Your 2019 Goal Worksheet: Did You Accomplish Everything You Wanted?
The end of the year gives tech professionals the time to take stock of the previous year. Assuming you crafted a set of meaningful career goals for 2019, you need to analyze your progress towards achieving them. In the end, did you accomplish everything on your list?
Let’s take a look at the best ways to track your progress towards professional goals. Use this effort to see how well your 2019 went, in addition to devising a fresh set of goals for 2020. Undertaking this effort each year keeps you on a path towards IT career success.
Honest Self-Reflection is Essential
Simply put, honesty is a must when performing self-analysis. Deeply analyze every goal on your 2019 worksheet, paying close attention to those goals where you came up a little short. Were their extenuating circumstances siphoning your time and energy?
For example, if you wanted to learn a new IT skill and didn’t quite accomplish it, maybe you didn’t have enough hours in the day for self-study? The important thing is to go ahead and add that goal to your 2020 worksheet. Any progress towards achieving that goal in 2019 just makes success an easier process next year.
The most important point with this self-analysis is to inspire yourself to achieve great new things. So, don’t beat yourself up! Instead, take a dispassionate look at both your successes and failures. In the end, every failure is just another learning opportunity.
Use 2019’s Accomplishments (and Failures) to Drive 2020’s Goal-Setting Process
When devising your professional goals for 2020, be sure to use both your successes and failures in 2019 to inform this process. If you simply don’t have enough time in the day to work a fulltime job and spend 6 hours learning new tech skills, set goals, you are more likely to achieve. The more experience you gain, the more realistic your goals become.
Set both short-term and long-term goals. In fact, a few long-term goals are likely going to transfer from 2019 to 2020, especially if they involve earning an advanced degree. Also, while this is largely a personal process, feel free to involve your manager, as having a third-party review, your goals are smart. It also helps strengthen the relationship between you and your boss.
Ultimately, just making this goal-setting effort helps you grow as a tech professional.
If you need advice on building your IT career, speak with the expert recruiters at Digital Prospectors. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in Boston, we know the companies looking for talented professionals. Connect with us soon!