As we say goodbye to another year filled with unexpected challenges, now is a great time to take stock of how you’re feeling at work and pinpoint areas you’d like to improve on or change. If you don’t know where to focus your time, start by reading What’s Your Plan: Six Steps to Align Your Goals with What’s Important to You. You’ll learn how creating a personal strategic plan can provide a “vision and structure for your professional life and an anchor for you to connect with during periods of change.”

Sometimes, we set goals that may sound good on paper but aren’t super meaningful on a personal level, which sets us up for failure or significant stress as we try to achieve them. Take some time to clarify what you value most – such as life/work integration, better time management, or meaningful work – so you can focus your time strategically and succeed.

Common Work-Related Goals:

Review the common work-related goals below to see if any resonate with you and use the articles and learning opportunities provided to help you reach them.

What would you like to work on this year? I’d like to…

• Improve my time management, organization and/or productivity. Between emails, texts, phone calls, virtual meetings, social media, family, and co-workers all demanding your attention, it can be hard to clear away the distractions and zero in on the work that needs to get done. Find tips to help you manage your time better, stay organized and, as a result, improve productivity.
  • Articles:
    • Are you procrastinating? Increase motivation and take action with these simple steps
    • Cultivating and Maintaining Good Habits
    • Becoming a More Effective and Influential Team Member
  • Learning Opportunities:
    • Virtual Course: The Power of Habit
    • Virtual Course: Identify and Maximize Your Strengths
    • elevateU: Cultivating Good Habits
    • elevateU: Time Management
• Feel more fulfilled or happy at work. Do you wish your work was more inspiring? Before you go searching for a new job, check out these resources to see if you can make the job you currently have feel more fulfilling.
  • Articles:
    • Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Want with Job Crafting
    • Happiness, Well-Being and Psychological Wealth
  • Learning Opportunities:
    • Virtual Course: Everything DiSC: Behavior Styles at Work
    • Virtual Course: Identify and Maximize Your Strengths
    • Virtual Course: Creating and Sustaining a Positive Workplace
    • elevateU: Job Crafting
    • elevateU: Motivation and Engagement
• Have better life/work integration. Effective life/work integration will look differently for everyone and depends on your unique needs, goals and circumstances. Clearly communicated boundaries and expectations combined with flexibility and understanding are key.
  • Articles:
    • Tips to Establish and Maintain Healthy Boundaries
    • Unplugged: Tips to Disconnect from Work and Enjoy Your Vacation
  • Learning Opportunities:
    • Virtual Course: Cultivating and Maintaining Good Habits
    • elevateU: Work-Life Balance
    • elevateU: Establishing and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
• Move into a supervisor or leadership position. If you’re ready to make a career move into a leadership position – or perhaps you have already and are looking to improve your skillset – we have plenty of resources to help you succeed.
  • Articles:
    • Are you ready to lead?
    • Want greater power and influence? Establish trust and credibility
    • New Leadership Library and Leadership Development Resources
    • Leading Strategic Planning
    • Positive Boundaries
    • Team Essentials
    • Unmasking and Addressing Unprofessional Behavior
    • Measuring and Improving Employee Engagement
  • Learning Opportunities:
    • Virtual Course: Ready, Set, Change!
    • Virtual Course: Engaging Teams for Maximum Performance
    • Virtual Course: Strategic Planning
    • Virtual Course: Building Cohesive Teams

As you think about what you want to work on in the coming year and beyond, consider tying them to your Performance Excellence goals (for support staff). For more information about how to set yourself up for success as you identify goals, check out this When SMART Meets HARD: Setting Goals that Matter article.