Pretty ProgressiveAnother year-end is nigh, and it’s traditionally the time for New Year resolutions. For many people, these past two years have brought different goals, given how many things have changed so rapidly. Still, we’re all human; general plans will always remain general plans.
Here are some ideas on how to bring 2021 to a successful conclusion with a couple of resolutions for the coming year, starting with the basics.
Take Care of Your Health
It may sound like a cliché, but health does come first. Starting with the obvious fact that we all sit for too long, and every day to boot. In addition to customary back pain, a sedentary lifestyle can cause cramps and problems with injury recovery.
Start small: schedule short breaks every so often and take some time to stretch the muscles or take a walk. It doesn’t matter if it’s only for 10 minutes or so — it’s accumulation that counts when it comes to the matter of the spine.
If possible, avoid dangerous jobs altogether. If you must do them, take necessary precautions to prevent injuries.
It all sounds logical, but somehow everyone seems to forget what matters the most from time to time. To avoid that from happening, change your routine. Over time, you will get used to these new habits, and you’ll be performing them mechanically.
The next important thing is to eat a nutritious diet — not occasionally, but regularly. Start with ditching unhealthy snacks. That doesn’t mean you should go hungry; simply replace unhealthy snacks with fruit. Put a bowl with fresh fruit on the table so that there will always be a healthy snack handy.
As for main meals, eat a balanced diet, which chiefly consists of fresh fruit, low-fat dairy products and whole grains. Basically, it all boils down to beans, nuts, fish and lean meat (or plant-based proteins for vegetarians and vegans).
Make Your Workspace More Pleasing
Another obvious tip that gets easily overlooked is to make your workspace more pleasing. Now, “pleasing” is a subjective term, so go with your own taste.
For some people, adding a nice table lamp and a family photo is ideal. For others, it’s a clean desk with all office supplies neatly ordered. Each to their own!
However, there are some general tips to feel better no matter your taste, and they all start with nicely painted walls (light colors) and a plant or two (or a couple, for some people).
Plants are not only an eye-pleasing addition; they also provide numerous health benefits, some of which you must have heard of during your biology classes. Be careful with the choice, though. Not all plants thrive at all offices. The plants that are generally resilient include ZZ plants, bamboos, devil’s ivy, snake plants, succulents, cacti, peace lily and jade plants. If you work remotely, you will likely have a greater freedom to arrange your work space to your own taste.
Consider Continued Learning
Learning is always a good idea, but with the benefits of eLearning, possibilities become far wider. Nowadays, people can enroll in various classes (courses and even Bachelor’s) from the comforts of their home.
You don’t necessarily have to obtain another degree; you can simply pick a new hobby or — why not? — create your own course.
If you are trying to get a remote job or become a digital nomad, you can earn a certificate or accreditation for a specific skill to boost your chances. Options are truly endless — you only need to plan ahead.
Become a Better Communicator
The importance of communication can hardly be exaggerated, now more than ever when we’re increasingly communicating online. In particular, team communication skills can be challenging for people unused to apps and tools, and also the lack of physical presence.
Make sure to get comfortable communicating this way as it is, whether we like it or not, the future. As for getting to know the tools, that part is far easier. More or less, all of them are based on the same principle with different cosmetic changes, so if you know one, then you know them all.
Finally, a solid communication routine is certain to keep your stress at bay as there’s literally nothing worse than miscommunication in the workplace. Misunderstandings quickly advance to a full-blown toxic environment, which can, luckily, be prevented with the possibility to communicate instantaneously when the need arises.
Place an Emphasis on Managing Your Finances
Now on to more complex resolutions, the first of which is planning your finances. This is always a tricky question, and there is no universal formula, but do consider opening a health savings account for medical emergencies.
As a rule, people start thinking about this option as they’re aging, but the pandemic has swayed a great many people’s opinions. With the development of modern technologies, there are now more options than ever. Consider mobile accounts for both convenience and security.
Find out More About Clean Teach
Finally, the big challenge of our days is the rapid pace of global warming and all the disastrous occurrences it brings along. Turning green starts with proper education (you can safely turn to eLearning), but there are some small steps everyone can undertake.
For example, turn off your computer when it’s not in use and switch off lights. It’s not that difficult, right? Next, refill used cartridges and use recycled paper (print on both sides for added convenience).
Finally, when it’s time to buy a new car, consider an EV. Maintenance costs for an EV are 40% lower than maintenance costs for a gas-powered vehicle of a similar size. A similar situation is with fuel – estimates show that lifetime fueling costs for an EV are $3,000 to $10,500 cheaper in the long run.
Also, there are numerous initiatives taking shape to encourage the trend, some of which have been already been implemented to a degree. For example, did you know there are federal incentives for EV chargers?
The credit varies between $2,500 and $7,500 depending on the battery capacity (at least 5 kWh). For every kWh of battery capacity in excess of 5 kWh, $417 is added to the credit.
Greet the New Year With New-Found Determination
Once you’ve made your resolutions, you’ll be able to relax and fully enjoy the coming year. There are some small steps and some drastic ones here, but all of them are equally important. You don’t have to plan big leaps overnight; big change starts with a small step.
Enjoy a happier new year with all these novelties!
