Happy New Year! I hope you had a great party, couch sitting marathon, or a good night of sleep last night. New Year’s Eve is a great time to reflect and to set some goals for next year. But New year’s resolutions can be tricky.
Don’t get me wrong, the idea of resolutions is amazing. It’s nice to have something to work on. For me as a freelancer, it really works to set some goals for the next year to have a friendly reminder in my head when I have to make a work-related decision.
For 2021 I had some career goals. I didn’t want to rely on news shifts, writing news articles at set times. I also wanted a recurring column for a magazine, website, or newspaper and I wanted to be able to pitch my stories more often. I actually reached all those goals, as well as my financial goal for 2021.
I did not reach those goals by manifesting them or hoping I would get there. I reached them because I worked hard, took the chances I got, and because I did not ‘just’ set some goals. There are some tricks to make it easier to reach your goals. Here’s my advice. It’s no magic formula and no guarantee to success, but it might help you get a little further in your career.
Make ‘m smart
In 2021, I wanted to blog more, do more creative writing, and have more spare time. Obviously, all those goals failed. These goals are way too broad and vague. What is more? And more than what? Jup, that is the first issue with new year’s resolutions. Everything is about making things smart — specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.
And it works! It’s good to know what you’re working on. ‘Eating less meat’, ‘work out more’, ‘consume less alcohol’ and ‘eat healthier’ aren’t new year’s resolutions (yes, ‘quit smoking immediately’ is, if you haven’t done that already).
Now, let’s rephrase those goals. ‘In 2022, I will eat meat only once a week’, or something like that. Could be more or less, is up to you. I don’t make the rules when it comes to eating meat. You should also not ‘work out more’ but ‘hit the gym three times a week’. You should not ‘drink less’ but ‘consume two alcoholic beverages a night for two nights a week’. But…
