Editor’s note: This is the first article in a new nine-part series, featured on lawjobs.com News & Views, on how lawyers can resolve to work smarter this year. Links to a previous series, co-authored by Valerie Fontaine and Roberta Kass, follow this article.

If you’re like most people, you made New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, eat healthier and exercise more. But did you make some resolutions to shape up your professional life as well? January is a good time to begin taking stock and plotting some moves to advance your career.