7 Ways to Close Out the Year with a Bang

7 Ways to Close Out the Year with a BangAt this point, 2016 is old news. Its practically Christmas, which is practically New Years. But in the middle of all of the celebrating (or rushing to get projects done before your office is a ghost town for the holidays), there are some small (but mighty effective) things you can do to wind the year down in style. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Give your network some loveIf you had a mentor or colleague who helped you get through the year, nows the time to let that person know how thankful you are. Nothing fancy requireda heartfelt notenzeichen or a small token of your thanks is all you need to bolster your professional relationship with that person. Im a fan of baking cookies for colleagues and friends this time of yearits a thoughtful, homemade way to say, Im thinking of you at the end of a great year. (Of course, its good to know if this person has any special dietary issues if you go that route you dont want to hand someone a plate of delicious peanut butter cookies if they have a major peanut allergy.)2. Set up your network for next yearThink about people youd like to connect with in the new year to move your career forward. If you already know them and want to get to know them better, nows the time to reach out with a simple holiday message that includes your hope to talk more in the new year. Its best to try to set up a concrete date for coffee, lunch, or after-work drinks in January.3.Take care of things on your pending listOnce youre back in the office at the beginning of January, you wont feel like going through and cleaning up loose ends from the year before. So do it now Go through your inbox. If you have lingering to-dos that arent especially time-sensitive, nows the time to put some time aside and check them off so that theyre not totenstill haunting you later. While youre poking around your inbox, take stock of any mailing lists youre on. Which ones do you really need? Keep those, and unsubscribe from the rest.4. Clean your deskJust like your email inbox and your to-do list, you probably dont want to come back to a messy desk. I know when I rush out the door and come back to a cluttered desk, it adds stress points before my day has even begun. Do January You a favor, and take some time to clean off your desk. Your pens dont all have to be pointing in the same direction with your stapler at a perfect 90 degree angle (unless youre into that, in which case have at it), but definitely get rid of any papers you dont need anymore and toss outdated Post-It reminders you wrote to yourself back in May. If possible, do this as early in possible in December so that youre not time-crunched and trying to get out of the office at the end of the month.5. Brush up your resumeDid you know that January and February are the most popular months for job changes or promotions? If you think you might be in the market for a new or upgraded gig soon, now is a great time to look at your resume and add any new skills or achievements that youve acquiredsince you last updated it.Even if youre not planning on changing jobs, this is still a great exercise to do annually. Be prepared You never know when an opportunity will present itselfand wouldnt it be great to say, Oh, heres a copy of my up-to-the-minute resume6. Revise your angeschlossen profilesThis is an extension of updating your resume. Whats the point in getting your it in order if everything online still reflects the slightly outdated you? Make sure your LinkedIn profileand any other online sites where you use your professional brandis up-to-date and ready to go for the new year.7. Get ready to improve yourselfYoure already fabulous, but who among us couldnt use a few positive tweaks? Identify one or two areas where you could use some improvement, and come up with a game plan for 2017. Sign up for classes that start in January, or figure out where in your schedule you can take an ho ur or two per week to work on that skill area. Thinking about that now (and getting the ball rolling on any logistics) will make it easier to get started in January, before winter inertia settles in.So even though it may seem like 2016 is running short, you still have plenty of time for these small investments that could pay big dividends in the new year.

Fairygodboss of the Week Courteney Real

Fairygodboss of the Week Courteney Real My career path has been one heck of the journey, Courteney Real told Fairygodboss. And boy, she wasnt kidding. Now the CEO and Founder of both The Real Capitalist and RiseHER, Real has experience in every aspect of the venture capital and start-up life you can imagine. Whats she learned? A lot about the value of failure, the importance of role models and the power of believing in yourself.We sat down with Real to learn mora about her journey to entrepreneurship, how she keeps her mind ready for creativity and the advice she has for women who want to pursue their dreams, just like shes chased hers.Fairygodboss of the Week Courteney RealCEO and Founder, The Real Capitalist and RiseHERSan Francisco Bay AreaTell us a little about your career. How did you get to where you are now?My career path has been one heck of the journey. I have done everything from being an early-stage entrepreneur to launching co-working spaces and I experience in binnenseed -stage venture capital and early stage accelerators. I host a weekly podcast about female founders and venture capitalists called The Real Capitalist. I also run RiseHER, a community of women campaigning ladies in the start-up ecosystem Most recently, I joined a venture capital fund called Portfolia a venture capital thats mission is to activate womens capital to back the innovative companies we want to see in the marketplace.What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?The accomplishment I am most proud of is actually my willingness to fail. I wouldnt have earned any of my accomplishments without the many failures I had along the way, and I dont think we talk about that enough. If you want to accomplish anything in life, its elend going to come without a few major failures. At this point in my life, I have gotten very comfortable with the idea that I will need to fail and fail often in order to achieve all of the big goals I have in my heart.What is a challenge that youve faced and overcome?I think its both a blessing and a challenge, but often I am underestimated for my age. In fact, with my first company, a potential investor asked if I was an intern. I think the best way to overcome this is having a sense of humor and letting my results speak for themselves.Who is YOUR Fairygodboss? And why?I have been so lucky to have a Fairygodboss at every step in my career and amazing role models who push me to dream bigger. The women in my career are a large part of how far I have been able to get. I could fill a few pages of all the women who have helped me get to where I am today, but just to name a few Amy Williams, Kate Shillo, Brande Nemire, Chenoa Farnsworth, Cecily Shepard, Asra Nadeem, Katie Russell, Trish Costello and Marcia Dawood.What do you do when youre not working?I love enjoying the outdoors, going to SoulCycle and finding local coffee shopsIf you could have dinner with one persondead or alivewho would it be?Jimmy Buffett for a margarita and cheeseb urger in paradise.What is your karaoke song?Anything by Shania Twain or the Dixie Chicks.What is your favorite movie?Elf.What book would you bring with you on a deserted island?Tina Feys Bossypants.What is your shopping vice? What would you buy if you won the lottery?A VW Van to renovate and travel the U.S.What is the 1 career tip youd like to share with other women who want to have successful careers like you?They worst that could happen is it doesnt work out and you walk away a little bit wiser. Just go for it, learn fast and fail often.Why do you love where you work?I love helping people remember how powerful and capable they are.