Test your way into career clarity
The pressure to “set bold goals” in January is real.
New planner. Fresh to-do list. Suddenly, everyone is picking a word of the year and posting their 90-day plans on LinkedIn. (No shade if that’s you; if it works, amazing.)
But if you’re feeling more meh than motivated, you’re not alone.
Traditional goal-setting can feel… rigid. Like you have to commit to something big before you’ve even had time to think. 🙄
What if you’re not sure what you want next? What if you’re in a season of exploration? What if your brain is still defrosting from December?
You don’t need a resolution. You need a career experiment.
Think of it like this:
- A resolution says, “This is the plan.”
- An experiment says, “Let’s test what works.”
One locks you into an outcome while the other invites you to learn your way forward.
And the best part? Career experiments are low-stakes, high-insight. They help you build clarity through action, not just reflection.
Not sure where to start? Try one of these experiments:
✅ Visibility
Speak up once in every meeting this week. Not to impress but to practice presence. Notice how it feels. What changed?
✅ Energy
Track what drains vs. fuels you for a few days. Patterns will emerge. Can you shift your schedule or tasks to align better?
✅ Curiosity
Ask three people in your network what they love (or don’t) about their roles. You might spark ideas you hadn’t considered.
✅ Self-advocacy
Write one email highlighting a win or impact from last quarter. Send it to your manager or keep it as practice. Either way, you’re building the muscle.
You’re not committing to a new identity. You’re collecting data, which leads to decisions that feel more aligned and less forced.
So if you’re not ready to make a big declaration this year? That’s okay.
Try small. Try often. Try on purpose.
What’s one career experiment you could try this month with curiosity, not pressure?
Until next time…
Mal
Founder, The Ideas Accelerator
Helping you grow your career with strategic insight and smarter tools.