There’s nothing magical about the first of the year that makes it the best time for self-improvement. Still, some 40 percent of us will make New Year’s resolutions. The trick is to pick resolutions you can actually stick to, and focus on areas you can control. There’s no point in promising yourself you’re going to attend networking functions once a week if the thought of meeting that many new people makes you want to hide under your desk. Ditto for pledging to get a 10 percent raise this year, when the budget allows for only a 3 percent increase.
In this week’s roundup, we look at advice on practical ways to improve your life and career in the coming year; plus, how to be grateful for what you have at work, even while striving for bigger things, and a method for working less and doing more.
Celestine Chua at Lifehack: 42 Practical Ways to Improve Yourself
Still looking for your New Year’s resolution? Consider setting a Big, Hairy, Audicious Goal — a goal that some might consider improbable, but you know to be possible (if a serious stretch).
Chua explains:
Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). I’m a big fan of setting BHAGs. BHAGs stretch you beyond your normal capacity since they are big and audacious – you wouldn’t think of attempting them normally. What are BHAGs you can embark on, which you’ll feel absolutely on top of the world once you complete them? Set them and start working on them.
If that doesn’t appeal, there are 41 more suggestions about practical ways to make 2017 better, in Chua’s post.
Scott Mabry at Soul2Work: Love the Hand You’re Dealt – 2017
“There are and will be many great blog posts about how to make your 2017 super-amazing and life-changing, etc.,” Mabry writes. “I have only one recommendation but I believe it is the foundation for any changes you wish to make or goals you want to achieve. Take an honest personal inventory, accept what you find and be grateful for where you are.”
Not sure how to go about taking inventory, much less accepting what you might find? These three steps might help.
Alexander Maasik at The Next Web: How to Work Less, Get Better Results
“Working eight to 12 hours a day will not give you better results, it’ll just wear you down and make you spend your time waiting for the weekend or holidays so you could sleep,” Maasik writes. “Still, according to official statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American works 8.8 hours every day.”
In fact, studies have shown that working less yields higher productivity. Of course, you’re not going to convince your boss to let you clock out at 3 p.m., even if you can prove that you’ve become a more productive worker. But if you can eliminate some of what Maasik calls “fake work,” you can probably save your weekends and evenings from work that should have been done during the day. Here’s how.
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