17 Jan NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR THE REMOTE WORKER
Happy New Year from Ann Albrecht Consulting! As we begin 2025, our team has been thinking about New Year’s Resolutions for the remote worker, on and off the clock.
As virtual executive assistants, we know that a healthy work-life balance is just as important as a well-managed inbox. Therefore we’re starting 2025 fresh by organizing our desks and our minds to make this our most successful year yet. Here are some resolutions to help keep things on track:
Clean out the inbox!
Taking the time to clean out your inbox will let you start the new year with a clean slate. Moving forward, keep unread emails to a manageable number by processing messages as they come in. Use folders to sort emails by category and priority. You can also use filters to clear out emails you don’t need to read. And if your inbox is clogged with spam, search by the word “unsubscribe” to find and delete the junk all at once!
Improve Password Protection
If you’ve been putting off sorting out your password situation, now is the time. Using a variation of the same password for everything is unsecure. Set up a password manager, like 1Password, LastPass, or Google Password Manager so you don’t have to remember every password in your life. And make sure you don’t have them written down anywhere else for someone to find – use this year to make cyber security a priority.
Establish and stick to routines
Especially when working from home, it’s important to create structure within the unstructured workday. Don’t simply follow an endless random to-do list: intentionally create and stick to a routine. Schedule time to work on specific tasks or projects. Additionally, set personal deadlines ahead of due dates to keep on top of deliverables. Being consistent with scheduling will help you stay on top of things at work and make your day less stressful on and off the clock. And speaking of schedules…
Prioritize personal time
A work-life balance is essential for your mental health and will improve your productivity during work hours. Assess what parts of your personal self-care have been lacking and shift focus accordingly to where it’s needed. Establish stricter nighttime routines to prioritize getting enough sleep regularly. Be more diligent about logging off at the end of the workday and allowing yourself to be present in your personal life. Whether you spend time with friends and family, read something just for fun, or head to the gym, remember to find space for “me-time” and enjoy your hours away from the desk.
Whatever your resolutions, we hope you have a wonderful year. Our team looks forward to continuing to provide exceptional support in 2025.
Happy New Year.