Amid the bustle of the holidays, this time of year reminds us that a new year is around the corner -- and that means it’s time to begin setting our career goals for 2024.

However, December is also the ideal time for taking stock of what happened with our careers in 2023, especially when it comes to evaluating our accomplishments and even assessing what we would have liked to have gone differently. Taking this step now will help you set clear goals for 2024.

But how do we tackle this during SUCH a busy time of year?

Instead of: Jumping to set your new career goals for 2024…

Try: Taking stock of your career in 2023 now to get even greater clarity on what you want for your career next year.

1. Pick a time and place to reflect. It’s that most wonderful time of the year…and you are very busy. That’s why you need to intentionally set a time and place to reflect on 2023. Maybe it’s a quiet spot at your local library, or a coffee shop with a peppermint latte. Maybe it’s a weeknight when you are done working. The most important thing is to set a time and pick a place – and commit to it – allotting 30 minutes to an hour to reflect.

2. Start with evaluating your 2023 career highlights. What comes to mind when you think about your career highlights? Maybe you won a promotion or got a new client. Maybe you got a new job! But what else? Dig deeper. Make sure you recognize and take ownership of things you deem a success – even if others didn’t. The small stuff is equally important as the big wins.

   Maybe you helped a team member get promoted, or had that difficult conversation with your boss, or asked for feedback even when you were super nervous to do it. Maybe you went to a networking event (and you hate networking!) or you made new contacts at the conference you attended, or you did an exceptional job in a high-stakes meeting. Keep the wins coming – you will be in awe of how amazing you are!

3. Capture what you would have liked to have happened differently. Reflecting on what you would have liked to have gone differently this past year is different from capturing your career losses or focusing on your weaknesses. These are learning opportunities for how you might change up an approach to solving a problem, or how you might communicate something differently, or how you might address a team member in a different way.

   If you find yourself beating yourself up (I wish I had spoken up during that meeting! I should have left my job right then! I KNEW I should have asked for that promotion when I had the chance!), you are wasting energy trying to change something that is in the past. If you find yourself getting into this frame of mind, reposition these failures as learning opportunities. Write down what you learned, which is a gift.

4. Assess your reflections for themes and even “ah ha!” moments. Congratulations, you did it! You reflected on your 2023 career. What can you take away from this exercise? Spend some time answering that question. Maybe it was a better year for you than you thought. Maybe you are feeling it’s time to make that major career change you have been noodling. Maybe you want more from your role and feel you can make a bigger impact. All of this insight is invaluable. You now have data that you can use to set your goals for 2024 in a much clearer, more deliberate way.

Goal setting is always a great idea when it comes to our careers – it’s how we drive career happiness. Reflecting now on your 2023 career year will help you get clear on what you really want for yourself professionally – and personally – in 2024!

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©2023 Traverse Career Solutions | Ellen Dunagan