The world has high expectations for 2020, the start of a new decade. For me, there’s a lot of excitement jam-packed into this one year. At home, I am getting married to the man I love, we are purchasing our first home together and I am visiting my 30th Major League Baseball Park (hello honeymoon). At work, I am in charge of a brand-new program and continue to expand my role as Business Development Manager & Coach within TeamStrength. Along with that I want to maintain my health and fitness with some added health check-ups and community work throughout the year.
My One Word for the year is Breathe.
I am someone to throw myself completely into what I’m doing. In order to that this year, I need to make sure my cup is full first so I can enjoy all the new memories and drive my passion for work. I do that through balance.
Not one to walk into any situation under-prepared, here are some refreshed tips & tricks to maintaining balance in 2020:
- Setting clear boundaries regarding technology usage. If powering down a machine that is slightly bigger than your wallet for a couple hours a day or week makes your heart race, you’re giving too much power to your machines. In 2020, I’m throwing that excuse away and building time blocks of Reconnection Time. Reconnecting with myself, my family, and my friends because 99% of the time it really can wait. I also use ScreenTime to monitor and power-down the less useful apps on my phone during the early/late hours of the day and when I’m at work.
- Feeling empowered by ‘No.’ We talked a lot about the book Essentialism in 2019. This is much easier in theory than in practice. In 2020, I am focusing on the commitments I have already made in my personal and professional life over all else. Meaning when something new pops up my first answer is ‘No.’ I have ‘No’ posted at my desk, my mirrors at home, and on my phone background (I say ‘yes’ a lot).
- Utilize my Clifton Strengths at work to increase productivity, work efficiency, and positivity. We are best when we utilize our strengths every day. So I will use my Relator and Individualization to build strong connections with TeamStrength members. I will partner my Activator and drive to start projects with my Discipline, Strategic, and Achiever to plan out and efficiently move through tasks. With all the tasks and projects coming at you in 2020, don’t forget to focus on working the way you work best.
- Spending real time with people I care about. I am very grateful to spend time with my fiancé every day and time with my family on a weekly basis. However, for close friends and family out of the Orlando area that connection is solely through Social Media. This no longer works as a replacement for me. So every month in 2020 I will: get coffee with a friend from college; go to dinner with a member of my wedding party; plan an activity with family outside of Orlando; and FaceTime one of my besties out of state for at least 30 minutes.
- Define what success means. A lot of goals in life can seem intangible. As someone with a strong competitive drive, in 2020 I am spending time every month predetermining what ‘winning’ looks like with reminders setup to celebrate the little wins along the way. As part of my planning for this year, I was able to reflect on 2019 more and really appreciate the ground I covered in one year. Take time to see and appreciate your journey, don’t just move the goal post and start again.
Welcome to the start of a new decade. Embrace the energy of the new year and make your own 2020 plan, select your One Word, and continue to tap into people and resources, like TeamStrength. We look forward to being a part of your continued success!