5 Top Career Resolutions for 2018

Get more sleep, eat more salad… good things to have on your resolutions list, but if you’re serious about being on top in 2018 then here are 5 simple habits to take you from “good” to “exceptional”

1. Pick one skill which you are currently lacking that you know would accelerate and advance your career. Set aside time to either enroll in a course, buy a couple of books on the topic, or even set calendar reminders to take a few minutes out each week to do online tutorials and read up on the subject.

2. Set yourself a professional challenge for the first 90 days of the new year. Take a look at where you fell short professionally in 2017, and then set a goal to help prevent you making the same mistakes in 2018. Yes, only for the first 3 months. The idea is to get you off to a solid start and infuse your year with positivity and the motivation to continue.

3. Make a sincere effort to network. Decide that you will meet x-amount of people in 2018 who can either provide solid mentorship in your field or open up new opportunities for you. Then make it your mission to stay in touch, and build relationships with these people. If approaching new people face-to-face is scary for you, then you can count your lucky stars that we live in the digital age where you can utilize things like Linkedin, or even introduce yourself via email. In the end the contacts you acquire could count as much (or even more than) your degree, so take it seriously!

4. Stress less, organize better. Stress oftentimes stems from bad time management. Don’t wait until your mind is jam packed with different things and you’re straining under the weight of deadlines. Right at the beginning of the year, find yourself an app or time management solution which works for you. Once you’ve done this, commit yourself to a weekly activity which you find relieves your stress. Be strict about reserving this time for yourself, and remember that if life starts getting too busy for it, then you’re just not managing your time properly.

5. Stay on top of your field by reading industry related news. Technology has fast tracked virtually every field under the sun making it essential to keep on learning. Whether you’re into medicine or agriculture, there’s no such thing as graduating and then assuming you know it all. Subscribe to industry related blogs and Youtube channels and set aside time to catch up on the highlights.