Raise your hand if you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution. Now, keep your hand raised if you’ve promptly broken it just a couple of weeks into the year.
Yeah, me too. That’s why I’m resolved (pun intended!) to come up with New Year’s resolutions that young professionals can actually keep! Here are five — complete with difficulty level — to get you started.
Difficulty level: *
It can be tricky to maintain contact with people from your past. However, old colleagues are important to keep in your network as you grow your career. You never know when your paths may cross in the future! As for old friends, people move to new cities or enter new stages in their lives, so sometimes an extra push to stay connected or reconnect is necessary. This is a great resolution because it doesn’t require a ton of time and can be beneficial to you both personally and professionally.
This one will make you feel good! From volunteering with a local nonprofit, joining an organization (like Ad 2 Madison!), or attending community events, this resolution isn’t a huge time commitment. Plus, depending on how you get involved, it can look great on your resume!
This can be tangible OR intangible. Sometimes we just need to get rid of the crap we’ve accumulated over the years. You know that one white elephant gift you got three years ago and haven’t used, but it’s still around? It can go. But, the clutter doesn’t end there. Sometimes you need to declutter in other areas, such as your digital life. Unsubscribe to those email newsletters you delete the second they hit your inbox, unfriend that person you met one time that only posts game updates on Facebook, and clean up the bookmarks on your browser. You can make this resolution as time consuming as you want.
Alright, this one may be a little obvious, but learning something new — like a language, skill, or even hobby — is a way to enrich your life and career. What’s great about learning new things is that you can pick the difficulty level based on how much time you’d like to commit. Plus, it doesn’t require you to do something every day necessarily, so you can do it in your spare time. Learn ways to continue your education here.
5. Do something you’ve always wanted to do.
Difficulty level: *****
This is one of my favorites. As a young professional, most of us find ourselves busy being consumed with work and also trying to have a social life. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t find some time to fulfill something you’ve always wanted to do. Whether it’s reading 100 books in a year, going on vacation to a new city, writing a novel, or even getting in better shape, why wait to accomplish it?
So, what will your 2017 New Year’s resolutions be?
