In the grand scheme of your career, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the big picture — the dream job, the corner office, the game-changing project. But the truth is, those monumental achievements are the result of countless small steps taken every single day. That's where daily work goals come in. By setting clear, attainable objectives for each day, you create a path towards your larger aspirations.
In this blog, we'll explore six powerful examples of daily work goals that can transform your career trajectory, and make your career more satisfying.
What are work goals?
Work goals or professional goals are the specific objectives and milestones you aim to achieve in your professional life. They serve as a roadmap for your career, providing direction and purpose to your daily efforts. These goals can be short-term, focusing on the immediate future, or long-term, spanning months or even years.
One aspect of work goals that is often overlooked is the importance of alignment with your values and passions. Many people set goals based on external factors like societal expectations, peer pressure, or company demands. Pursuing goals that don't resonate with your authentic self can lead to feelings of unfulfillment and burnout. It's essential to take time for introspection and ensure your work goals are truly meaningful to you.
6 Work Goal Examples to Inspire You & Ideas for Achieving Them
1 — Manage time efficiently
Time management is far more than just scheduling tasks or meeting deadlines. Managing time efficiently means being mindful of how you allocate your most precious resource: time. It involves setting priorities that align with your values and goals, ensuring that every moment spent is a step toward fulfilling your aspirations.
To manage time, it's important to start each day with a clear plan that reflects your priorities. To get started, you can try Sunsama's guided daily planning. Sunsama is an app designed to help you create a calm, focused, and achievable plan for your upcoming workday
The guided planning flow has three major steps:
- Picking out things to work on
- Deferring non-essential work
- Prioritizing your tasks.
Your mission during daily planning is to go from all the things you could do or want to do to a list of things you can actually and reasonably do that day.
One aspect of time management that people often struggle with is underestimating how long a task will take, causing them to miss deadlines or take on too much work. Sunsama's planned vs actual time features can help combat this issue.
When you create a task in Sunsama, you can set a planned time estimate for how long you think it will take. Then, as you work on the task, you can use Sunsama's built-in timer to record the actual time spent.
Sunsama’s AI takes the busy work out of managing your work. It learns from your work patterns to intelligently suggest time estimates and channels for your tasks. The more you use Sunsama, the smarter it gets, making your task management effortless and personalized.
2 — Improve communication skills
The goal of improving communication skills is a versatile and valuable example that benefits virtually everyone, not just those in client-facing roles or leadership positions.
There are 3 key reasons why communication skills are important:
- Clear communication allows for the sharing of ideas, feedback, and updates efficiently, ensuring all team members are aligned and can work cohesively towards common goals. It is the backbone of successful teamwork.
- People who can articulate their ideas clearly and persuasively are more likely to be noticed and considered for leadership roles and promotions.
- Effective communication ensures that all relevant information is shared and discussed appropriately, leading to better-informed decisions that are supported by the team.
To improve your communication skills at work, adopt a two-fold approach focusing on self-assessment and targeted improvement.
First, conduct a thorough self-assessment to identify your current communication strengths and areas for development. Reflect on past feedback, considering your comfort levels in different communication settings (e.g., one-on-one, team meetings, written communication), and recognizing patterns in your interactions that could be improved.
Following the self-assessment, create a personalized development plan based on a framework of continuous learning and practice. The plan should include:
- Learning: Dedicate time to learning new communication techniques and theories. You could read books or articles on communication, enroll in workshops or courses, and study effective communicators within or outside your organization.
- Practice: Implement what you've learned in daily communications. Choose one area of focus at a time, such as active listening or clarity in writing, and apply these skills consistently. Set specific, achievable goals for each area (e.g., using active listening in all team meetings for a month).
- Feedback and Adjustment: Regularly collect feedback from peers, supervisors, and mentors on your communication efforts. Use the feedback to adjust your techniques and focus areas. Recognize that improving communication skills is an ongoing process that requires flexibility and adaptation.
- Reflection: Periodically reflect on your progress and challenges. Assess whether your strategies are helping you achieve your communication goals and adjust your plan as necessary.
3 — Expand your professional network
A Cornell University study at a large North American law firm revealed that the success of lawyers was linked to effective networking. Lawyers who networked well within the firm were assigned to better clients. Those who brought in new business through external networking also performed better. Lawyers who disliked and avoided networking had fewer billable hours than their colleagues.
There is no doubt that networking can lead to new job opportunities, projects, and collaborations. Connecting with professionals in your field helps you learn from their experiences and stay up-to-date on industry trends.
Here are some ideas on how to expand your network internally:
- Participate in company events and initiatives to meet colleagues from other departments.
- Join or create employee resource groups based on shared interests or experiences.
- Offer to help colleagues with projects or tasks to build stronger relationships.
Don't forget to expand your network beyond your company. Here are some ideas to expand your network externally:
- Engage with others on professional social media platforms like LinkedIn by sharing content, commenting on posts, and joining relevant groups.
- Reach out to professionals you admire for informational interviews or coffee chats to learn from their experiences.
- Attend alumni events or reconnect with former classmates who are now working in diverse industries.
Networking doesn't always have to happen in person. It can even be online. One innovative strategy is to set aside a dedicated time slot in your calendar, such as a "bookable lunch hour," that anyone in your company can use to schedule a virtual meeting or catch-up session with you. By setting aside a specific time slot, networking will become a consistent part of your schedule without overwhelming your other responsibilities.
If you use Sunsama, you can integrate with Google or Outlook calendars and import these meetings to your Sunsama task list. Sunsama will help you see at a glance what your day looks like and how the networking session fits into your overall schedule.
You can even add notes to your meetings like you do to your tasks.
Once you're done adding notes, if there is an "action items" section in your notes with tasks you'd like to add to your task list, you can do that easily in a few clicks.
4 — Mentor a junior colleague or intern
Mentoring helps develop and practice leadership skills, which can be beneficial for your career growth.
To incorporate mentoring into your daily work life, start by identifying areas where you can add value to a junior colleague or intern's professional development. Look for individuals whose goals align with your expertise and experience, so you can provide meaningful guidance and support.
Set up regular check-ins with your mentee to discuss their progress, provide feedback, and offer guidance. These meetings serve as a platform to share your experiences, insights, and lessons learned throughout your career. Encourage open communication and create a safe space where your mentee feels comfortable seeking advice and sharing their ideas.
Remember that mentoring is a two-way street. While you are there to guide and support your mentee, be open to learning from them as well. Embrace the fresh perspectives and ideas they bring to the table, reflect on your practices, and grow as a leader.
5 — Learn a new skill
By acquiring a new skill that's relevant to your job or industry, you become a greater asset to your company, which can lead to more responsibilities, promotions, and potential salary increases. For example, if you're a marketer who learns data analysis, you can provide valuable insights that drive better business decisions.
As companies adopt new tools, software, and processes to remain competitive, job requirements are constantly shifting. Skills that were once sufficient to perform your job effectively may no longer be enough. So it's crucial to keep your skills current to avoid becoming outdated.
To make learning a new skill a goal, follow these steps:
1. Set a specific, measurable target: Define exactly what you want to learn and how you will measure your progress. For example, "Complete an online course in data analysis by the end of the quarter."
2. Create a timeline: Break your goal down into smaller, manageable milestones with deadlines to keep yourself on track.
You can use Sunsama to create a main task with subtasks that outline your learning journey. Checking off those subtasks will keep you motivated and give you a sense of accomplishment. Before you know it, you'll have gained a valuable new skill to add to your toolbox. You can even create a label such as 'learning' to find this task easily.
3. Allocate resources: Identify the resources you'll need, such as time, money, or materials, and ensure you have them available.
4. Find a learning method: Decide how you will learn the skill, whether through online courses, workshops, mentorship, or on-the-job training.
5. Practice regularly: Consistently dedicate time to practice your new skill to reinforce your learning and improve your proficiency.
6 — Strengthen leadership skills
Companies appreciate it when their employees aim to get better at leading. It shows that you’re eager to take on more responsibility and help out more around the workplace. They like seeing someone who wants to learn how to guide a team, make smart decisions, and handle tough situations because it makes everything run smoother. When you’re interested in becoming a better leader, it tells the company you’re thinking about the long haul – both yours and theirs.
Strong leadership skills also often correlate with increased opportunities for promotion and career advancement. Individuals who can lead effectively are more likely to be entrusted with greater responsibilities.
Here's an example of a goal statement related to leadership skills — Complete a leadership or management training program and successfully apply at least one strategy learned to my team within six months.
There is no wrong time to start focusing on the goal of strengthening your leadership skills. Early on in your career, picking up on leadership basics can give you a head start in understanding how to manage projects or small teams. As you gain more experience, focusing on leadership can prepare you for bigger roles, where you're not just doing tasks but also guiding others on how to do theirs. And if you’re already in a senior position, honing your leadership skills is crucial for tackling complex challenges and inspiring those around you.
Your ally in helping you achieve your work goals
In a world where work can easily become overwhelming, Sunsama offers a simpler, more focused approach to achieving your professional goals. Think of it as your daily companion for work, helping you to plan your days, manage your time, and stay on track with your goals, all in a calm and organized manner.
Claim your free trial here and let it lift you up. No credit card is required on signup, and you get access to all the features.
