WFH New Year’s Resolutions 2022

Working from home has changed so much about our lives. In this new remote world, our work and personal lives are entangled in new ways, and it will require changing how we set goals and stay on track to achieve our dreams.

Who we are and who we will be is determined by the aggregate of the microdecisions we make every day. We ARE the sum of our parts.

It's the annual season of reflection. It may be because the holidays are nostalgic, or the cold weather gives us more time to brood indoors than we would like. Regardless, people are more reflective and self-critical than usual this time of year.

Don't let the self-esteem police tell you that you're being toxic and perfect. If you're feeling down in the dumps or feel something needs to change, listen to those feelings. Seeing a problem and wanting to fix it is not toxic or irrational to see a problem and want to fix it.

Our mission is to make remote working work. We need healthy, happy, and productive remote teams and team leaders to do this. We want to help everyone set SMART goals for working remotely in 2022.

Identify Goals For Remote Work Productivity

Working from home is great, but it isn't perfect. Home is full of people and things you love which means it's full of distractions. 

Homes are littered with sources of distraction like video games, chores, and cats strutting across keyboards.

Maybe your resolution for 2022 could be amping up your productivity and efficiency when working remotely, so you can spend more guilt-free time doing the things you love with the people you love.

You have to define productivity and efficiency concretely. Do you increase the volume of the work you accomplish each day? Do you want to improve the quality of that work?

In practice, these goals are achieved in very different ways. Volume might be about the grind, putting in the hours, while the quality might be about assessing what is and is not good work, a much more intellectual exercise.

How do you track progress? With a volume goal, you might start by counting hours in your home office or counting deliverables completed. With a quality goal, you'll need a metric to assess how your new work compares to previous benchmarks.

Saving Money

Building a rainy day fund or sticking to a budget is a classic New Year's Resolution for a reason. It's tough! We live in a world where significant purchases are only a few clicks away.

Working remotely has cut down work-related expenses, like commuting and take-out lunches, but it can potentially add to our spending. More time at home and on the internet means more time on Amazon.

Here are some methods to save money and curb spending in 2022:

• Try Cash Stuffing: This is an unconventional way to budget. Put cash into envelopes labeled for specific purposes, e.g., concert tickets. Some people benefit from seeing their money physically rather than numbers on a screen. Using cash is harder, so you'll have an easier time curbing your spending. You won't earn interest on this money, and it might be vulnerable to inflation, keep it under 300 dollars, but you will develop a better understanding of money.

• Invest in a robo-advisor: Using a robo-advisor like Wealthsimple and Questrade is an excellent alternative to finding a good broker. They cut out the middlemen with seamless interfaces and lower fees. These have a set-it-and-forget design which makes investing easy for novice investors. They have the added benefit of making your money both virtual and harder to spend on impulse.

• Get rid of unused subscription services: Check your online bank statement. We can almost guarantee there are a bunch of small charges listed for subscription services you don't use. All of those charges can add up over time. Cancel them and be wary of 'free trials' in the future. Your pocketbook will thank you!

New Year's Resolution Team Building

For the Remote Team Managers, the professional New Year's Resolution closest to your heart might be to bring your remote or hybrid team closer together. You know, and we know, that disengaged talent quit and seek greener pastures. Top performers are costly to replace in terms of blood, sweat, and gold.

How are you going to promote employee engagement in 2022? You should start with scheduling 1-on-1 meetings with all your possible! Large team? In that case, you need to ensure that each supervisor or team leader is checking in with their people.

These check-ins shouldn't just be about work! Remote work is othering and anxiety-provoking. The distance that screens represent can feel like oceans and are often literally oceans.

Ask them how they're feeling. Are they burnt out?

Employee engagement doesn't begin and end with Zoom calls. Remote team managers need to be proactive when dealing with employee morale issues.

Nip employee burnout in the bud! Remote managers cannot be in every call or involved in every interaction; it's not feasible in an agile, fast-paced environment. Providing opportunities to build genuine connections between remote employees of distributed teams can allow team members to offer each other a source of engagement and support where and when team leaders can't.

It might seem like a stretch, but creating an environment where remote workers feel connected, valued, wanted, and engaged will boost those employees' productivity.

Virtual events or virtual team icebreaker activities are ideal for building those relationships. WFHomie specializes in providing events like Scavenger Hunts and Terrarium Workshops that can take your remote team engagement efforts to the next level!

WFH Renovation

"We're gonna renovate this year!"

How many times have you heard this (or said this)? Don't you think it's time?

Remote work is the future. We know, and you know it, so why not make your home renovation plan reflect our new reality?

If the lockdowns have taught us anything, it's the value of quality home office space.

Not only will it make you a more productive worker, but WFH-inspired Reno could increase the value and salability of your home in the long term as remote work becomes more popular.

You could knock out a few walls and make a significant, studio-style home office with lots of shelving and standing desks. You could build an outdoor workspace or gazebo when working remotely during warmer months. Catch some rays when you grind!

Family

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we can miss the forest for the trees. Dolly Parton, an icon, said, "Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." People often regret not spending enough time with older parents and taking joy in their young children.

Working from home offers more freedom and time to practice work/life balance. This is a massive boon. You must invest these resources in the people who matter.

Your NY's Resolution could be to spend more time with your children or take time off to visit family. Time is not a renewable resource, and you must use it wisely.

Your resolution might be to be a better parent, child, or spouse. Those closest and most important to us often don't get the lion's share of patience and attention. Prioritize those relationships in 2022.

Meditation New Year's Resolution

Look into meditation, mindfulness, and other de-stressing techniques in 2022.

We're constantly subjected to a cacophony of electronic noise working in remote spaces. Email pings, phone buzzes, and Slack pop-ups can sometimes feel inundating.

So, regularly taking screen-free time to relax and be mindful of nothing but your breath and body can feel like a breath of fresh air (pun intended). 

We genuinely believe in the value of these small moments of peace, so we offer remote office managers the opportunity to give their remote employees access to wellness sessions like Virtual Mandala Mindfulness.

New Year's Resolution Bullet Journal

Bullet journaling could be a great addition to another WFH Resolution. 

Bullet journaling assesses whether you're moving towards your goals or letting yourself down. It's very confronting to have a written record of all the things you said you would do but didn't. Being accountable to yourself is a formidable tool for self-improvement.

Write a list of things you want done daily or weekly, and then discuss how well that's going in the margins.

Too confronting? No problem, you can use this tool to keep track of daily tasks or just things you are thankful for! Record reminders to call a friend or to give kudos to a coworker!

Stick to a Self Care routine!

Find yourself a self-care routine that works for you.

It doesn't have to be Instagrammable. It could be a bubble bath. A DIY Facial. Or a couple of episodes of Friends with a big bowl of popcorn.

Yet, it must be consistent and predictable, so you can look forward to it and plan your days and weeks around it.

You can also tie your self-care routine to goals like getting in shape or losing weight. An inviting cup of green tea daily can aid in that.

Look for more self-care tips for working from home. Click here! 

See your Doctor

New Year's Resolutions don't have to be about starting something new; they can also be about doing something you have been putting off. Take your health seriously, and see your doctor!

Many people neglect to get check-ups from their GP. They say they're too busy or don't feel the need, but remote work allows more time for work/life balance. Use it!

You don't have to spend this time on Netflix; you can use this time to invest in your long-term health. So many chronic health problems could be nipped in the bud if young, healthy people took the time to get actionable information from a doctor to prevent or mitigate them.

Working from home may provoke changes in your physical and mental health, weight gain, or seasonal depression, for instance, so keeping your family doctor in the loop with any significant lifestyle changes is a good idea. 

Absurd New Year's Resolution

Your New Year's Resolution can be as weird and wonderful as you are! Resolutions, goals, and aspirations don't need to be big, existential things. You don't need to change your life every twelve months.

They can be small, seemingly insignificant, and absurd things. Who cares! They're your resolutions, after all!

Want to learn how to rollerblade? Want to master the ukulele? Start a YouTube channel? Your wants and needs don't have to be earth-shattering and emotionally wrought to be something you want to do.

They can be silly, little things. Learn a skill you want to put in your back pocket. Add another arrow to your quiver. Kid, you do you!