2024 resolutions
finding space to dream (again)
Happy new year! I’m a huge Type A over-planner (surprise, surprise) so have always loved setting new year’s resolutions. (And quarterly and semi-annual ones.) There is a dark side to goal-setting, which I want to write more about one day, but for today, I want to share my resolutions for 2024 and how I set goals.
But first, a poll! If you’re annoyed by my video posts or want more audio-only podcast episodes or wish I would just stick to the basics, here’s your chance to voice what type of posts you want to see in your inbox this year:
Rest assured that I will probably do a mix of formats, but I want to understand what format you most prefer for paid posts like this one. (There will be a poll next week for all subscribers regarding the preferred format for free posts, as well.)
I like to make resolutions by first breaking down my life into separate domains—subsections of life—that I want to be more intentional about in the upcoming year. The domains are fairly consistent from year-to-year—for example, it should come as no surprise that Career has always been a domain—but sometimes shift year-to-year. In 2021, for example, I had a whole domain dedicated to Social Media, as it was something I wanted to devote more intentionality to alongside being an associate.
My domains for 2024 are: Career; Social; Creative; Free Time; and Relationship.
Career
Career is such an all-encompassing term—what really is a career, anyway?—that it’s always helpful to divide the Career domain into subdomains. When I was an associate, I’d break down Career further into: Substantive Skills and Advancement. Substantive Skills includes, well, substantive skills I wanted to work on that year: running a document review, perhaps, or working on a new state privacy law compliance project. Advancement was about the non-substantive side of career advancement: networking within the firm and outside of the firm; getting two articles or client memos published to raise my public profile; attending conferences; mentorship.
Now that I work for myself, I’ve had to break down my concept of Career into subdomains, too: Writing; Social Media; and Career Coaching (this one is completely new for 2024 and something I’m both excited and nervous about!). My career resolutions are: