It’s time for New Year Resolutions again, but before I’ve even committed myself to living a healthier lifestyle, or picking up a new hobby, I’ve already envisioned that point of “failure” a few weeks down the road. Morgan Smith’s recent CNBC piece, “3 tricks for setting–and sticking to–your 2022 work goals, according to career coaches,” got me thinking – how can I shift my mindset and separate my resolutions out into different buckets? Think, “what would make me feel physically better this year,” instead of “I HAVE to lose 10 pounds by XYZ date” or “how can I shift my mindset to get the most out of my day-to-day,” instead of “I need to work on being happier with what I have.”
When we think ‘resolution’, we tend to think about our personal lives, and zero in on the (what can feel like) small amounts of time we’re not at work. It’s tough to separate life from work and have a work-life balance. So, this year, my resolution is to determine how I can incorporate more wellness into my daily workplace habits and routines, not only to deliver quality work and to be a stellar colleague, but to allow myself the freedom and peace of mind we all deserve outside of the workplace as well.
So, how do you bring wellness to the workplace?
We asked a few folks here at Hotwire for their hot take, and this is what they’re committing to in 2022:
“Mental health is dependent on physical health, and I’ve definitely felt those effects over the past year. Whenever I took the time to hit up a kickboxing or yoga class after work (depending on my mood that day), I felt super energized and ready to take on work the next day. Whether it’s an intense cardio sesh or a quick stroll around the block, my resolution this year is to do some sort of exercise every day with the intention to help fuel my motivation.”
—Kimberly Constantino, Associate
“I’m setting an intention of incorporating more screen-free breaks in my day to optimize my headspace and down time. It could be a walk around the block, some stretching, reading a chapter, or a distraction free lunch. My resolution is inspired by a Female Quotient webinar I attended recently (and wrote this Passle about), where the conversation focused on how it’s important to use a different part of your brain during your breaks so that the part that’s active during your work day can actually take time to rest.”
—Nikeisha Maddox, Account Manager
“Something I’d like to do work-wise this year is to expand beyond PR and begin exploring other parts of communications further. I’d love to learn more about integrated work within social, marketing, and other areas of the communications blanket to expand my repertoire and expertise.”
—Kayla Wong, Account Manager
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what “normal” is, and I’ve come to realize that now is actually normal. There’s no more looking back to help us understand what’s ahead. It’s about the here and now. It’s chaotic, ambiguous, and hyper-fluid. So, my biggest goal in 2022 is to take care of myself, my coworkers and team. To create a workplace that supports us on our bad days and pushes us in the good ones. Compassion and empathy have become nice buzzwords the past few years, but now it’s time to inject them into our day-to-day workflow.”
—Mike Garrison, Vice President, Brand Strategy
“My biggest career intention for the year is to complete my yearly professional development unit requirements from the Project Management Institute where I hold my certification.
—Nzynga Hendricks, Project Manager
“I actually don’t have any work-specific resolutions, but my resolution every year is to just continue with kindness and paying it forward, whenever I can. I guess I can make that work related, too!
—Yasmeen Phillips, Vice President
“The amount and advancement of the tools we have at our fingertips to communicate and collaborate with each other are critical to efficiently work together from every corner of the world. On the flipside, this can create the expectation that our tools are instant messengers, and we must be always available regardless of the urgency of the message or request. As such, my 2022 New Year’s Resolution is to dedicate more time to work without disruptions, alerts, and distractions. I strive to slow down, take more time to think critically before responding, and create more quiet space in my head to raise the bar on my ideas, writing and ultimately final outputs.”
—Tammy Olson, Account Manager
This year, whatever your personal resolution may be, whether work or life related, remember that your framework of thinking is your biggest ally. And sometimes it’s just a matter of reframing that resolution to make it work even better for you.