Who else has already finished their advent calendar for this year? Guilty. Despite how hard I try to stick to the tradition, I find myself craving that tiny piece of chocolate in a rather unhealthy way. A bit like my inability to stick to my New Year’s resolutions. I always make them, but just how long do they last? If like me you also struggle sticking to your New Year resolutions longer than a measly five minutes then read on.
We’ve carefully curated the best New Year’s resolutions to help make 2021 your best year yet. Whether you’ve just started your business, are brainstorming for new ideas or perhaps you’re a business pro, these New Year resolutions will help you level up.
1) Stand up and stretch every two hours
Why should you stand up and stretch when you’re at work you ask? Research suggests that 70% of sedentary behaviour takes place at work (according to getbritainstanding). Whilst you work, why not stay active and take a stand? Five minutes of stretching every two hours will not only improve your health, but will also improve your levels of balance and coordination. What’s more, standing helps to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to the brain through improved blood flow (according to juststand).
By standing for longer, you will also increase your brain power. According to juststand, 10 minutes of movement will increase mental focus by strengthening key parts of your brain.
2) Set your to do list the night before
We all know just how frantic a Monday morning can be when you are rushing to work, scrambling to collect all your things. Even as a busy entrepreneur, it’s vital to stay organised in order to help keep things in order. Strong organisational skills bode well for managing your time most effectively as you will be more efficient and stick to tasks with a clear focus.
In fact, preparing the night before is just as important as what you do in the morning. We recommend that at the end of each day you write down five things you want to accomplish the following day. You can also schedule those things in your calendar or planner and set yourself up for an awesome day to come.
As Srinivas Rao points out: “We have a limited amount of willpower every day. With each decision we make that willpower gets depleted. If you don’t plan your days the night before, you waste your willpower on deciding what your essential priorities are. By planning your days the night before you reduce decision fatigue, and preserve your willpower for your deepest most meaningful work.”
3) Check your emails only twice a day
Often we spend countless hours flicking back between our emails and our current task. Whilst this might be useful if you have a specific task which involves sending out bulk emails, most of the time this probably is not an effective use of your time. Instead, try checking your emails only twice a day and see what works for you. The best productivity tools are the habits which we implement ourselves. You might find that you need to check your email more often but by being more aware of your habits to subconsciously scroll through, you will become more present and productive in your work.
4) Clean your desk + plants
you know that there are also huge health benefits if you have plants in your
home? Not only do plants help you feel more relaxed, but they boost your focus
and mental clarity. According to ecowatch, having plants in your home helps
to improve your air quality by removing 87% of pollutants! Plants release airborne
chemicals which tackle pollutants in the air such as Formaldehyde and Benzene
(both known to cause cancer!)
5) Switch on your night setting for your laptop and phone
Don’t forget to switch on your night mode on your phone, or better yet turn it off an hour before going to bed. It is really important to limit screen time before sleep due to the bright blue light which smartphones emit. At nighttime, this light causes your brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone which helps your body sleep. As a result, this light can disrupt your sleep cycle and make it more difficult to fall asleep and stay sleeping for longer.
Have you had any more thoughts about your New Year’s Resolutions? We hope these ideas have helped to inspire you to set some realistic goals in January. If you have any questions or comments about our New Year’s Resolutions we recommend, please feel free to email katie@harmoni.design, we really look forward to hearing from you!
Sources:
‘Get Britain Standing’ <http://www.getbritainstanding.org/>
‘Why Planning Your Day the Night Before Drastically Increases Your Productivity’ <https://medium.com/the-mission/why-planning-your-day-the-night-before-drastically-increases-your-productivity-a5b5d39ff2bb>
‘Just Stand’ <https://www.juststand.org/>
‘Ecowatch’ <https://www.ecowatch.com/>
‘Here’s Why the Iphone’s Night Shift Mode is Such a Big Deal’ <https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/smartphone-iphone-apple-night-shift-mode-tim-cook-technology-silicon-valley-a8139701.html>