I’m sure there’s a lot of people who can’t wait for 2020 to end.
As a result of COVID-19, some people lost their jobs, while others had them completely disrupted and changed. Even those who are ending the year with their jobs unscathed, have had to deal with new everyday stresses brought along by the pandemic.
While it may be tempting to write off the rest of the year and look towards better things in 2021, it’s important to avoid ending the year on a slump. There’s still a lot that can be accomplished with the few weeks left in the year.
Keep Pursuing Your Goals
It’s not time to shut down yet!
For those of you who are still at their jobs, did you accomplish all your goals for 2020? If not, there’s still time.
Identify the goals that you can still accomplish, or that you can make a serious dent in, and put together an aggressive plan for achieving them. Rising to the challenge of a tight deadline is one way to stay motivated, and some people really love that type of challenge.
Even if you don’t get all your goals accomplished, you can at least begin to set yourself up for the new year.
For those on the job search, keep going! There are opportunities available, you just have to avoid the temptation to shut down. You can certainly take some time off for the holidays, but there’s still plenty of productive days left before then.
Take Stock Of Where You Are As A Professional
This is more in-depth then typical goal setting. This is an opportunity to take a step back and honestly assess where you are in your career or job search.
Some people have used 2020 as a year of self-reflection to determine what’s really important to them, and what type of things they no longer need in life. As a result, I think we’re going to see a lot of people making career changes in the months ahead.
I think we may also see an increase in professionals stepping up and trying to redefine their places in the workforce. For example, many are seeing their roles start to change and are looking for ways to use their strengths and passions to help shape that change.
Have you had time to self-reflect yet? If not, start now!
If nothing else, we’ve all learned a lot from the challenges and opportunities of 2020, and that’s a lot of good information to apply to your self-reflection as you attempt to take stock of where you’re at professionally.
Make A Resolution To Learn Something New
As a result of the self-reflection that I mentioned above, I believe there will be a lot of professionals focused on upskilling and reskilling in the year ahead, in order to put themselves in a better position to accomplish their career goals or make themselves stronger candidates as they apply to jobs.
That’s a good thing, and I certainly encourage everyone to learn new skills that could make them a more well-rounded professional. But beyond that, make a resolution to learn a new skill that isn’t related to your career.
Perhaps you’ve always been fascinated by podcasting or graphic design, or you want to become a better cook. Whatever it is, just make sure it makes you happy and adds balance to your life.
It’s a lot easier to focus on your career when you have a healthy work/life balance. Not to mention, you never know when a new skill could spark a new opportunity in the future.
If you can focus on at least one of these areas as the year wraps up, it will not only be a productive use of your time, but an opportunity to end the year on a positive note.
Speaking of ending the year on a positive note, try investing in yourself!
If your job search is stuck in neutral, I have some resources that could be just what you’re looking for.
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You can also check out these great FREE Work It Daily Resources