Happy New Year to all of my readers! It has certainly been a year like no other and I'm sure many people will be glad to see the back of it. I thought that it would be helpful to create a post about starting the new year, what kind of resolutions you might want to make to help you advance in your career and how to make the most out of them.
Why resolutions can be helpful?
A lot of people think that New Years resolutions were created by the diet companies to make people buy their products or by the consumer market to encourage people to start a fresh with new products, home goods or clothes, (that may in part be true). However, I personally believe that I benefit from setting my intentions for the year and making a plan for how I'd like to progress. It might be the control that I like, but I think that there are many benefits from making resolutions. For example, it can provide you with a structure for the year, it can help to motivate you to achieve and it is a great way to keep yourself accountable if you continue to track your resolutions throughout the year.
So, I'm going to give some advice and tips for what kind of resolutions you might want to set and how to make the most of them throughout the 12 months of the year!
Decide on your goals:
In order to do this you need to think about what it is that you'd like to achieve this year. It does not have to be a huge goal like securing a new job or achieving a 1st at uni, little goals equal little victories, so don't push yourself and make sure to be realistic. Additionally, if you only have one goal for the year that is okay too.
It is important to emphasise that this task should not be stressful, nor should it make you feel anxious about achieving above and beyond in 2021. This is an exercise to set your intentions, think about the great possibilities that there are in this coming year and to give yourself the opportunity to excel.
Here are some examples:
- Decide what area of law I want to pursue
- Experience 2/3 mini-pupillages
- Do some marshalling
- Take part in online advocacy competitions
- Apply to volunteer for the Free Representation Unit
- Apply for pupillage
- Grow my professional social media presence
- Update my CV
Make a list:
New Years resolutions are pretty useless if you just say them in your head on New Years eve when the clock strikes 12 and then never really think about them again. It's a bit like cinderella, she's there for a short time and then as soon as it strike 12 she pretty much disappears. So, write them somewhere that you can easily access them, as this will become important later.
You may wish to write it on a colourful poster and stick it to the wall above your desk, you may wish to put it in a notes section of your phone, or you may wish to make your list your phone screensaver as a gentle reminder each day to keep going for your goals. Whichever way you choose to write your list, make sure you don't forget where it is!
Set a timeline for each goal:
Now that you have your goals, intentions, resolutions written down it's a good idea to create a timeline for them. This way you can track your progress and keep yourself accountable. A good way to do this is to start from the deadline. If there is not a deadline, then set yourself one, but make sure you are being realistic with what you can achieve so that you don't feel overwhelmed later in the year.
Now that you have the deadline, look at the time that you have between now and the deadline and set yourself some markers/to-do's at different points. This might look something like this...
Keep accountable:
One way to keep accountable is to set physical reminders on your phone or in your diary 1 week before each 'marker' and then 2 weeks before the 'deadline'. Of course you can play around with what works for you time wise, but I have found it really helpful in the past to have those little reminders to keep me on track.
Another thing that might be helpful is to set aside 30 minutes every other week, or once a month, to reflect on where you are at with your goals and if you need to tweak anything to make them happen. Reflection is a great way to keep yourself accountable, but it also allows you to look back on what you have already achieved on the way to your goals. Sometimes the end product can feel a lifetime away, and it may feel like you have got nowhere near to where you want to be. Reflecting on your progress you can help you to realise how well you've done already and it can offer that little pick me up on your journey.
A resolution from me to you:
Id like to leave you all with a resolution from me. This year has had its challenges, it has come with a lot of anxiety, stress and lack of security. So when you come in to 2021 by all means go for gold, aim for success and reach for the stars, but one thing I think we should all do is make a resolution to be kind to ourselves this year.
If you don't manage to achieve lots, or if 2020 just really kicked your but and you are feeling anxious about what the next year will bring then don't push yourself and don't beat yourself up about it. It is okay to just slowly and calmly approach the new year, with no intentions other than to be happy, safe and secure. Be kind to yourself and remember that a new year doesn't have to mean a new you, it can just be an opportunity to look after the real you.
I wish all of my readers the best of luck for the coming year and hope that you can all grow and achieve in the ways that you wish.
Thanks for reading,
Monica x