As the end of the year is in touching distance, you’re probably reflecting on the year just past and may even be making plans for the year ahead. It is the time for those New Year’s resolutions and if you’re planning to progress your career in events or marketing, it may be a good idea to start making plans for how to achieve your goals. Goals can provide a bit of focus for your efforts so it’s worth setting aside some time during any seasonal downtime to think about what you might want to achieve.

Here are some New Year’s resolutions you might want to consider to help boost your career in events or marketing.

1    Get up early

You can get an awful lot done if you arrive in the office an hour or two before anyone else, so think about setting the alarm early and grabbing a start on the day. A 5am wake up call is not uncommon. This may seem crazy to some but many successful leaders and business owners get up early, as it gives them time to work on planning, personal development and to achieve more from their day. Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of Virgin says

‘I have always been an early riser. Like keeping a positive outlook, or keeping fit, waking up early is a habit, which you must work on to maintain. Over my 50 years in business I have learned that if I rise early I can achieve so much more in a day, and therefore in life.’

Of course, this might mean one or two more early nights during the week. There is some sense in the old proverb popularised by Benjamin Franklin: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” 

2    Complete your To Do list daily

Every morning before you start your day, compile an achievable to-do list. Be realistic. If you have 50 items on your list you’re unlikely to complete them and you’ll end the day feeling cheesed off and demotivated.

Have one ‘Master List’ that contains everything you need to do and each day transfer five or six items to complete. Some people find that starting with the most difficult and pushing on through until they are all done works best. Others like to start with an easy win to gain momentum. Whichever works for you, the sense of satisfaction will be immense and your productivity will be noticed. 

Aim to empty your email inbox each day as well, though this is easier said than done. A well organised series of folders will help. 

3    Stay focused

It can be easy to become side-tracked in the workplace, especially if everyone is chatting, texting and you are constantly receiving emails, which you can’t help but answer. However, you will achieve more if you stay focused and minimise distractions or interruptions. 

Consider only checking your emails two or three times a day, rather than dealing with them as they come in. If you’re working on a particularly complicated event or campaign move to a private office or, if you have the discipline to do so effectively, work from home. 

Your career advancement depends on what you achieve so focus your efforts on achieving measurable results. Robert Kiyosaki, an American finance guru, defines Focus as: 

FOCUS:  Follow One Course Until Successful  

It’s a neat mnemonic, though it’s also worth remembering that there are times when the smart decision is to realise an element of a marketing campaign is not working and stop pouring resources and time into it. 

4    Practise mindfulness

If you tend to move from one task to the other, before you’ve completed the first, you’re not alone. This is a problem many people face when they have a busy workload, but it may be to the detriment of your future career opportunities. If you are unorganised, you are probably not achieving the goals you would like to, so next year, why not explore mindfulness and see if it works for you? 

Mindfulness is less ‘New Age’ than you may think. It simply means living in the moment and can be very useful in the workplace. When you practise mindfulness at work, you are much more likely to see your tasks through to completion, and you’ll feel less stressed too. 

5    Stay positive

It’s often said that people are hired for their skills and achievements and fired for their behaviour. To help advance your career, stay positive and be supportive of your boss and colleagues. If you can help bring out the best in people you increase your chances of being fast tracked for promotion. 

Everyone has ups and downs of course, but if you can remain positive and focused - and ask for help if you need it - the difficult times will pass. 

6    Update your CV

Make sure your CV is the best it can be, and is up to date with any new roles, qualifications or measurable achievements. Once you start telling people you are looking for the next step in your career, opportunities can sometimes emerge very suddenly. And you don’t want to have to update your CV in a hurry. Do it now, before you have to. 

7    Always be looking for new opportunities

Whether you’re keen to progress within your existing company or recognise the next big step up will be with another employer, always be on the lookout for the next opportunity. Be proactive and ask your manager about any new roles or projects that may be coming up.

One good tip is to behave and dress as if you are already in the role you want to secure. We don’t mean lording it over your teammates and refusing to do the coffee run; simply look and act in the professional way people would expect of someone at that level and your credibility is immediately boosted.  

Register with the best marketing or event job sites and get in touch with the best recruitment agencies who specialise in your profession. Regan & Dean specialises in marketing, events and support roles and should be top of your list if you’re considering your future. 

We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.