With the year almost over, it’s a good time to reflect on what has been and what is to come – both personally and professionally. From personal experience, it’s fairly obvious that most of us make New Year’s resolutions that barely last past New Year’s, but hey, we made one so it counts, right? But what if we told you that we have 5 resolutions you can make AND achieve?! We know this sounds crazy but keep on reading, it’s worth it we promise.
1. Build a healthier work life
If we look at the average working person, they spend around 40 hours a week at work, which adds up to a not-so-small 35% of their life. Now, that’s a lot of time to spend somewhere else, especially if you begin thinking about the impact it can have on your health.
Here’s a few suggestions that we’ve come up with to add some more exercise and ways to be healthy into your daily routine. If you walk to work, try walking the long way every now and then. This will be a nice change from the normal route and it’s always good to get some extra fresh air in the morning! If you drive, try parking further away from your work and embrace the extra exercise!
Unfortunately, Mum was right all those years ago about breakfast being the most important meal of the day so make sure you always eat breakfast! There is nothing worse than starting the day off hangry. If you aren’t a female yourself, ask any female you work with and we have no doubt they will whole-heartedly agree with us on this.
Also, drink plenty of water during the day and try to limit snacking – not only does it distract everyone around you with the constant sound of eating, but it is also a bad habit to get into as your body will come to rely on constantly being fed throughout the day so you will never truly get a sense of ‘full’.
Set yourself a proper time for lunch and stick to not eating till then. If a few of your colleagues do this too, it will be easier to stick to and you can all make your lunch breaks a bit more social and a nice break from work.
2. Help others at work
It is very easy to get overwhelmed at work and become primarily focussed on what tasks you are doing and in the process, forget about those that others in your team or office may be doing too. Make an extra effort to check in with others and see how they are going. Is there perhaps anything you could help them out with or that they could help you with? And if you have received help for a project that went well, make sure you show anyone else who was involved how much you appreciate their effort and time.
A little bit of gratitude goes a long way.
3. Be friendly, but don't overdo it
The culture that exists within most workplaces is there because of the people – like yourself – that are there. While it makes work more enjoyable to get along with everyone that you work with, there is a fine line between being friendly and being personal.
Being too personal can very easily come across as being unprofessional – which is something no one wants to be seen as. At the end of the day, you were employed for your skillset and have been given a job to do. That is your main priority – no matter how much you may want to find out what colour Susan and Darren ended up painting Billy’s room last weekend...
4. Have structure
To make sure that you are going to get the most out of your day, it is good to make a list of what needs to be achieved – but be realistic.
Focus on one job at a time so that you can do it properly. Set yourself achievable timeframes and schedule the most arduous tasks for the start of the week – productivity generally wanes come Friday and we’re being realistic, remember. Creating a list will also help you evaluate your workload and analyse if you need to seek help from others.
5. Create balance
Since most us already spend 35% of our lives at work, it is important to find a balance between work life and home life. This is not only good for your physical health as we mentioned earlier, but it’s crucial for your mental health too.
If you are needing to stay at work for longer to achieve what is necessary, perhaps re-evaluate and prioritise what you need to do. Meet with your boss or manager if necessary and have a realistic conversation. They would rather you admit that you are struggling with your current workload as opposed to working yourself into the ground and submitting work that both yourself and they aren’t happy with.
When you aren’t at work, make the most of your free time. Catch up with friends or spend time with the family. Weekends were made to be enjoyed and an opportunity to refresh yourself and be ready to take on the next week!
Now with these in mind, maybe this will be the year to make more achievable and realistic New Year’s resolutions! But hey, if you want to travel across the world on a llama, who are we to say that’s unrealistic…
