It’s a bright NY: ways to start fresh at work

It’s a New Year and time to settle in to 2025 with a fresh start. Hopefully you’re revitalised and eager to get back at it.

Kickstart this brand New Year by setting practical resolutions. These don’t have to be massive exercises or challenges. Sure, some will require a greater investment of time, but others will be quick to complete.

Setting resolutions is a fabulous way to face January with a smile and a sense of reward. Examine the straightforward ideas in this expert article to focus.

Tidy your workspace

Take time on your first day back to organise your workspace. Clean your desk so it’s neat and tidy. Declutter and let go of what you don’t need. Sort your drawers. Catch up on filing. Personalise your desk (without going over the top) so you feel more at home.

Be more positive

Make a proactive decision to be positive, not negative at work. Avoid office gossip and office politics at all costs. Say thanks when thanks is due. Give credit where credit is due. Ask colleagues how they are and whether they enjoyed their weekend. Take the time to compliment people. Offer to help. Make your workplace a whinge-free zone.

Read: How to develop a positive attitude at work

Be proactive and constructive

If operating in a team environment, do your best to make a meaningful contribution. Avoid sitting on the sidelines. Sign up for a task. Be productive and meet deadlines. Pitch creative ideas in a motivating way.

Concentrate on ditching bad work habits and instead develop great work habits.

Read: Ditch bad work habits

Make new connections

The New Year is an opportune time to make new connections. Decide if formal networking is the way to go (without stressing yourself out or negatively impacting your work or personal life). If you decide to network, don’t go over the top. Instead, list 3 top networking opportunities and sign up.

Making new connections needn’t be formal, however. Think about people in your organisation you’d like to network with. This could be colleagues in a different work area you’d like to get to know. Invite them for a cuppa.

Read: Networking—Worth the time and effort?

Update and tidy up your social media profiles

It’s easy to upload a LinkedIn profile and then forget about it. It won’t take long before your profile is stale. Why not start 2025 by updating your profile so it’s fresh and current? Don’t forget to include achievements and volunteer work. Perhaps you’d like to get a new professional headshot.

While you’re at it, you may want to tidy up your Facebook, Instagram and/or LinkedIn pages if you use them for work. Cleansing can include deleting posts you perhaps shouldn’t have posted, or ones no longer relevant.

Read: Do employers look at social media profiles?

Learn, learn, learn

Learning is an amazing way to get energised and improve your professional life and career prospects.

Short courses are as valuable as longer-term educational opportunities. They can support you to be more efficient with information technology, for example. Perhaps learn to be more efficient with Microsoft Office.

Explore longer educational opportunities. This could include completing an accreditation, starting a degree or gaining a valuable certification.

Read: Attention employees—never stop learning

Take care of yourself

Commit to self-care through 2025. Decide you’ll go on a short walk at lunch every day, to enjoy the fresh air. When you take breaks (and ensure you do), avoid focusing on work. Flip through a magazine. Check in with friends on social media.

Read: How to spot and act on work burnout

Commit to work-life balance

We all know work-life balance is important. The key is to put this into practice. Avoid spending your first days back at work burning the midnight oil. Form a new habit and leave the office on time. Enjoy family and friends instead. This can be easier said than done but with a bit of effort, you’ll form fresh habits.

Read: Tips for achieving work-life balance

Learn to be more productive

Being more organised and less stressed often demands top-notch time management. Even if you’re super organised, there’s always new skills to learn. Check out time-tracking apps online. Also explore ways to keep dynamic to-do lists. Build your capabilities with productivity tools. Refine your skills with programs your organisation already has in place.

Read: How to save time to avoid overtime

Tip for continual learning

face2face has a wide range of expert articles on this website, for candidates and employers. Check our ‘Resources, Useful articles’ section and then search for your favorite topic.

These articles are free and jammed pack with valuable tips, ideas and guidance. Each only takes 5 minutes to read.

Why not start every Monday by learning something new? Schedule in reading one article a week. We promise you’ll learn heaps.

Visit our expert articles.