you best so that, come January, you’ll be able to start the new year full steam ahead and be your best self on the job.
6. Make the Most of Upcoming Breaks: The end of the year brings a lot of holidays which means a lot of people taking time off and spending time with friends or family. Make the most of this time! Countless studies have proven the effectiveness of true rest and relaxation so, during your upcoming time off, feel free to unplug and make the most of it. When you get back to work you’ll be revitalized and ready to get back on track!
7. Show Up Early: As the year winds down and the sun stays out for shorter periods every day a funny thing happens: very few people show up early for work. Whether you feel you’re falling behind on your goals, your workload, or your career in general the simple act of showing up early can make all of the difference. It shows bosses that you’re committed to your job, it gives you a little extra time to get ahead every day, and it helps keep you focused. Finish out your year strong by showing up early!
Whether you fear you won’t reach your goals before the end of the year or you won’t finish your projects or you won’t get the raise and promotion you want, these 7 steps can get you back on the right track. Cast those fears aside and get ready to finish this year in your career stronger and more productive than ever!