5 Easy New Years Resolutions for Your Career - The Muse

5 Easy New Years Resolutions for Your Career - The Muse5 Easy New Years Resolutions for Your CareerI have good news for you Im going to take all the drama out of your new years resolutions. This year, I encourage you to toss aside the been-there, done-that options- lose weight, work out more, be less stressed- and instead focus on a few totally attainable ones. Lazy persons resolutions, if you will. Psychologists say that your best chances for keeping this promise to yourself depend on your having the capability, the opportunity, and the motivation to see it through. Given these factors, its understandable that a whopping 80% of us fail within the first 30 days. Its my personal belief then that the majority of us are making the wrong resolutions. The five suggestions ahead are, as promised, drama-free, and absolutely achievable.1. Learn One Thing That Has No Practical Application in Your LifeWhen Steve Jobs studied calligraphy, he marveled at the beauty and artistry of the technique. In a commencement address at Stanford in 2005, Jobs admitted that learning the skill wasnt the most pragmatic thing hes ever done. Little did he know how his experience would deeply influence his sense of design at Apple. This is the year to follow his lead. Have you always daydreamed about putting a car together from spare parts? Making your own wine? Learning graphic design? Resolve to take a course, attend a conference, read an instructional book, or find that mentor who can stoke your curiosity and teach you about something you have a burning desire to know. Forget about the practicality part of it and have fun. You never know where it might take you.Get Started By Reading ThisThe Secret to Learning a New Skill Even When Youre Busy2. Have One Experience That Stretches YouIf youre hoping to move up in your organization or career, look for one experience this year that will help you do just that. Maybe that means volunteering to help put on an industry conference that will ultima tely lend your company the brand exposure its been seeking, thereby placing you in a prime position for promotion and praise. Even if thats not the end result of you trying your pranke at something outside your career comfort zone, its likely to introduce you to new people, offer you a memorable new learning experience, and lead you to discover insight about yourself. Again, as with learning a less-than-practical new skill or hobby, you never know where this stretch could lead you, what career-path door it might open.Get Started By Reading ThisThe Best Conferences to Attend This Year3. Learn One Tech SkillPick one tech skill youd like to learn, and find out how to do it. Of course, no tech conversation would be complete without a mention of coding and the sheer number of beginner and intermediate classes available now as a result. As one of the biggest in-demand skills today, learning the basics can hardly do harm. Check out Lynda.com and Codecademy for more info.If its Photoshop (a nother coveted skill as of late) thats on your mind, there are plenty of ways you can get more comfortable with digital design. Consider one of the various ansprechbar course sites, including classes offered by Skillshare or CreativeLive to get started. The options are almost endless, so theres no excuse for why you cant find one that interests you.Get Started By Reading This13 Cheap (or Free) Online Classes You Can Take to Boost Your Digital Skills4. Read 3 Books Thatll Push Your Career ForwardSo, youre not much of a reader. You dont have time. Youre too distracted. Too busy. This year, I challenge you to read one whole book every four months. They can be straight-up business options, fiction, a biography, whatever- just make sure youre choosing ones that will make you think, thatll inspire you on whatever path youre on. Yes, you can mucksmuschenstill have some lighter reads. But go out of your way this year to pick three thatll help you advance, and not just give you an escape.Go to your favorite independent bookstore, hop on Amazon, or get a library card (its easy and free) and start making a list of things youd like to read. My guess is youll quickly surpass the three you set out to read and perhaps enliven a long-lost love of reading or discover a newfound one.Get Started By Reading This21 Books That Will Get You Ahead at Work, According to Top Career Coaches5. Plan One Unplugged Weekend- 48 Hours With No Wi-FiYou are reliant on technology. It rules your life in many ways, and I get it. Im no different- always checking my email, reading important articles and tweeting about them, scoping out LinkedIns newest features- but Ive gotten in the habit of disconnecting every now and then, and it feels great Not only that, but I believe its helped me from reaching that point of burnout. In author Joan Borysenkos book Fried Why You Burn Out and How to Revive, she discusses how always being online puts you at risk for burning out on the job. If youre constantly log ged on, 24/7, checking your email in the middle of the night when you get up for a glass of water, for example, I challenge you to step away from your devices for one entire weekend. At the very least, itll stave off lassitude, but at most, itll lead to a creative and more energized you. And who knows where your career will take you then? Get Started By Reading This3 Realistic Ways to Unplug When You Leave the OfficeYou dont need to set a ton of resolutions this year. You simply need one good one that will have a positive and generative impact on your life and your frame of mind. Stay out of the judgment zone, and be inspired to start a year thats all about you, in the best way possible.