2015 flew by and it’s hard to believe that it is almost a new year. As I started thinking about what I wanted to focus on in my personal life for the upcoming year, I realized that I spend about 25% of my time at work. As such, I think it’s important to focus on workplace resolutions as well. Here are the seven resolutions I’m focusing on at work for 2016.
1. Put Your Phone Away.
My cell phone is by far the most distracting item at my desk. It sits right next to my keyboard where I am sidetracked by texts, calls, emails, and social media notifications. Even as I typed that last sentence, I managed to check my phone. In efforts to keep myself more focused, I’m putting my cell phone away while at my desk for 2016.
2.Get Away from Your Desk.
One of the most common complaints of an office job is sitting all day – and I’m right there with you. Sitting in front of the computer or hours on end makes me feel lethargic and unproductive. In 2016, I’m going to make a conscious effort to step away from my desk every few hours for a couple of minutes. In those few minutes I might stretch, do some yoga, do some pushups, or just stand up and be happy that I’m not sitting down and looking at a screen.
3. Take Lunch Away from Your Desk.
Taking lunch breaks away from my desk goes beyond hoping for a decrease of crumbs and sticky jelly on my keyboard. Longer breaks away from the desk help improve productivity and creativity. It’s also a great time to get some fresh air and get moving.
4. Eat Healthy at Work
I’ll be honest, I do a pretty good job of eating healthy meals and snacks at work already. I pack a healthy lunch every day and try to pack healthy snacks as well. What gets me, though, are snacks that are sitting around the office for everyone. As I’m typing, I am more aware than ever that there are M&M’s and peanut butter filled pretzels sitting on the counter and cake pops in the fridge.
Cake pops, you guys. Let me go get some more water…and 8 of those.
So, how do you fight the plight of office snacks? I’m a big believer in “out of sight, out of mind”. Try keeping the snacks in the fridge or cupboards so they won’t be so tempting, or ask your employer if they will opt for healthier snacks instead.
5. Try Something New.
You come in to work. You do your normal work day routine. You go home. It’s easy to become frustrated with repeating tasks. To avoid this, I’m trying something new this year. I’m not quite sure what this new thing will be, but, once I find something new at work that I am interested in I’ll be sure to seek out the tools to learn and try it for myself.
6.It’s Okay to Say “No”.
Today’s culture tells us to do more, do it faster and then do some more after that. But spreading ourselves too thin often leaves us overwhelmed and not as successful as we’d like to be. With the New Year, I’m going to work on saying “no”. I will be doing this in hopes that it will make me more effective in the tasks I’m already doing, as well as cut down on my stress level. Just because a new opportunity or platform presents itself, doesn’t mean that we need to (or should) take it on.
7. Consciously Think
I’ve already mentioned that it’s easy to get caught in the frustrations that come with day to day work. The frustrations are often petty. Maybe your car wouldn’t start, or co-worker took an extra-long lunch, or a client isn’t responding. As humans, our natural response setting is to react as though most things revolve around us and happen to us. In 2016, I’m making the effort to consciously think. To think before I react, to be more aware of the people around me and their situations I don’t know about, and to take time to decide what has meaning.
Cheers to a New Year! What are your workplace resolutions?
By Maggie Paulson
