Question:

When I returned to my job last week from my annual three-week vacation, I stopped in the breakroom for coffee. To my surprise, my colleagues’ conversations didn’t center on the election like they had before I left. Instead, my coworkers buzzed with excitement about “goals” and “results.”

I asked one coworker, “What’s up?” and he told me he and his colleague had learned about the “October Theory” on TikTok and got excited. They wrote up a memo and sent it to all employees on Slack. Almost everyone in our office decided to take part. I went onto Slack myself and read his post and everyone’s responses.

This all started the day I left for vacation. They’re all already several weeks into it. I’m curious if there’s a “special magic” to starting something like this in October or if November works.

Answer:

Early November is a perfect starting time. The change to daylight savings time reminds us of winter’s shrinking daylight and the need to make every hour of our work and lives count. As you saw in your company’s breakroom, the “October Theory” concept of selecting a goal you care about and making it happen provides a welcome energy boost that enables you to head into winter with something to look forward do.

Unlike the open-ended promises many make with New Year’s resolutions, the “what will you do in the next two (or three) months that moves your life forward?” succeeds because a short time frame sharpens our focus on what’s attainable.

Here’s how to start:

What do you want to change or be different in your work life? Create a better work/life balance? Find a new job? Start a side hustle? Set clear boundaries for work hours? Learn a new skill or software program that advances your career? Declutter your office? Pick one area that matters to you.

Next, name a specific goal that you can realistically achieve within eight weeks. What are you willing to do to achieve that goal? What might get in your way? How can you move past that obstacle? Once you’ve done that game-planning, define one to eight steps you need to take to make your goal a reality by the end of the year. Then, make it real—Open your calendar and decide on at least one action you’ll take today or tomorrow.

Next, let your coworkers know what you’ve planned. By “going public” you create peer pressure accountability for yourself and make it tougher to wiggle out of doing the work needed to attain your goal. Create a visual reminder of your goal and place it in at least two locations, such as your computer desktop or a recurring Outlook message. Frequently viewed reminders combat the out of sight, out of mind problem. You’ve lucked out by working in an office in which many have committed to year-end professional growth and their excitement can fuel yours. That’s part of what’s made the TikTok #OctoberTheory experiment successful.

What if real life gets in the way and you can’t complete one of the action steps you’ve listed on your calendar? Do it the next day. Planning includes assessing your progress and making necessary changes.

Goals for work life improvement—although TikTok created a splash with its #OctoberTheory hashtag, it doesn’t matter when you commit to a new goal; it matters that you start. You can improve your work life in any and every month. You author your life—so what are you waiting for? Start today.

Lynne Curry, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, authored “Navigating Conflict” (Business Experts Press, 2022); “Managing for Accountability (BEP, 2021); “Beating the Workplace Bully,” AMACOM 2016, and “Solutions 911/411.” Curry founded www.workplacecoachblog.com, which offers more than 700 articles on topics such as leadership, HR, and professional development and “Real-life Writing,” https://bit.ly/45lNbVo.  Curry has qualified in Court as an expert witness in Management Best Practices, HR, and Workplace issues. You can reach her at https://workplacecoachblog.com/ask-a-coach/ or for a glimpse at her novels, short stories and thought-provoking essays, lynnecurryauthor.com. © 2024