Here you are, emerging from the holiday fog, needing a vacation from a vacation, and ready to ask Santa to replenish your bank account, like, pronto. It’s the New Year, and you’re just about sick of hearing everyone talk about resolutions they never keep, or vow that this is THE year. Wasn’t last year THE year too?

Ok, ok, you may be a tad bit more optimistic than that….but really, can we start the New Year with less pressure? Especially at work… Especially when you turn on your computer to the warning that your mailbox is full (translation: you need to drop everything and clean it up like now), not to mention a heap of emails with projects and deliverables all due like, yesterday.

Starting your professional New Year is like wearing 7-inch stilettos. They feel fantastic at first, but then slowly remind your calves to get it together fast.

After all the well-wishes, hugs, and newfound appreciation for the quiet refuge of your desk after spending way too much quality time with screaming toddlers and annoying family members, here are 7 no-nonsense, “move-out-of-the-way”, “I-can-do-this” ways to come back better, stronger, and more awake, to work for the New Year:

1. Start a journal of positives: What? Who wants to start the year with journaling anything? Or thinking for that matter? We’re still trying to write the correct dates here. I know, I know.

If you’re going to start the New Year with any positive habits, start with this one. Recent psychological research suggests that the more you assess positives in any area, especially work, the more you achieve these. An example given as part of this reasoning is that of two traders keeping separate journals. One writes about various problems he encounters in trading. The other focuses on five areas of performance, including creativity and generating ideas, position management and entry execution, exit execution and risk management, and self-management, in which he delineates best practices and enforces continued improvement. Which one do you think is more empowering?

Start a journal of career positives to maximize your strengths, instead of just coping through problems, and not progressing. Now that’s a good foot into the New Year!

2. Prioritize your priorities: Yes, everything is a priority and everything is due yesterday! And no, you can’t do everything! But you knew that already…Except the “Superwoman Syndrome” is not so easy to get rid of, as we try to fit it all in no matter what….Keep in mind your time, resources and energy are limited, so be strategic about where you invest your efforts, especially as you start the new year.

Ask yourself these three questions to help you put your tasks in perspective: 1) Which 3 tasks are you most skilled at and leave you the most fulfilled – focus on these first; 2) Which tasks will still be done well even if you didn’t invest 100% of your efforts – allocate these second; 3) Which tasks are non-significant and require minimal time and effort, like team emails? – allocate even less time to these, so you can move on to the first set of tasks you excel at.

Prioritize much?

3. Re-open the communication lines: The New Year is a perfect opportunity, especially after the holidays, to start communicating again with your team.

Researchers describe relational leadership as “a model or perspective on leadership that focuses on the idea that leadership effectiveness has to do with the ability of the leader to create positive relationships withing the organization.”

Organize a team meeting to start the new year, refresh existing and new projects in the minds of everyone, and perhaps set new, more effective methods of communication. Talk to people. Listen to what they have to say. It will go a long way…

Now tell me, which of these will you be applying as you start the New Year at work? Will you starting a journal of positives, get on to prioritizing your priorities, and/or fostering positive communication with your team?

Let us know in the comments below…

To Your Success,

The Corporate Sis.