This week holds the first Monday of 2019, and is officially the first full week of the New Year. That means, most of us are heading back to work, and trying our best to jump into a routine. As exhausted as I was at the end of last year, I feel really good about this year. I know it won’t be easy, with as much as I plan to have on my plate, but that’s OK. My goal each year is to do more than the year before and of course, elevate a little bit. I wanted to round up 5 things that you can implement immediately to make sure you get off to a great start and have your best year yet.
Create a Routine That Feels Good
This is going to be the biggest determining factor in your day-to-day success. At least it has been for me after almost 5 years of coming to the same job every, single, day. I so often reminisce on the excitement I had when I first started. The excitement to dress up for work, get in early with a smile, make a cup of coffee and get going on my emails while anxiously anticipating tasks I couldn’t wait to knock out. Spoiler alert: that feeling fades. And it’s up to us to make sure we keep that kind of enthusiasm not just with work, but with our lives. Whatever that routine looks like for you, that prepares you to conquer your day is what you need to be doing more of. For me, it’s waking up around 5 am to head to the gym so that I can have my evenings free. Knowing I can spend my time after work however I want makes it so much easier to jump out of bed. Then I’ll get ready to come to the office, grab my breakfast + lunch out of the fridge and head into work. Once I’m situated, I focus on what work needs to be completed THAT day and tackle it. Knowing I’ve already done the most difficult things early in the day is what feels best to me.
Update Your LinkedIn
We love to spend our time on social media, but rarely see LinkedIn as such. When used properly, LinkedIn is a lucrative source that houses professionals from receptionists to CEO’s that are at your fingertips. This platform is not only a place to find jobs, or be found by employers, it’s also a platform that you can use to really show your expertise among others in your industry. Log on and update your profile. Make sure it’s fully filled out, change your title if it’s no longer relevant and make sure that your experience and responsibilities are up to date. You may not be in the market for a new job, but interacting on LinkedIn is never a bad thing. Before you go, feel free to add me! I’m happy to interact with you.
Schedule a Meeting With Your Boss
There’s no better time to sit down with your manager and get clear about your expectations and goals for the year, while getting direct insight on what they need to see from you in order for that to happen. Prepare for this meeting wisely, but treat it casually. I advise you to create a list of accomplishments from 2018, as well as failures (you don’t have to share these). Be direct about what you’re wanting to do more of, be apart of and what you want to see from your position. And the failures that you listed? Use them as the opportunity to be vocal about what you plan to improve on, without them having to tell you. Ask questions like where your department is heading this year, and what changes you can expect over the next 12 months. Ask how you fit into those changes, or what they mean for you. Ask what your boss would like to see from you, so you have a clear understanding of what will get you where you want to go.
List Three Ways You Can Contribute
With big corporate companies, it’s so easy, and almost natural to always look to them for more. As time passes, we want more money, more benefits, more flexibility, more positioning and I’ve found the most strategic way to get those things, is to continually find ways to contribute different than before. In addition to what your expected responsibilities are – what more can you do this year to stand out, or help your company? Come up with a list of three things you’re going to do differently in a way that will benefit your department, your boss, your CEO, or entire company and strategically implement those things before the year is up. Once we’re viewed as assets, things are more likely to work in our favor.
Know Where You Want to Be Before The Year is Up
Everything you felt bad about not accomplishing last year, everything you felt you deserved and didn’t get, everything you knew you wanted but didn’t go after, write those down. What are you going to do to make sure that doesn’t happen again? Do you want to switch careers? Do you want to get serious about your fitness journey? Do you want to have your car paid off? Buy your first home? Travel to three places you’ve never been? GET SPECIFIC! Then get to work. If you decide to just take the year as it comes without a plan or idea of how you want it to go, how will you reap the fruits of your labor? You won’t know how far you’ve come if you don’t measure it against where you are now. Here’s an old Monday Motivation regarding this, just in case you need the extra push.
We’re only 10 days in, so today, tomorrow, this weekend, is the perfect time to sit down and determine how you’re going to take on 2019. I’m rooting for all of you!
