For many of us, holidays are a time to think about improving our lives and often one of the areas in which we are most dissatisfied is work. However, simply making  a resolution to leave a job, train for a new career or set up a business isn’t enough.

If it’s going to happen, we need to take action. However, like so many of our good intentions, the decision to change gets put on the back burner as soon as are back at work after the holidays. We get caught up in the stress of everyday life and all thoughts of a new life are forgotten.

Learning to manage time effectively is a key factor in planning a career move. It takes time to investigate all the possibilities, weigh up the pros and cons and take the action needed to bring about the change we desire.  And it takes courage – moving from the safety of something we know to an area which is completely new can be frightening. So the first step is to take time to plan your future.

There are many additional steps which will help you decide which career to follow and by breaking these down into manageable chunks, the task becomes a great deal easier.

Most people dream that something would be the ideal career for them, but feel it’s beyond reach. Others have a passion for a hobby but don’t believe it could ever make them any money.  And many people would like to set up a business but don’t have the right experience. If one of these situations applies to you, one of the first steps is to do some research.

Don’t ever dismiss an idea without taking this step and if you do find that it is impossible, look at why you wanted a particular job or business. Was it because of money, a love of a particular subject, the fact that it would enable you to travel, meet a certain type of person, or use a specific talent? Ask yourself what other jobs would enable you to do this.

Once you’ve decided what you want to do, you can make a plan, starting with your end goal and working backwards. Ask yourself which step comes immediately before achieving your goal and then which comes before that and so on until you reach something you can do today.

It could be something very simple, such as finding some information online, browsing the careers section of your local bookshop or contacting a college to find out about a training course. The important thing is that once you’ve identified that first step, you must take it. Then all you have to do is take the next step and the next step.

You may not know what all of the steps will be, but by taking them one at a time you won’t give up on your resolutions and will be much closer to your dream by the end of this year.