I can’t be the one one who items wildly daring targets at first of a model new 12 months, solely to look out my enthusiasm quickly evaporating by February. I’ve made all the conventional over-promises: committing to understanding six events each week (sure), consuming greens with every meal (a troublesome promote), and taking a scorching lady stroll each day (until the first icy winter morning). Following by means of isn’t on a regular basis my vitality, nonetheless by way of my occupation, I’ve historically been all in. Whether or not or not it’s incomes promotions, managing teams, or tackling larger duties, attaining occupation targets has on a regular basis been my comfort zone.
Then, in 2024, each little factor modified. My occupation took a backseat for the first time since I graduated eight years previously. Between navigating effectively being challenges, selling our residence, and making able to welcome a baby, life’s curveballs pressured my occupation proper right into a supporting place. And whereas I’m proud of prioritizing what points most, I’m moreover an unapologetically daring specific individual. It feels uncommon to have ended a 12 months with out securing the occupation milestones I’m used to.
With that in ideas, I’m determined to strike a extra wholesome steadiness in 2025. My intention isn’t to dive once more into overdrive nonetheless to realign my occupation ambitions with my new actuality as a working mom. Proper right here’s my recreation plan for bringing my occupation targets once more into focus whereas conserving each little factor else in study.
Prioritize Steadiness
Since moving into motherhood, I do know my occupation aspirations need an substitute. The occasions of pulling all-nighters or mentoring a full roster of colleagues aren’t potential anymore, and that’s OK. (The time will come after I can take these points on as soon as extra!) As an alternative, I’m specializing in getting clear in regards to the place I have to be by the highest of 2025 and the best way my new family values will type how I get there. As an example, in its place of working late to go above and previous in all areas, I want to find out priorities and get them achieved inside 9 to 5. I moreover plan to limit work extracurriculars to solely these that may help me attain my targets (further on that later!). I hope that by specializing in effectivity whereas at work, I’ll ship sturdy outcomes with out consuming into my personal life. Steadiness, not burnout, is paramount for me in 2025.
Set fewer targets
Readability is crucial, which is why I’ve been swearing by SMART targets (specific, measurable, achievable, associated, and time-bound) for the earlier decade. This 12 months, I’m opting to chase one giant occupation intention and two smaller, further achievable ones to match my bandwidth.
My excessive priority is incomes a promotion by the highest of 2025, which I’m on monitor to do, and subsequently rising my wage by 10 p.c. To make it happen, I plan to align with my supervisor early on, map out the skills I’ve to showcase, and do some market evaluation on enterprise benchmarks to strengthen my case. On a smaller scale, I’m planning to protected a model new mentor in my topic by midyear and meet with them quarterly. I moreover must monetize my content material materials creation side hustle by October.
By defining these targets now, I’m giving myself a great deal of time to interrupt them into smaller, manageable steps and focus on common progress. It can make sure that I can cope with each job realistically with out feeling overwhelmed. These targets are daring adequate to take care of me motivated whereas remaining life like in regards to the reality that I’ve far more to juggle.
Revamp my on-line presence
I used to excel at sustaining a elegant LinkedIn profile, repeatedly sharing wins and publications to stay excessive of ideas. Nevertheless let’s merely say that conduct didn’t survive 2024 and was the very very first thing to go when life obtained busy. (Gratifying reality: My closing LinkedIn submit was on January 8, 2024.) This 12 months, I’m refocusing on my expert mannequin by continually sharing updates and leveraging AI devices like ChatGPT to simplify the strategy. Assume: serving to to arrange my posting ideas or inserting collectively a sample posting schedule to take care of me accountable.
“By specializing in effectivity whereas at work, I’ll ship sturdy outcomes with out consuming into my personal life.”
From celebrating occupation milestones to showcasing my freelance work (along with duties like this textual content!), I’m devoted to staying engaged with my neighborhood to help with future options and protect the personal mannequin I’ve constructed. To not level out, I’ve missed the rise of confidence that comes with inserting my work in the marketplace.
Improve my neighborhood
Pre-pandemic me was a networking queen, often attending quite a few events each week (each week!). These connections have fashioned my occupation, as most of my roles have come from networking with any person throughout the agency. Nonetheless, my networking took a critical hit all through and after the pandemic, and in 2024, I didn’t attend a single event—a streak I’m undoubtedly ready to differ.
Whereas I don’t see myself ever returning to quite a few events each week now that I’ve a youthful family, I plan to attend a minimal of three meet-ups in 2025. They don’t need to be formal events—grabbing a espresso with a mutual connection or establishing a reputation with that new grad who messaged me on LinkedIn utterly counts! The intention is to get once more into the swing of meeting of us, listening to about updates in my topic, and discovering options to help others (because of keep in mind, networking isn’t just for whilst you need one factor!). Prioritizing and setting up my neighborhood as soon as extra will not solely protect me educated about enterprise developments however as well as open doorways to thrilling occupation developments and collaborations I will not have present in every other case.
Uncover new strategies to deal with my time
Balancing a occupation, freelance work, a youthful family, and my canine’ schedules (they’re extreme maintenance!) isn’t any small feat, so 2025 goes to be all about optimizing my time. Together with my trusty paper planner, I’m rolling out some new devices to stay on excessive of each little factor. I’ve recently been using a shared Google calendar for family logistics, leveraging time-blocking for centered work durations, and adopting Notion and OneNote to streamline my content material materials deadlines and work duties. It took slightly little bit of time to rearrange, nonetheless by staying organized and proactive, I’m setting myself as a lot as cope with each little factor on my plate whereas avoiding the chaos of trying to remember each little factor myself.
Uncover accountability
By way of the years, I’ve realized that my tendency to abandon targets often stems from a shortage of accountability. It’s simple to give up on points whilst you’re the one one who’s conscious of you may have been trying to do them throughout the first place! This 12 months, I’m sharing my occupation priorities with friends, family, and colleagues. The additional people who know what I’m working in the direction of, the additional probably I’ll stick to it—and their encouragement would possibly assistance on the highly effective days. Previous sharing my targets, I’m moreover going to doc them in a visible place in my dwelling office, like a shared calendar or a imaginative and prescient board, so I’m at all times reminded of what I’m striving for. Accountability isn’t practically exterior assist; it’s moreover about creating strategies that preserve me accountable for displaying up.
“Accountability isn’t practically exterior assist; it’s moreover about creating strategies that preserve me accountable for displaying up.”
Schedule check-ins
No reset plan is full with out widespread reflection, and I not at all transfer up a chance for some thoughtful self-assessment. I’m proactively scheduling month-to-month espresso dates with myself to guage my progress in the direction of my occupation targets and tweak one thing that isn’t working. These check-ins are as so much about celebrating the little wins as they’re about course correction—because of acknowledging even small successes helps me to take care of the momentum going. I moreover plan to journal all through these solo dates, monitoring what’s working, what’s not, and what I’ve realized, so I can modify my technique with each passing month. Reflecting continually helps me stay away from the entice of drifting off monitor with out realizing it, which was exactly what occurred in 2024.
Look ahead
2024 wasn’t my best 12 months professionally, nonetheless I’ve chosen to not look once more and dwell on it. It gave me readability about what actually points and the best way I must switch forward throughout the new 12 months, which is already proving to be really useful to me, my family, and my targets. By aligning my occupation targets with each little factor I’ve obtained taking place in my personal life, I’m assured 2025 will most likely be one different 12 months of labor success—with out sacrificing my priorities exterior of labor. Plus, with balanced ambition, a dedication to finding out, and every intention to have enjoyable each win alongside the best way during which, I do know I’m prepare for foremost wins.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Devin Cleary Gooden, Contributing Finance Creator
Devin is a Toronto-based content material materials creator and marketer with 10 years of experience writing about finance and occupation options for women. She is passionate about serving to women understand funds to permit them to create the life they should have, irrespective of that may look like. She is at current a senior supervisor of content material materials at a fintech agency, the place she works on internet sites, emails, social media, films, and podcasts.