I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t always been a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. The way I saw it was if you’re going to do something, you need to just do it, not wait until a particular date. That’s probably the Montana in me because we’re all about getting our hands dirty and getting the job done sooner rather than later. December 22nd, 2023 isn’t too different from January 1st, 2024, or at least that’s what I used to think.
Now, with a bit more life experience under my belt, I’ve taken a different perspective. While it’s true the first day of a new year isn’t magical, the day feels more hopeful. You’ve left everything in the previous year–the uncertainty, the fear, and the hesitation. The new year is a restart, and I’ve found there are a few resolutions we all should set for ourselves:
1. “In 2024, I will practice better work-life balance because I deserve it.”
You deserve it. We deserve it. It’s that simple.
Because the work we do is centered around social impact and not business revenue, separating the personal from the professional isn’t easy. More often than we should, we “take work home,” as the saying goes, which is connected to the high rates of burnout in our sector.
If you want to work in the nonprofit field for the long term, you need to avoid burnout, meaning you need to practice better work-life balance. You’re doing it for yourself but also for the communities you serve.
2. “Going forward, I won’t hold off on the small tasks.”
Sometimes we unintentionally turn molehills into mountains. Those small, easy tasks we’ve been delaying have now caught up to us, and they’re much larger. By the time we realize what we’ve done, we’re tired and ready to throw in the towel.
Trust me, I’ve been there, and I’m sure you have, too.
What’s interesting about this “freeze” state we find ourselves in is when we put aside the time to complete the simple tasks, they’re not as scary as we made them out to be. They’re easy and take very little time unless we let them become mountains. In 2024, let’s keep the simple tasks simple.
3. “I’ll remember anything I can’t get done one day, I can do the next.”
This resolution may seem like it contradicts the other two but remember what I said earlier about balance. Staying late to “get ahead” on work is normalized in our sector, and even praised, though in the end, it’s to a staff’s (and organization’s) detriment. Take this as your reminder to start breaking this habit in 2024. Staying late won’t make you a better employee.
Take care of yourself so you can come in as the best version of yourself.
If you’re interested in learning more about staff and executive coaching in 2024, schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me to see what we can do together!
