(ThyBlackMan.com) Every January, you make the same promises to yourself. You will eat healthily, go to the gym, learn that language, book that vacation or apply for a new job.
More often than not, good intentions fall by the wayside as the pressures of life and family inevitably creep in. Before you know it, you’re just waiting for the calendar to come back around to January 1st so you can make the same resolutions all over again. This time you’ll definitely stick to them. Definitely. Almost definitely. Probably.
Being happy in your work is extremely important, not only to your self-esteem but to your mental health too. Many people spend more of their waking hours with their colleagues than they do with their own families. Whether it’s improving your performance in your current role, retraining for a different career entirely or working towards a better work-life balance, here are some hints and tips to help.
Figure out what you want from your career
This might sound obvious, but it’s not as easy as you might imagine. First of all, decide what a job means to you. Is it strictly something to pay the bills and lets you pursue other interests? If that’s you then that’s fine. Everyone needs to pay the bills.
Are you the industry you want to be in already but want to work your way up? Great, you’ve got a good starting point and you can plan what you need to do to start climbing that promotion ladder. 
Many people carve a career out for themselves only to decide much later that they’d like to try something else. Maybe you want to switch careers entirely. It’s never too late. There isn’t such a thing as a job for life anymore and people can switch careers multiple times in their working life.
Once you know what you want from your career, you can start putting a plan into action.
Be more productive
Being more productive isn’t the same as working more hours. You may have heard the phrase ‘work smart, not hard’. A few productivity hacks to the way you currently work can greatly improve your performance in your job.
Go back to school
You need to be prepared to retrain if you want to switch careers or gain that promotion. Going back to school doesn’t need to be daunting. Most courses can now be completed online with providers like EdX, Norwich University, LinkedIn or Udemy.
Investing in yourself and learning new things is a great way to achieve your career goals. Do your research and find out what academic or vocational courses are needed for your chosen career, then work towards them.
Create a work-life balance
Finding a balance between your jobs and your personal life is extremely important. Throwing every ounce of time and energy into our career can damage our family life, mental health, and physical wellbeing. The same technology that improves so many other aspects of your life, makes it difficult to disconnect ourselves. The expectation is that we are always available. Learn how to say ‘no’.
Put some rules in place about creating time for yourself and your family. Switch off your digital devices and create clear boundaries between your work and social life. By doing this you will be much better equipped to deal with any challenges in your job.
Don’t be afraid to indulge in a bit of self-care, which despite what you read elsewhere is not all spa days and massages (unless that’s your thing). Whatever you do that recharges you is self-care from playing sports, reading a book, practicing mindfulness or volunteering.
The good news is that a lot of companies are acknowledging the importance of a work-life balance and are embracing flexible working. This trend looks set to continue.
Expand your network
Sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Your professional network can have a huge impact on your career. Many job vacancies aren’t advertised so you need to be networking to find out about them.
Commit to building this network through platforms like LinkedIn and attending networking events. There are also many industry-specific groups on Facebook and LinkedIn that you can join and be active in.
You don’t have to be at every event (remember that work-life balance we mentioned earlier), but get a few in your calendar so that you are more likely to attend.
Keep your resume up to date
It’s always a good idea to keep your resume up to date for a number of reasons. It’s unfortunate, but people do find themselves out of a job unexpectedly at times. If this has come out of the blue, the last thing you’ll feel like doing is writing your resume from scratch.
Even if you aren’t actively looking for a new job, you could spot your dream role. And guess what, your resume’s already done.
Keep your resume simple and uncluttered. Focus on achievements and accomplishments rather than just listing your duties. Some jobs will also require examples of your previous work, so keep adding to your portfolio too.
Find a mentor
Everyone can benefit from having a mentor. Even the late Steve Jobs attributes a great deal of his success to the mentoring he received from great Larry Page.
Mentors aren’t just for entrepreneurs or tech billionaires. A mentor can provide you with invaluable perspective and insight on your career, improve your skills and confidence, be a sounding board and also be devil’s advocate when needed.
There are many ways to find a mentor. Look to your existing network of business connections to find people you admire and approach them, or join an online mentoring program.
Some larger companies also run their own internal mentoring programs. Check to see if your company has one.
To get the best out of your mentoring relationship, make sure you both know at the outset what you’re looking to achieve, meet regularly and don’t be afraid to say if it isn’t working for you.
By setting your career goals, and keeping yourself accountable, you’ll make great strides towards achieving the career you want in 2020.
Staff Writer; Craig James
