Start your morning with this affirmation:
Today’s checklist: Make your resolution less about you, smoothly ask for more job responsibilities, survive too much work, and enjoy some feel-good rituals.
OG Tuesday Issue #118
Dec 27, 2022
POST-HOLIDAY HACK OF THE WEEK
Feeling some post-holiday blues?
Rekindle joy by completing a random act of kindness, such as texting someone “good morning” or sending a list of qualities you admire most in them.
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YOU DO YOU
Want resolution success? Don’t be “selfish”.
This year, try something crazy. Step away from old-school resolutions that focus on you and actually feel good with resolutions that help others.
The Big Think has the scoop on why this is a genius idea >>
Key takeaway: Traditional, self-centric resolutions fail about 80% of the time, leading to frustration and disappointment. Resolutions focused on serving others — something shown to boost happiness — are more rewarding and therefore more compelling to stick to.
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GET MORE SH*T DONE
Are you ready to ask for more responsibility?
These truths and assumptions about asking for more responsibilities demonstrate what it takes to grow and expand your professional presence and overall badassery in 2023.
“I want to take on any and all types of responsibilities, as long as they expand my portfolio.”
- Dropping truth! You’ve gotta be specific about what responsibilities you want, and those responsibilities should support your long game. “Without this,” say the career experts at Michael Page, “you risk taking on tasks and investing time in projects that won’t help you reach your end goal.”
“My desire to take on more work should be enough to merit more work.
- Dropping truth! Your manager sees task delegation as a core strategic priority; they don’t distribute work carelessly. If you want more, you need a solid pitch that explains how you taking on more adds up to benefits for your boss and your company.
“My boss says I’m doing a great job. She must think I’m ready for more.”
- Dropping truth! Not so fast. Bestselling management author Suzy Welch has this to say about requests for promotions and responsibility increases: “It’s about over-delivering, which involves re-thinking the way you do your job.” You need to demonstrate you’ve been going above and beyond your job to instill confidence that you’re ready for formalized tasks that go beyond your job.
“If my boss says ‘no,’ I can just ask her again next week to show her how serious I am.”
Dropping truth! That might seem a lot like nagging and make your boss uncomfortable. If you get a “no,” simply ask her to clarify why and then commit to eliminating the factors driving that “no.”
LEVEL UP
The Field Guide to Surviving Too Much Work
Survival rule: When you can’t see the forest through the trees, chop them down.
- In other words: Prioritize ruthlessly. If you don’t already have a favorite prioritization technique, then check out this guide to the prioritization matrix.
Survival rule: Map out your route to ensure smooth navigation with minimal surprises.
- In other words: Diligently plan your workday. Even if you throw out the plan, the planning process is indispensable. As former President D. Eisenhower once said: “I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
Survival rule: Assign roles and tasks with military precision.
- In other words: Be explicit about who does what. Who has time for ambiguity? Make roles and responsibilities clear.
Survival rule: “I didn’t have enough time,” means nothing in the wilderness.
- In other words: Make time for everything you must do. LiquidPlanner recommends automating and standardizing as many projects as possible.
WATERCOOLER TALK
Post-Holiday Feel-Good Rituals
Avoid a post-holiday slump with these easy and restorative tips.
1) Schedule a power lunch or brunch.
Get your besties together to enjoy some delicious food, swap holiday stories, and discuss your hopes and dreams for 2023.
2) Practice gratitude while writing cute thank-you cards.
The thank-you card may seem old fashioned, but it promotes the modern practice of gratitude. Find some stationary you love and write notes to people you’re grateful for and tell them why, even if you didn’t exchange gifts. Focus your message on why you’re grateful to have them in your life instead of why you’re grateful for what they gave you.
3) Veg out.
The Everygirl has the scoop on why it feels so good to pile on the veggies:
“Thanks to ditching food rules, you bet I will be enjoying Christmas cookies, eggnog, and pasta. But I also know that those foods just don’t make me feel good. After eating too much gluten, dairy, or sugar, I feel sluggish, uncomfortably bloated, and typically get stomach aches or headaches. To stay my healthiest self and enjoy this time with my family as much as possible, I’ll still eat whatever I want (totally guilt-free), but my focus for each meal will be adding more veggies to the plate. Holiday side dishes like Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and the salad that no one touches are filled with good-for-you nutrients that will make me feel energized and satisfied. I’ll fill up my plate with the nutrients my body needs, while still being able to enjoy the traditional holiday foods that I love.”
4) Get outside and play.
According to the lifestyle gurus at Chopra, “Humans can tend toward hibernation in the fall and winter seasons. Shortened days can lead to less time to engage in outdoor activities. Holiday traditions like ice skating, hiking, and even raking leaves get you back outside. The fresh air and sunlight are good for your body and the time with others is good for your soul.”
5) Write a love letter to yourself.
Expound upon how wonderful you are and outline in detail all the ways you plan to treat yourself right.
Lynn Rossy recommends including:
- Your intentions
- What you want to do for yourself
- What you want to do for others
- What you want to avoid
6) Flow back into the flow.
A little yoga can boost your mood and reduce stress, and as the Rituals team says, practicing it regularly “will help you hold on to that relaxed and rosy just-back-from-vacation feeling, even long after it’s over.”
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