If you look around in the first couple of weeks in a new year, you will notice folks who have been downing pizza and fries suddenly nibble on steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Gyms suddenly fill up, as if people were racing to become alternates in the upcoming Winter Olympics.

It’s New Year’s resolutions at work: eat better; exercise more; maybe both. Oh, and then, of course, there are those career-minded folks whose New Year’s resolutions might center on kicking their personal branding and their career ambitions into high gear.

And what usually ends up happening? Well, as the year turns from “new” to “no-longer-new,” the New Year’s resolutions fade in the distance. And people often hardly even notice, because by then the behaviors related to the resolution have pretty much faded as well.

Do you find you can relate to this at all? If so, then don’t berate yourself; it’s normal, really. Here’s why New Year’s resolutions are bound to fail:

The timing of New Year’s resolutions is extrinsic and arbitrary.

We are accultured to associating the beginning of a new year with a “new beginning, period.” The truth is, though, 24 hours from now we’ll each be the same person we were 24 hours ago. None of us will have any more or less of any inclination to start or stop any of our accustomed behaviors. Does a new calendar on the wall really mean all of a sudden you have new staying power?

New Year’s resolutions are an excuse for putting things off.

Yes, let’s slack off as the year winds down. It’s the holidays, isn’t it? And with all the turkey, pumpkin pie, and eggnog by the fireside, who feels like serious self-improvement work anyway? Hey, the year is almost over, and we’ve got all year ahead to be good, and follow through—right?

I rest my case…keep reading.

There is an illusory correlation between “a lofty goal” and “a year to do it.”

Just committing to doing something feels like taking action already. The resolve even grows stronger as the New Year draws closer. That even glosses over the fact you haven’t really acted on anything, yet. (See above.)

And then January is here, and yes, at first you are full of verve as you set out to implement your plans. Yes, it feels different, but that’s the idea, isn’t it! Until “different” turns into “difficult.” Over time, you feel the impact of how abruptly you tried to make big changes.

That’s when self-imposed new habits falter. And the rest is history.

Better to think SMART!

Goals you set stand the best chance of coming to fruition when you keep them realistic and manageable. You can make that happen with the tried-and-true SMART approach: Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Relevant; and Timely.

Example: “I will be a more efficient and productive networker.”

That sounds good. At the same time, it sounds vague. You may not even know where to begin to become an “efficient and productive networker.” Give it a SMART makeover!

Possible results include the likes of:

• “I will attend the two major Chamber of Commerce networking events next month.”
• “I will follow up by e-mail within 24 hours with the person whose business card I just got, using a ‘sandwich message’ (offer-ask-offer).”
• “I will review my contact log and, by the end of this week, get back in touch with three people I haven’t contacted in more than six months.”

Perhaps the best thing of all is: any time of the year is a good time for SMART goals. Oh, but if you want, you can still plan to make the New Year the time to step up your personal branding. You’ll have your SMART goals to back you up on these plans!

In these past couple of weeks at the One-Stop Career Center in Salem, Mass., the usual holiday cards from business connections have been trickling in: tokens of appreciation for another year of fruitful collaboration, along with good wishes for the coming year. The sources of these holiday cards have been as varied as they come: nonprofits, recruiters, staffing agencies, educational institutions, and private enterprises.

And that’s all good. We value good business relationships, and there is wisdom and prudence in the tradition of acknowledging that whatever another source contributes to an overarching goal—workforce productivity, in this case—is every bit as important as what we do. Or maybe it’s just a good tactical move.

Besides those season’s greetings, there have been other gifts coming into our office. These gifts came from clients who found jobs: homemade goodies, very much befitting the season. All combined, those goodies, even when divvied up among all office staff, easily exceed my ballpark idea of the total “allowance” in calories for all twelve days of Christmas.

But these gifts go to show something else. We received them courtesy of the time and effort those clients invested in making them and getting them to us in person. Although that may have been in thanks for the time and effort we put into our services, it is clear they didn’t have to do that. We had done our job, without asking for gingerbread and snickerdoodle cookies as “consideration.”

These gifts reflect networking at its best. The best networking moves are those that cater to the recipients’ needs. Perhaps what our Career Center needed was some holiday cheer, and those goodies brought it in. Networking moves that are the result of time and thought are the most effective, and will be remembered.

I certainly come across hundreds and hundreds of Career Center clients each year. Guess who are the ones I will be most likely to remember by name. The benefits of good networking can be reaped year-round. On that note, as has been said so many times before: make it a good Holiday Season!