How to set your professional goals for 2025
03.01.25 GuidesIt’s January! Otherwise known as the perfect time to reflect on where you are, and where you want to be in your professional life. But where should you start? Don’t worry, our guide will walk you through the process of setting professional goals, staying accountable, and executing your plan for 2025.
Reflection
To consider the future, you’ve got to first take a look back and reflect on the year that’s just passed.
Achievements: Look at the professional milestones you achieved. Did you gain a promotion? Have you successfully completed a major project? Were you actively developing your skills? It’s important to recognise your achievements to keep you motivated when setting new goals.
Improvements: This part isn’t quite as fun as looking at your successes, but it’s equally important. Think about areas you could have improved in, did you struggle with something this year? Was your performance hindered? Acknowledging these will give you valuable starting points when setting your goals.
Lessons: In this final part of reflection, consider what you’ve learned over the past year. Did you realise that you need to develop your communication skills? Was networking a key factor in advancing your professional development? Thinking about these lessons will help guide your future plans.
Setting your goals
Now comes the fun part, thinking about what you want to achieve in the coming year. If you’re familiar with the concept of SMART goals then you’re already one step ahead! But don’t worry if you’d like a refresher…
Your professional goals should be:
Here are some examples to inspire you:
| Career Development | “I will complete a Project Management Professional Certification within 12 months, dedicating 5 hours per week for studying.” |
| Building Professional Relationships | “I will attend 3 professional networking events within the next 6 months to expand my connections and build relationships.” |
| Leadership Communication | “I will improve communication across my team by conducting weekly one-to-one check-ins, increasing employee satisfaction by 20% (measured through employee surveys) over the next 6 months.” |
| Skills Development | “I will enhance my French language skills by taking an online course and practicing speaking 30 minutes daily, aiming to reach a professional working level (B2) within 12 months.” |
| Work/Life Balance | “I will improve my work/life balance by setting clear work hours from 9am-5:30pm, ensuring I don’t complete tasks outside of these hours for the next month.” |
| Time Management | “I will improve my daily task organisation by prioritising my work daily, aiming to complete at least 90% of my planned tasks by the end of each day for the next month.” |
Achieving your goals
Using the SMART framework will help you stay on track by outlining actionable steps and setting clear deadlines for your goals. In some cases, it will be helpful to identify smaller tasks that will move you along in reaching your goals. For example, using the above goal of earning a certification, tasks could include researching suitable courses, creating a study schedule, and registering for any exams.
It’s important to set up a system that will hold you accountable and ensure that your goals don’t fall out of priority as the year goes on. Using a planning tool (e.g., Trello, Notion, spreadsheets) to outline your goals and track milestones is a great way to visually monitor your progress and stay motivated.
Make sure to schedule regular check-ins with yourself to review your progress and assess where you might need a little more focus. We know it’s easy to let these sessions slide, but dedicating 10 minutes each month is more than worth it in the long run.
Conclusion
No matter what you want to achieve this year, setting clear goals with measurable targets is a great way to steer your career in the right direction.
Remember, the key to success isn’t just setting goals, it’s staying consistent and focused so that you’re in the best possible position to achieve them. As you work towards your goals in 2025, keep your vision clear, your actions focused, and celebrate your milestones along the way.