Preparing for 2013

Two years ago I made some suggestions for making New Year’s resolutions that would help you to improve your work life. That blog was a hit with many of you. Some even added their own suggestions. Let’s try doing it again and see what new ideas we can conceive for 2013.

Resolve to read a certain number of books on your chosen profession in 2013. Research which books you will read right now and write down their names, or better yet, go online and order them so you will have them before the start of the year.

Resolve to arrive at work early or leave late one day at the end of this year or the beginning of 2013. Spend that extra time at work organizing your workspace. Clean out old paperwork you no longer need and prioritize the rest as to when you will work on them.

Volunteer to help out on a committee that may require your personal time (i.e. a fund raising event your company sponsors).

Resolve to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ more often to the people you work with. This is especially important when asking them to do something, even if it is part of their normal job. It’s a simple matter of polite manners that goes a long way in getting cheerful cooperation.

Sign up for night classes on a topic of interest that is related in some way to your job (i.e. communication, learning new software, finance).

What other job/work-related resolutions can you think of that would make the work environment more pleasant and/or assist in developing your career?

The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.