With the start of the New Year and renewed optimism for the year ahead, the start of January is often the time when we decide to set out new goals and targets for ourselves. Unfortunately, by the end of January many of us have already fallen short of those good intentions. How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up?

Psychology Professor John Norcross has published extensively in the area of self-initiated behaviour change and found that approximately half of the population make New Year’s resolutions. Most of these include increased exercise, weight loss, quitting smoking and money management.

So why do so many people often fail after a such a short period of time?

Professor Timothy Pychyl states resolutions can be a form of motivation, however the reason for such a high failure rate is that he believes people aren’t actually ready to change habitually bad habits. Other reasons also include that the goal is simply unrealistic.

So how can we make goals realistic so that we do to try to follow through and achieve the targets set?

SCIENCE OF SETTING GOALS

Before looking at the components of a good New Year’s fitness resolution, it’s important to think about what a goal actually is:

Goal setting can be defined as “the process of establishing an outcome (a goal) to serve as the aim of one’s actions” (Turkay, 2014).

Understanding that there are different types of goal will also help when laying the foundations for the New Year:

• Outcome goals
• Performance goals
• Process goals

OUTCOME GOAL

An outcome goal is focussed on the end result, or as the name suggests, the outcome. This type of goal is dependent on the performance of others. An outcome goal in a sporting context would be winning a race, or finishing on the podium of an athletics event.

PERFORMANCE GOAL

A performance goal sets out a certain level or specific benchmark to attain. A performance goal would be running 10K under 50 minutes, or being able to do 25 press-ups in one go without stopping. Unlike an outcome goal, a performance goal is independent of the performance of others which means there is considerably more control over its success.

PROCESS GOAL

A process goal, as the name alludes to, focuses on skill execution and/or technique. How an action is performed is the primary improvement area and is not associated with the external performance of others. A process goal would be for a golfer to hold the correct level and position of their shoulders during a golf swing or improving the position of a swimmers hand as it enters the water prior to the pull element of freestyle swimming.

All these different types of goal have their time and place, but a word of warning with outcome goals: they can place too much emphasis on the end result and make you overly obsessed about getting to the destination, while forgetting to enjoy and learn on the way there.

Oddly, the outcome that was the original, primary motivator becomes the cause of negative behavior and mindset.

Focusing too much on the distant outcome can prove to be incredibly divisive, as your attention may turn to what you don’t have and the goals you haven’t achieved, encouraging unconstructive behavior. Oddly, the outcome that was the original, primary motivator becomes the cause of negative behavior and mindset.

In addition, proponents of process goals would say the process is about doing the right thing rather than focussing on the end result, because the right behavior will lead to the desired outcome.

THE STRUCTURE OF GOAL SETTING

Understanding how to differentiate between the types of goal will definitely help you to formulate your plan for the year ahead, but also adding an element of structure to your goal setting will create a type of checklist and element of accountability.

The acronym SMART is widely used as an incredibly effective way of defining goals in a clear, objective, structured, detailed way. A SMART goal must conform to the following criteria Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.

S – Is your goal specific – what exactly is it you want to achieve? How, when and where will it happen?

M – Is your goal measurable – what will it look like if you achieve your objective? What evidence will show you have been successful?

A – Is your goal attainable – can you realistically reach your goal? The whole point of a goal is to   be a challenge and something that will push you, but shouldn’t be impossible.

R – Is your goal relevant – is it personal and why do you want to reach it?

T – Is your goal timely – when will you achieve it? All objectives need a deadline, which will hold accountability to your actions and progress.

SETTING GOALS YOU WILL ACHIEVE

If a New Year fitness goal is SMART, can be categorised as one of the three types of goal, while understanding the potential advantages/disadvantages they offer, a challenging, fulfilling year awaits!

So while you’re curled up by the fire enjoying all that the festive season has to offer, take some time to reflect on what you’ve achieved in the last year and what you want to accomplish in 2018.

Choose a goal that matters to you, ensure your goals have a positive spin, don’t be deterred by setback, ensure your goal is SMART and that you know the type of goal and how that will affect the outcome. When it comes to fitness you really can achieve anything you want.

Ask yourself what it is that you want to accomplish. Be courageous, be strong, be clever, be confident in your own ability, be the hardest working person in the room and you will be successful.

Here’s to a happier, healthier and fitter 2018!

 

Have you just completed your first week back to work? Already considered jacking it all in and heading off backpacking around the world? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Nearly half of workers admit they suffer ‘back to work blues’ according to a recent poll.

The first Monday back at work after the festive season break is ranked as the most miserable of the entire year. The Upbeat Barometer analysed more than 2.2 million January Tweets posted on Twitter over a 3 year study and found significant negative language and phrases, indicating that employees mood plummeted during that month.

According to Dr. Angelos Halaris, professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at Loyola University in Illinois, the pessimism employees experience in their first week back at work after a prolonged break is perfectly normal and has a scientific explanation.

“It’s more than likely during the 10 to 14 days of the holiday season with Christmas and New Year’s we tend to go overboard even in the best sense,” he said. “Overeating, over drinking and not sleeping enough — that all sets the stage for the post-holiday crash.”

“For many, the holiday season is like a dream world and hopefully people have had a good dream, but it is like a dream that ceases literally overnight,” Halaris added, highlighting the extra stress the body endures moving from a state of enjoyment and freedom at home to one of restriction and routine at work. “There is a real sense of loss that comes with this transition period that makes us all a little sad.”

Fortunately, here are a few tips that managers can use (or try some yourself) in order to help lift themselves and their team.

 

1. SOCIALISE
Rather than stepping straight back into a minefield of deadlines and paperwork, allowing workers to freely discuss what they’ve been up to over Christmas can help maintain excitement and create a happy atmosphere throughout the office, which can only be good for boosting staff morale and confidence.

Managers can encourage colleagues to catch up with each other through the reorganisation of work spaces, relaxing work demands on the first few days or through organised work activities.

 

2. START THE WORKING DAY WITH GAMES
Sounds a bit crazy? Remember how excited you were to go to school at the end of term, when the teachers would let you play board games and cards during classes? Well, a similar tactic can be used by managers to ease workers back into the office. Spending the first 30 minutes of a working day playing a game which allows the whole team to get involved, such as word association, can refresh relationships, boost motivation and stimulate greater productivity.

 

3. OFFER FREE HEALTHY SNACKS
It’s highly probable that some of your staff will have set themselves a fitness or health-related resolution for 2018. Why not support that goal by providing bowls of fresh fruit, nuts and snacks that will help workers feel energised and give them something they will enjoy?

 

4. SET 2018 GOALS FOR STAFF
The New Year tends to mark a fresh start, personally and professionally. Some individuals will be questioning whether they should change employer, while others will be looking for a promotion or salary raise in their current role. Therefore, managers should find time early in the New Year to meet one-to-one with each staff member and discuss their personal goals for the year.
By doing so, managers can assess the mindset of his/her workforce and spot concerns, as well as identify any skills workers are eager to learn or projects they are keen to work on.

 

5. GET OUT ON YOUR BREAK!
It almost sounds obvious, but popping outside for a quick stroll or breath of fresh air can really help re-energise staff. A breath of fresh air, or a quick walk which gets muscles moving and oxygen pumping around the body can really help staff to feel better. It may even help to shed some of those extra pounds we tend to put on over the Christmas period.

 

Prospect Business Park is set in an area of natural beauty, with excellent views over woods and fields. Within its own secure compound, there is ample space to have a quick stroll around the site to get the blood pumping through tired muscles and perhaps feed the horses on the way. There are also numerous shops within a few minutes’ walk that provide high quality, freshly cooked food and snacks to cater to everyone’s requirements.

If you would like to book a viewing of our high-quality office or workshop space, please click here and we will be happy to arrange a convenient time for you to visit.

For quite some time, the ability to be able to ‘work from home’ was considered quite a perk. With the evolution of telecommunications & online meeting software, staff could work from almost anywhere in the world provided they had a phone signal and access to the internet.

In addition to that, the fact that employees no longer had the daily commute, with the stress and expense that it entailed, companies saw a decrease in staff turnover and an increase in employee job satisfaction.

However, working from home does not suit all people and indeed can be counter-productive.

When working from home boundaries can become blurred, with working hours beginning to bleed over in to non-working hours. There is often the sense that you can never ‘escape’ the work environment – do you really want to spend 24/7 in your virtual office?

And of course, there are other distractions at home, with children and pets being the most common interruptions, often at the most inconvenient of times. Imagine trying to concentrate on that crucial call with your most valued client just as the dog begins to bark at the postman! It can also been perceived by employee’s partners’ that too much time can be spent working and not enough ‘quality’ family time – many of us are guilty of working on the laptop in the evening when we should be spending time with families.

However, it is possible to strike a balance.

The ability to work from home when we require is most definitely still a perk, however, it is also extremely beneficial to have the option of an office, where we can dedicate our time to work. This can be particularly true for the self-employed, where spending time without distraction, speaking to potential new clients without interruption and growing a business is a vital necessity. Of course, this luxury comes with a cost and renting office space can become an expensive affair.

That’s where we feel Prospect Business Park can help both start-ups and established businesses so that you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

We have a range of office sizes, from those suitable for just one or two people, up to rooms and suites capable of housing call centres.

All our offices are supplied with easy-in-out terms and are equipped with access to our broadband and can be supplied furnished – ideal for just moving in and starting work. In some cases, people have moved in the same day as viewing! We also have plenty of parking on site (for over 200 cars) and the site is secure, with an on-site manager during the day and monitored, closed circuit cameras in conjunction with a security gate. Access for office tenants is 24/7.

Please feel free to contact us if you would like more information or to arrange a viewing.