It’s pretty much common knowledge that new year’s resolutions don’t produce good results. We all make them. But resolutions like “lose weight”, “be more productive”, “make more money”, etc., rarely produce the end results we are seeking. Why is that?

One reason resolutions don’t work is because they aren’t specific enough. For example, the resolution to “make more money in the new year” is fairly vague. Instead, consider setting goals. Goals are stepping stones to getting the results you want.

As the well-known motivational speaker Tony Robbins said, “Setting goals is the first step to turning the invisible into the visible.”

Setting goals as part of your design career can be life-changing. Writing your goals down and listing the steps needed to reach the goal can make the difference between achieving and failing.

Perhaps you’d like to make more money, but your current job title doesn’t command the kind of money you hope to make. The first step is to research which roles you can grow into that earn a higher pay rate. Is the role something you’ve always wanted to do, but don’t have the training? If so, set a goal that you’ll get the training you need by a certain date. What things in your life will have to shift to accommodate the time training takes? What sacrifices have to be made in order for you to get the training you need to achieve your goal?

For example, if you’d like to go from a junior UX designer role to a mid-level UX designer role, your list of steps could look something like this:

1. Find a mentor: ask a mid to senior level UX designer if you can help them on a project in return for some valuable guidance from them. Learning from someone with more experience than you have is invaluable.
2. Do some UX pro bono work for your favorite charitable organization so you can both learn by doing and feel good about helping an organization you love.
3. Update your resume to reflect the new skills you’ve learned and the new experience you’ve gained.
4. Update your portfolio.
5. Update your LinkedIn profile.
6. Set up a meeting with your friendly Allovus recruiter to help you find a project which will boost your skills even further so you’ll be ready to set a new goal of becoming a senior UX designer.

Don’t forget to map your goals to a calendar to ensure you are proactively working on your goals each day, week, month, and year. Be sure to set firm dates to keep you on track. Holding yourself accountable is key to achieving your dreams.

Whatever your goals are, write them down–make a plan. Cheers to you and to all of your successes in the new year!