New year's resolutions for professionals

At this point, we are all making new year's resolutions simply because we have to. We stand in our balconies on new year's eve, look at the fireworks, and then promise ourselves to lose 32 KGs, quit junk food and learn French in the coming year.

Then by the time it's February, you give up on every resolution you made and wait for the next year. Thus begins the vicious cycle of making unattainable resolutions and never being able to keep them.

Like all other goals in life and work, your resolutions should also be SMART - as cliched as that may sound. This means they have to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. So don't bite off more than you can chew, and make some easier resolutions.

1. Learn a skill relevant to your job:

Knowing how to use Adobe softwares or speaking another language may make your job easier - you will no longer need a designer for every little tweak on visuals, and you may understand your foreign clients without requiring a translator. So make some time to learn a skill or enrol in a post-graduate degree. Your schedule will be tiresome, but it will be great for your career in the long run.

2. Fix your sleep cycle:

If you wake up tired every morning before work, then your productivity will keep decreasing and you'll burn yourself out. Try to get six to eight hours of sleep every night. First step for this would be to get as much distance between you and your phone, computer, and television as possible before getting into bed. Cut down on caffeine after 8 PM as well.

3. Avoid office gossip:

As tempting as gossip may be, it almost always has a negative effect on office environment and the camaraderie between co-workers. So it's better to keep your slate clean. Do not engage in gossip, even if the people around you constantly complain about their bosses.

4. Eat healthy at work:

Your stomach, and health in the long term, will thank you for avoiding junk food. If you don't have the self-control to refrain from it while at work, have a heavy breakfast before going out every day or carry lunch from home.

5. Aim for better work-life balance:

The best way to achieve work-life balance is by prioritising and getting things done on time. If you feel too stressed out by work, and your mental health and personal life start to deteriorate, then talk to your supervisor and decrease the workload if possible. At the end of the day, unhappy employees cannot remain productive in the long run.