Career Boosting Lists to Make in 2016

1. Companies You Want to Work For

This is a no-brainer if you’re actively job-searching: Having a list with your favorite companies, their websites, any contacts you have there, and links to their jobs pages makes hunting for openings a whole lot easier. But even if you’re not, this is good to have as part of your career emergency plans.

2. 10 Innovative Ideas Off the Top of Your Head

Start each day by writing down 10 ideas you have about a specific subject—something related to your job, an industry trend, whatever. As he writes, “[Entrepreneur James Altucher] says that if you generate 10 ideas a day, every day, for six months straight that you will become an ‘Idea Machine’—someone who can come up with great ideas in any sit

3. People You Should Know to Get Ahead

Think: People who work for your dream companies, people who would be awesome mentors, people further ahead than you on your career path—really anyone who will inspire you to push yourself. Having this makes networking a whole lot more efficient. Oh, and don’t be afraid to put a few “reach” people on your list, too! Arianna Huffington was on mine, and I met her at an event a few months later.

4. Books You Want to Read

Because next time you need a good read, you don’t want to spend hours browsing Goodreads when you could be deep into Chapter 3. Want a ready-made list to make your life even easier? 

5. What You Want to Happen in 2016

A lot of us set resolutions for the year ahead, but I like framing this exercise as: What do I want to happen in the next year? Feel free to include both work-related goals and personal goals. And then couple this list with… 

6. What You Want to Leave in 2015

Are there bad habits you want to give up, work responsibilities you’d like to trade for more advanced tasks, even people you like to stop talking to? Add them to a list as a reminder that, come 2016, your time and energy is better spent elsewhere. 

7. Your Career Bucket List

Once you’ve done your annual planning, now’s the time to dream big. Do you want to work abroad? Write a book? Start a company? Found a nonprofit? Have a corner office with a view of Central Park? Add it to this list, then keep it somewhere you can refer to when you’re feeling aimless.

8. “Got a Minute?” To-Dos

There are plenty of times you have a few minutes to spare—like when you’re on hold or waiting for a meeting to start. Rather than wasting those moments on Facebook, make a list of tiny to-dos you could get done.

9. “Got a Slow Day?” To-Dos

There also might be times you have a few hours—even a full day—to spare. (Stuck in the office during the holidays, anyone?) Make a list of back-burner projects at work (or at home) that you want to get done…someday.

10. Your Biggest Accomplishments

Start by making a list of 10 things you accomplished in 2015 that you’re really, really proud of. Then, every time you do something awesome this year, add it to the list. It’s a great motivator when you’re feeling like nothing’s going right, and it’ll make updating your resume a whole lot easier. 

11. Lunches to Make

In 2015, I had a goal to bring my lunch to work more. (I didn’t do as well as I’d liked.) But what helped the most was creating a list of recipes I could make, complete with the ingredients I needed to add to my shopping list. It’s sort of like your own little menu. A few of my favorites? Healthy lasagna, salads and Thai chicken wraps.

12. What You’re Grateful For

You’ve likely read about the benefits of focusing daily on the things you’re thankful for. Make that easier on yourself by turning them into a list and posting it someplace you’ll see often. (Bonus career karma points if at least a few of them are work-related.)

13. Things You Want to Try

There are probably activities you’ve thought about trying at some point—learning Photoshop, trying public speaking, mentoring a junior employee—but you don’t put them on any of these other lists because, well, you don’t really know if you’d like them. Put those activities here as a reminder, and next time you’re feeling bored, give one of them a whirl.