As it’s the first working day of 2014, I’m taking the opportunity to review how I did against my 2013 resolutions. They were:
- To write (and hopefully publish) a paper for a peer-reviewed journal
Unfortunately this still hasn’t happened – it’s been on my resolutions for a while now, but the opportunity still hasn’t yet materialised. However I do have some plans for this so maybe 2014 will be the year. - To embed current awareness into working routine (e.g. keeping up-to-date with RSS feeds)
Yes, I’m much better at this now. I’ve cut down the number of RSS feeds I subscribe to so that’s it’s not so overwhelming, and check on a far more regular basis. - To develop skills in training/coaching and put them into practice through workshops
I successfully completed my ILM Award in Coaching, and have utilised these skills in a number of different situations, both one-to-one and in workshops. I’m much more confident in designing and developing workshops now and really enjoy delivering them. - To continue to support other professionals via Twitter (by keeping an eye on the #chartership tweets, and joining in Twitter chats)
I’ve been keeping an eye on the #chartership tweets, particularly during my CILIP secondment, and am planning to register as a mentor to continue supporting people in this way. - To retain balance in life and ensure I continue to spend time away from the computer doing other things I enjoy and seeing family and friends
Sort of. I’ve been much better at this, but there were still periods where I let work take over my free time – either in doing work during multiple consecutive evenings or weekends, or just through planning, worrying, and thinking about work to an extent where I struggle to switch off. I think this will always be a work in progress but I’m much more aware of it and have developed a few mechanisms to help.
So what about 2014? Well, I’m taking a different approach this year by not setting myself lots of goals. My one resolution across all areas of my life is to try to live for the present more than the future. I spend so much of my time planning for future and setting myself goals that I haven’t been enjoying things much as I’m constantly looking to the next thing and not appreciating the current situation. I’m not going to go completely cold turkey, as planning is of course important for some things, but I’m going to try to take a more balanced approach and think more about doing things I enjoy right now rather than doing things because one day a few months (or even years!) ago I thought it would be a worthwhile thing to do in future. So here’s to today! 🙂
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My new year’s resolution is quite similar. It is to “sit back” – to try and not always be rushing on to the next thing but to take more notice of the present. Not sure how good I’ll be at it, but I am sick and tired of always feeling like I’m rushing everywhere and everything. Good luck to you for 2014!
Thanks Nicky – good luck to you too!
Hi Jo, I was re-reading some of your helpful posts on Chartership, and just read your recent one on plans for 2014. Good luck with everything for this year, and thanks for continuing to share your experiences and views on this blog. BTW, I’ll be including a proper reference to your blog posts in my select Chartership reading table – I found them really helpful. 🙂
Thanks, Rachel. I’m so pleased you’ve found my blog useful – good luck with your Chartership 🙂