50 New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Career

About 40 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year, but most of us don’t make it to February with our goals intact. The secret to keeping any New Year’s resolution is start small — and focus on incremental change.

“Setting small, attainable goals throughout the year, instead of a singular, overwhelming goal on January 1 can help you reach whatever it is you strive for,” psychologist Lynn Bufka, PhD, tells the American Psychological Association. “Remember, it is not the extent of the change that matters, but rather the act of recognizing that lifestyle change is important and working toward it, one step at a time.”

The good news for folks who are focusing their resolutions on their careers is that there are plenty of opportunities to make small changes at work. You never know what will have a big impact on your career.

Don’t know where to start? Pick one of these:

1. Sign up for a class
2. Develop a skill
3. Apply for a job
4. Read a book
5. Find out how much you should be paid
6. Talk to someone on another team
7. Say yes
8. Say no
9. Ask for more
10. Update your resume
11. Update your LinkedIn profile
12. Email a former coworker and set up a coffee date
13. Connect with an influencer on social media
14. Tidy your workspace at the end of the day/week/month
15. Do one thing every day to further your goals (not the ones your company selected)
16. Ask for help
17. Try to understand a coworker’s perspective
18. Unplug for an afternoon or a weekend — or commit to going offline at X time each day
19. Plan a vacation
20. Take on a new project
21. Keep a time diary, and find out where the day goes
22. Think about your dream job…
23. …and then look at what’s stopping you from having it
24. Set up an informational interview to learn more about a job/employer/career path
25. Bring your lunch to work…
26. …and eat it somewhere other than your desk
27. Get up 15 minutes earlier
28. Pick a quitting time and stick to it
29. Change up your to-do list
30. In your calendar, block off time for heads-down work
31. Volunteer (as in, donate your time and money)
32. Volunteer (as in, raise your hand at work)
33. Talk a walk outside every day
34. Sit less
35. Attend a function where you’ll meet new people
36. Send a thank-you note
37. Write a recommendation or reference
38. Endorse a colleague on LinkedIn
39. Make a personal budget
40. Find a side gig
41. Update your interview uniform
42. Update your professional attire
43. Change your social media head shots
44. Work on your elevator pitch
45. Identify your personal brand
46. Be a mentor
47. Find a mentor
48. Join a Lean In Circle/professional association/group
49. Ask for an introduction
50. Replace “sorry” with “thank you”

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What’s your New Year’s resolution for your career? We want to hear from you. Tell us your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation with Twitter.