Why most career New Year resolutions fail (and how to ensure yours don’t)
Every New Year, many of us set ourselves work goals that we hope will improve our jobs or careers. But we often set resolutions that are too ambitious or unrealistic, setting us up for failure.
These promises can be too vague, too – things like ‘I’ll get promoted this year’ or ‘I’ll change industries completely.’ This can lead to demotivating frustration when things don’t work out.
New Year’s resolutions can be great. Many people make those resolutions about their careers. They feel that setting New Year achievement goals can energize them and motivate them to reach new heights on their career ladder. But you’ve got to set realistic professional New Year’s resolutions, or they may not work out, and that’s bad for your morale.
The expert’s guide to New Year professional resolutions
To help you have more career success in 2025, the experts behind Serpple, a comprehensive SEO analysis tool, share their tips for making professional New Year resolutions that work.
1) Set SMARTer goals
To give yourself the best chance of success, make sure your New Year goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-bound).
So, instead of setting vague goals like ‘I will improve my communication skills’, set more specific goals like ‘On 1 March 1, I will take a course on public speaking to improve my presentation skills’.
Doable things can be done, whereas ill-defined aspirations that lack specifics tend to fail because they aren’t physically actionable.
2) Make resolutions that have milestones
Set smaller and more achievable objectives that are on the path to bigger, more ambitious goals. Achieving these milestones will help you map out your progress, which, in turn, will help you to stay motivated.
We recommend small steps that you can actually take, rather than a long journey with an unclear starting point that feels daunting. Having smaller milestones to work towards feels more do-able and gives you achievements to tick off… and motivate you to keep going.
Milestones are also natural pause points where you can evaluate your progress and ensure you are moving in the right direction. And even that you still want the same goal, or whether you want to tweak your resolution.
3) Manage your time so you actually achieve your goals
Too often we set goals for ourselves, but fail to actually plan the time we need to achieve them – or even get properly started. So, this year, make sure you manage your time better.
This includes chunking big goals into smaller tasks, and prioritising them so you focus on the most important and urgent first. Also be honest with yourself about how much time a task will take, and schedule it into your calendar so it actually happens.
Make good use of time management tools like your digital devices to prompt you to do certain things at certain times.
4) Set realistic goals
What can you really achieve this year? Is a promotion really on the cards? Go for it. Is there a new project you can realistically take on and do? If so, do it.
Work realistically on bettering your professional skill sets to win a promotion. That could mean studying to get a new qualification, or taking on new work challenges. Things like this can make promotion more likely. Don’t think about – do it!
5) Be fully present at work and at home
If you are trying to be all things to all people at all times, you can’t give your all to any one thing. So forget multitasking and have clearly defined times for work and home/play – and plan your work towards your resolutions within this framework.
By being very clear about when you are available for each, you can give 100% to working towards your professional goals, and be fully present when you are not working. Not only is this healthier, but you can free up your creative mind to problem solve for you when it’s not tied up with conscious work.
6) Update your LinkedIn profile and CV
LinkedIn is your professional shop window, so make it shine, to complement whichever professional resolution you set for yourself. This is something you can do in 10 minutes. If you feel you need help, ask a pro who can help you to amplify and polish your professional online presence.
By the same token, make sure your CV is up-to-date so it’s ready to be tweaked and sent out when you spot an opportunity. It can also help to widen your professional network, both online and face to face. The more people you know – and the more people who know you and what you can and want to do – the wider you’ll throw your net when seeking opportunities.
Ready to reach your professional goals in 2025?
These professional New Year resolution tips can empower you, and help you to really go places in your career. But don’t try to do them all at once – you may feel overwhelmed, and be as demotivated as you would be if your New Year’s goal was to ‘climb Mount Everest on one leg’. You’ll never do it.
Instead, set goals you can really do. As you complete them, you’ll be amazed at how motivated you feel to do more, and that builds momentum for a new you who can take the world of work by storm.
Serpple is a comprehensive SEO tool designed to streamline rank tracking and provide in-depth insights for optimizing online visibility. It offers a user-friendly interface tailored for individuals, freelancers, and agencies to monitor keyword rankings across 189 regions in real-time.
Serpple’s features include detailed keyword management, competitor analysis, content audits, and backlink monitoring, allowing users to track and improve their SEO performance efficiently.
