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As we near the end of a decade, it is time to consider planning for the year ahead.  We need to consider the goals we want to achieve and how much better to be a year from now.  Here are some ideas to help you plot out your course.

Improve Your Workspace

Whether you work from home or an office, there are many ways you can improve your daily experience.  This can include hardware, office equipment (or supplies), or even software and services.  All of these items are likely to improve your productivity.  Therefore, there is at least one good reason to pursue these improvements.  The more significant ticket items like a new desktop/laptop may seem daunting to pursue.  However, think of how much time you can save when your daily work includes less time waiting on your machine.

Comfort is another reason for making changes.  You will find yourself better able to handle long hours, reduce stress, and maybe even improve your physical well-being.  These can all be used to argue for an improvement form your boss.  On the other hand, you should find it easy to convince yourself of the ROI on these types of improvements.  If you need more convincing, then take a little time to check out this episode.  All of these add up to something you should consider in your planning for the year ahead.

Learn a Language or Technology

There is no end to our need for learning new languages and environments.  Sure, we can sit back and try to coast with what we know.  However, technology marches on and will pass us by if we fail to stay current.  Go ahead and push yourself to learn something new that will make your resume a bit more attractive.

An excellent way to improve your skills is to learn them while knocking out a project.  You get to complete two goals with one project.  This approach can lead to significant gains during the year and maybe even some well-earned time off next December.  We want to improve continuously.  However, we can afford to take breaks when we have been uber-productive.

Include Something Big in Planning for the Year Ahead

Our recent episode on big achievements we all can complete is a good starting point for your annual goals.  I have taken this on in the past.  Yes, these sorts of targets can be scary and intimidating.  On the other hand, there is a lot of value and self-satisfaction to be gained by achieving any one of them.  Each will also be a valuable addition to your portfolio and resume.

The year ahead can easily be your best year yet.  Do not ignore these options in your planning for the year ahead.  Go ahead and put some impressive goals on your list and see how awesome you can be!