If You Want to Own 2018, Follow This Career Advice

[Monirul Islam]

There's no shortage of career advice on the Internet. But who has time to indulge in it when we're already exerting every last ounce of strength just to survive the day at hand? (Without panicking or falling asleep mid-meeting, that is.)

That's why we have December. New Year's resolutions aside, the time off before 2018 offers us the precious opportunity to to breathe and reset (and drink and be merry).

Now that you have time to indulge in self-improvement, we've curated our very best career advice of the past year, from starting your morning right to asking yourself a simple question. Take this advice and make 2018 your year—after you sleep for at least 48 hours and watch It's a Wonderful Life, anyway.1. Start your morning like Barack Obama and Richard Branson.
We know, waking up any earlier than you absolutely have to is no fun. But the world's most successful people do. Obama gets five hours of sleep. Branson wakes up at 5 a.m. Their morning routines—and those of Tony Robbins, Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian, and Warren Buffett—are quite disciplined. Read more.

2. Embrace the art of the side hustle.
Sure, crashing on the couch after work is great. But making more money? That's even better. Consider the side hustle. There are several easy ways to develop one, and you can even get paid to do what you're already doing.3. Ask the right questions.
If your New Year's resolution is to find a new job, for the love of all that is successful in this world, do not wing the interview. If you do, you'll definitely forget to ask these six important questions.
4. Revamp your LinkedIn—and get noticed.
Did you know that 98% of recruiters use LinkedIn to scout candidates? Don't panic—an expert shared seven simple ways to get noticed on the 450 million-member platform.

5. Ask yourself: 'What do I do for a living?'
If you can't answer in five seconds, you may be in trouble. The more gigs you have, the less chance you have of developing differentiated, marketable skills and excelling in any single field.

6. Most importantly: Look to women.
As Obama once said, men "seem to be having some problems these days." Um, yeah. Instead of looking to old white dudes, consider these 15 powerful women, who shared the best career advice they ever received.

Source: http://fortune.com/2017/12/19/follow-this-career-advice/