Most people set goals for the new year enthusiastically, but carrying them out after the clock strikes midnight is another story. In fact, studies show that 80 percent of New Year's resolutions fail by the second week of February.
But bestselling management author and CNBC contributor Suzy Welch tells CNBC Make It that adopting one simple, daily habit "can really change your career" in 2019, and it only takes a few minutes a day.
"Keep a work journal," she recommends. "Use it to record what you started, achieved, learned or even screwed up — and write in it every single day."
Welch says that writing short journal entries of 50 words or less can help you keep track of everything you experience at work, and allow you to use your observations to check your growth, resolve challenges and plan for the future.
Reviewing your daily journal is also an excellent way to prepare for your next performance review.
"At most of these meetings, you and your boss tend to focus on what happened in the previous two to three months, which can give short shrift to your accomplishments overall," she says. But, by journaling daily and reviewing your entries, Welch says you can turn your review into an in-depth conversation about the full scope of your accomplishments and how you dealt with challenges throughout the year.
"There is a second, more personal reason for keeping a journal," she says, "and that's for your own reflection, especially if you get to a point where you're thinking about leaving your job."
With a journal, Welch says, you will be able to "see the arc of your experience" in terms of what you learned, how you've grown and the good and bad times you encountered. "Memories are OK — but they're emotional," she says. "What you want — what you need — is a reliable answer to those questions...in black and white."
Welch says that whether you prefer to download a digital journaling app on your smartphone or put pen to paper the old fashioned way, "how you keep a journal is unimportant compared to making sure you do keep one."
"In a few minutes a day, you can significantly upgrade your performance reviews and gain invaluable insight into your career," she says. "Make this resolution when the ball drops, and on December 31, 2019, you can thank your journal for the memories that matter."
Suzy Welch is the co-founder of the Jack Welch Management Institute and a noted business journalist, TV commentator and public speaker. Think you need Suzy to fix your career? Email her at gettowork@cnbc.com.
Video by Beatriz Bajuelos Castillo
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