Is it that time of year again when we kick ourselves for being weak and not sticking to our New Year’s resolutions? If not, bravo and pat yourselves on the back for resisting old habits. Welcome to the new you. But if you’re like many of us out there who have failed to stick to our New Year’s resolutions by Day 2, then you might very well want to read on.

The usual: 1) Quit smoking;  2) Lose weight; 3) End late nights; 4) Stop biting nails; and 5) Join the gym are usually so humdrum that they never stick. The odds are apparently stacked against you. As US analyst N J Beachum says: “Only 25% of people who make a resolution will even partially succeed. Of the 75% that fail, over 65% of those people make more than one resolution.” So if these are difficult to maintain, what can we say about work-related resolutions? Do you even make any New Year work resolutions?

Well, January — I feel — is a great month to start listing professional work resolutions. Everyone is slowly getting into the swing of work and things will take a little time to heat up. So no one is expecting you to go into overdrive for your 2010 marketing campaign just yet, or to launch the snazziest website tout de suite. Now is the time to reassess 2009 and see where your strengths and weaknesses lay; areas where you could have improved; lessons you’ve learned; and how to capitalise on all the hard work of 2009 for this year.

So what kind of work resolutions should you list for 2010? Psychologists say that New Year’s resolutions usually fail because people think impulsively or in absolutes. For example, as the clock strikes 12 on Dec 31, you declare that in 2010 you’re going to pay off your credit card debt — impulsive, as you haven’t the faintest idea how to go about it.

Or you say “I promise not to leave the office so late” — an absolute that would be hard to adhere to if you’re the only one scurrying out of the office early.

The key: don’t be impulsive, don’t think in absolutes, and set modest goals that are within your reach.

Some examples to inspire your work resolutions for 2010 (I’ll let you guess which are my personal resolutions):

Resolution #1: Read more business literature. The wide variety of business-related books is the best way to learn and improve your knowledge of inspiring and innovative ideas out there.

Resolution #2: Finish what you start. Don’t gush about a hot project idea only to have it fizzle out. Stop the procrastination and focus. You never know — that hot idea might make you the next-door millionaire!

Resolution #3: Become a good negotiator. When it comes to negotiating, we probably kick ourselves that we could have done something better after the fact. Negotiation is a technique that needs to be learned and practised. So sign up for some negotiation workshops and put those tools into practice.

Resolution #4: Learn to communicate well. Communication is key — whether to your suppliers, employees, employers or customers. Attend seminars, watch inspiring presentations on YouTube (for example, Apple’s Steve Jobs) and pick up their techniques. And practise.

Resolution #5: Learn another language. This may be quite time-consuming but it’s never too late. (I see my husband learning Bahasa Malaysia every week and his dedication impresses me!) An added language is never wasted.

Resolution #6: Improve your vocabulary. If language learning isn’t your cup of tea, there’s no reason not to improve your vocabulary of business words or phrases.

Resolution #7: Spend real time with the family. Switch off work mode when you get home and dedicate yourself to the family. Spend the weekends with the family and leave that Blackberry behind!

Resolution #8: Get fit and eat healthy. This is usually a boring resolution but if you try this once a week, then build up to twice a week, then three times, it’s worth it. Mental and physical health go together, the adrenalin from exercise and eating right makes us stronger and happier, helping us to handle work-related stress and problems.

Resolution #9: Count your blessings. Always remember the positive things in your life. Once a week, write down five things that you should be grateful for. Otherwise, the daily problems and challenges at work will blot out the positives, leaving you with negative thoughts.

Resolution #10: Stick to Resolutions 1-9. If you fail, don’t give up, just keep trying. After all, we’re all human!

Tengku Zatashah, daughter of the Sultan of Selangor, has worked in Paris, London, Barcelona and Kuala Lumpur in media and communications. She is now launching a venture in Malaysia with her husband, Aubry Rahim Mennesson. Together, they have a blog — http://frogandprincess.wordpress.com




This article appeared in Manager@work, the monthly management pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 790, Jan 25-31, 2010