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One of my 2022 New Year's resolution to improve my work and life integration (balance) is to step away from work for at least a 30 minute (mind) break and eat lunch away from my desk. Also want to read something fun during that time. So far, I have been able to do that 3-4 days out of the week!

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One of my 2022 New Year's resolution to improve my work and life integration (balance) is to step away from work for at least a 30 minute (mind) break and eat lunch away from my desk. Also want to read something fun during that time. So far, I have been able to do that 3-4 days out of the week!

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Hoping to read 30 books in 2022!

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One of my New Years goals is to spend more time face to face rather than on my phone/computer!

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Let Me Tell You More About The Book...

Atomic Habits is the most comprehensive and practical guide on how to create good habits, break bad ones, and get 1 percent better every day. I do not believe you will find a more actionable book on the subject of habits and improvement.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system.

Bad habits repeat themselves not because you don't want to change but because you have the wrong system for change. This is one of the core philosophies of Atomic Habits: You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. In this book, you'll get a proven plan that can take you to new heights.

James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.

Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories about Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits-whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, and achieve success that lasts.

Browse our selection of the best Atomic Habits quotes or read the official Atomic Habits summary here.

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Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

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Packed with evidence-based strategies, Atomic Habits will teach you how to make small changes that will transform your habits and deliver amazing results.

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Train for and complete a local 10K race

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New Study Says This Simple Step Will Increase the Odds of Achieving Your Goals (Substantially)

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You think about your goals, and then you write them down. You even create a plan, but that’s not enough. This study reveals how to get them done, for sure.

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The coronavirus pandemic has made it particularly challenging to maintain our healthy habits - especially because it has disrupted so much of our typical daily routines. It's often much harder to maintain habits like hydration, regular movement, or consistently nutritious meals when our schedules are drastically disrupted. Nearly 75 percent of people are concerned about being able to maintain existing healthy routines amid the pandemic, according to a Thrive Global original survey of 5,000 respondents about coronavirus pain points. Fortunately, there are ways to modify our "new normal" lifestyles to make space for both our previously existing, and even new, healthy habits.

One of the most important (yet commonly forgotten!) well-being practices is staying adequately hydrated by drinking enough water. This is especially difficult to commit to when working remotely, though: Routine is built into the office space - you can fill your bottle each time you get up from your desk to talk to a colleague, for example - but not so much when you're perpetually at home, and spending all your time on the same couch. But it's just as vital for you to hydrate.

"It is so important to stay hydrated, especially when you're going through a major adjustment to your normal daily routine," Claudia Hleap, R.D., a registered dietitian, tells Thrive. "Hydration is essential for optimal performance, including skin health, cognition, hunger cues, and organ performance."

And dehydration has negative consequences, especially when it comes to your energy levels. "Water makes up about 60% of the human body, so proper hydration is key to ensuring that our cells are functioning properly and to help us stay alert, focused, and feel energized," Jaclyn London, R.D., C.D.N., a registered dietitian, adds. "Dehydration can occur with as little as 2-3% total water loss - that's especially important if you're sneaking in some exercise throughout your day, or if you're currently navigating fluctuating temperatures in your WFH space - and can result in symptoms like decreased alertness, or just general feelings of tiredness."

One way to ensure you remember to drink water is to set benchmarks for hydration. Hleap suggests setting goals, like drinking a certain number of ounces of water before breakfast, again before lunch, and again before dinner. This has the added benefit of preventing you from overeating at meals as a result of conflicting thirst cues.

"In practice, I've found that a little self-check-in of, 'Have I had enough to drink today?' can be a game-changer for so many of us who are often mistaking hunger and thirst," London adds. She recommends starting the day with eight to sixteen ounces, or one to two cups, of water right when you wake up.

Another simple technique to remind yourself to drink is to set alarms on your phone. "It's easy to forget to stay hydrated, especially when you're feeling stressed and have a million other things on your plate. By setting this alarm, you're automating a regular reminder for yourself to stay on top of your goals," Hleap adds. "And by staying hydrated, you are optimizing your body's ability to combat illness and potentially reduce overlapping symptoms, such as headache and fatigue."

If you're struggling to stay hydrated while working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, try adopting one of these science-backed Microsteps into your daily routine.

Every time you wipe down a surface, drink a glass of water. It's a great way to do something for your environment and for your body at the same time.

Swap one sugary beverage a day with water. Sugar is proven to increase inflammation in our bodies, which limits our immune response. If you're able, you might want to add a slice of lemon to make it more flavorful.
Working From Home in the New Normal is a data-driven storytelling initiative from and Thrive Global, bringing together insights powered by the Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse with actionable Microsteps and stories from Thrive to help you navigate working from home. Visit daily for the latest data and stories to help improve your focus, prioritization, and well-being.
Follow us here and subscribe here for all the latest news on how you can keep Thriving.

Stay up to date or catch-up on all our podcasts with Arianna Huffington here.

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How to Stay Hydrated While Working From Home

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The coronavirus pandemic has made it particularly challenging to maintain our healthy habits - especially because it has disrupted so much of our typical daily routines. It's often much harder to maintain habits like hydration, regular movement, or consistently nutritious meals when our schedules are drastically disrupted.

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CNN Chief Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how your brain responds when you receive a compliment.

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Vision boards are a great way to visualize and manifest the things you want to happen in the new year. As 2021 comes to a close, it is the perfect time to get some 2022 vision board ideas from TikTok and Pinterest to start creating your own. After all, you want to start the next 365 days with a clear idea of where you're going.

Of course, the vision board ideas you scroll through on TikTok are just vision board examples. The real fun comes from designing your own with your unique goals, hopes, and dreams for the future. If this is the first year you're making a vision board, you may also need a vision board app to help you or a step-by-step guide on what vision board supplies to get. Even Etsy has some vision board kits ($11) you can purchase to make crafting super simple.

However, if you want to do it all on your own, you'll want to follow these 10 examples from TikTok that feature different vision board quotes and techniques to get the mood board of your new year dreams. Heck, you may be so inspired that you'll want to invite your besties over ASAP for a vision board party. Together, you'll make your boards and state your dreams out loud so everyone can get onboard for what's to come.

For beginners, TikToker @victoriazubuike has this easy-to-follow guide on how to create a vision board for 2022. You'll first want to write down the areas you want to focus on in the new year, like your career and relationships. After that's done, go into Pinterest and create a new Pinterest vision board for the images that will go with each one of these areas.

Once everything is organized, you can create a Canva vision board or a digital vision board on another platform. Arrange the images you've collected on Pinterest into a collage that can then be used as a wallpaper on your computer and phone.

Before you start searching for images to add to your mood board, you want to get a clear idea of what your goals for 2022 are by writing them down. TikToker @angelslife.png gets very specific by not only organizing goals by different areas and themes, but writing down detailed dreams. This is then used to organize the images found on Pinterest and Tumblr even further before adding them to the vision board online.

While writing down your goals is a great first step for any vision board, this idea from TikToker @k8lynanderson is especially great is you want to craft a vision board. This list of goals for 2022 can even be the centerpiece to your DIY collage that you hang in your room. You could even include it in your 2022 manifestation journal and create a collage cover with images on the front.

Manu Vega/Moment/Getty Images

In this tutorial, TikToker @annierosenelson creates a vision board filled with health goals, travel inspo, and even dream space ideas. Using those goals, a collage is then built in PowerPoint with different aspirational images. The final product is then saved to the computer desktop. This is a great idea if you're constantly on your computer, because you want your vision board to be where you'll see it almost every single day.

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These Vision Board Ideas From Pinterest & TikTok Will Help You Manifest In 2022

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Vision boards are a great way to visualize and manifest the things you want to happen in the new year. As 2021 comes to a close, it is the perfect time to get some 2022 vision board ideas from TikTok and Pinterest to start creating your own.

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Why you procrastinate -- and how to still get things done | Tim Urban

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If you're like most fitness enthusiasts, you already know the importance of setting goals that guide your training program.

Setting SMART goals is arguably one of the most important steps in developing your fitness program.

Not all fitness goals are created equally, and some goals set you up for frustration and failure from the moment you first step foot in the gym.

SMART goals are designed with behavioral psychology in mind and intentionally built to be useful and effective at moving you methodically toward whatever your long-term fitness aspiration might be.

This article breaks down everything you need to know about setting SMART fitness goals to keep you focused, motivated, and foster your success as you embark on your personal fitness journey.

When it comes to setting SMART goals, the term does not just refer to cleverness or intelligence.

In fact, SMART is an acronym that stands for the following ():

Collectively, these traits define a SMART goal, whereas other goals do not sufficiently meet these criteria.

According to a 2010 overview on goal setting and action planning for behavioral change, SMART goals are necessary because they "help individuals focus their desires and intentions and create a standard by which success can be measured" ().

Additionally, SMART goals should be intrinsically motivating, based on both approach and mastery outcomes, and appropriately challenging.

Consider the following goal:

"I will perform r esistance training 3 times per week for the next 8 weeks."

This goal fits neatly into the SMART paradigm and gives you a distinct set of criteria that you have a great deal of control over.

This allows you to be the driver of whether you achieve the goal, as opposed to outside forces beyond your control that influence your outcome.

Let's break down each SMART criteria in more detail.

Specific

Specificity is a must when it comes to setting SMART goals. Specific goals have a numerical value by which you can determine your success or failure.

Consider the previous example of performing resistance training 3 times per week for the next 8 weeks. This is so specific that it leaves no room for interpretation. At the end of a week, you either did or did not perform the workouts as planned.

Compare this with a goal such as "exercise more."

This goal essentially means anything and nothing at the same time. If you just do a few minutes of walking, you're technically exercising more but unlikely to see any results.

Given the lack of specificity, it's much harder to gauge whether you're meeting your goal criteria, and if you aren't, what you need to change to make it happen.

Goal specificity should remove any ambiguity regarding whether you hit your goals.

Measurable

In line with being specific, the goals must also be measurable to allow you to gauge whether you're meeting them.

For example, " losing 10 pounds in 12 weeks " is a measurable goal that you can track.

However, simply saying "I want to lose weight" is too vague.

You may lose a pound and see no physical change and end up being disappointed even though you technically lost weight.

With the rise of fitness trackers that allow you to measure your vital functions and athletic performance, setting measurable goals for almost every aspect of fitness has never been easier.

If you cannot put a number on it, it's not measurable and leaves too much room for interpretation as to whether you met your goal.

Attainable

The third SMART criteria you must consider is whether the goal is attainable.

While there's nothing wrong with major, long-term fitness goals, most fitness programs should focus on what you can achieve within several weeks to months, as opposed to a monumental target that will take a decade to achieve.

An attainable goal will always be relative to your current fitness level.

If you only need another 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight on the bar before hitting a 1x bodyweight barbell squat, then a month or two of training is a realistic time frame.

On the other hand, if you have not exercised in years, performing a 1x bodyweight back squat will probably take a few years.

Instead, consider adjusting your goals based on where you are now.

Perhaps going with "perform 10 full-depth goblet squats with a 25-pound (11.3-kg) kettlebell within 3 months" would be more attainable for your level.

However, attainable goals should still push you significantly toward becoming stronger and healthier. Setting attainable goals is as much an art as it is a science.

You must ensure your goals are not so hard as to guarantee failure, yet not so easy that you do not get any real satisfaction or benefit upon reaching them.

Relevant

Relevant goals are those that pertain to you and are tailored toward your life, health, and fitness needs.

For example, if you're dealing with hypertension and prediabetes, focusing on a specific weekly aerobic exercise goal is more relevant than trying to reach a 30-inch (76.2-cm) vertical jump.

On the other hand, if you're trying to make the varsity basketball team, focusing on your vertical jump height could be more appropriate than setting a weekly goal for aerobic exercise.

Your goal should be relevant to both your health needs and overall interests.

Time-bound

The final component of SMART goals is that they are time-bound. This means there's a specific time period within which you plan to achieve your goal.

Although there's no hard-and-fast rule on how long your time frame should be, most SMART goals should aim to take 1-3 months to achieve.

Of course, the period of time you select for your SMART goals will influence how attainable they are, but the main point is that you do not leave the time frame so open-ended that you never start or never finish your original goal.

Using the weight loss example, a goal to lose "10 pounds (4.5 kg) in 3 months" gives you a motivating window within which attaining your goal is reasonable. Yet, it keeps you accountable for both starting and finishing your goal in the time frame you set for yourself.

If you just said, "lose 10 pounds," you set yourself up for disappointment if by week 6 you have not yet lost the 10 pounds despite this being unrealistic.

On the flip side, if you have no sense of urgency or due date for your goals, it's far too easy to just "start on Monday" and continue procrastinating.

Without putting a time-bound window on the date for achieving your goal, you're set up for failure.

Summary
SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. This framework gives you the most individual control over whether you reach your goals.

Tracking is key when it comes to implementing SMART goals. Any SMART goal will, by definition, be trackable.

Nevertheless, if you fail to track your SMART goal progress, you're losing out on what makes the SMART goal system so effective at getting results.

Everyone has different tracking preferences. The following are just a few methods that can help you stay on top of your progress.

Pen and paper journaling

Write down the date, time, stats, and any subjective comments from every workout or training session.

For a bonus, track how you feel on rest days, too.

Writing and tracking in the journal is best performed daily to make it a habit.

Fitness tracking apps and devices

Fitness tracking apps paired with monitoring devices are an excellent tool for monitoring your workouts and vital signs.

These trackers are especially effective at helping you reach aerobic exercise goals, as you can see your heart rate, time spent exercising, and distance covered, among other similar statistics.

This makes tracking progress incredibly straightforward.

Summary
Track your SMART goal progress through journaling and fitness apps.

Holding yourself accountable is the necessary ingredient for turning SMART goals into reality.

Fortunately, a well-constructed SMART goal automatically lends itself to accountability, as you can measure and track your progress against your time frame.

There's no secret to this. However, daily checklists and partner accountability are two quick tips that may help you stay accountable toward your SMART goals.

Daily checklist

Setting a daily checklist with your goals for the day is a good way to keep accountable without being overwhelmed.

Ahead of time, prepare your daily tasks that will further your SMART goal progress, then check them off the list as you go.

Partner accountability

If you have a partner, spouse, friend, or workout buddy who you trust, you can share your goals with them and see whether they can assist you with accountability.

Whether that means giving you a ride to the gym or just shooting you a text asking if you finished your daily workout, a little friendly accountability from another human goes a long way toward improving your focus.

Summary
Having daily checklists and accountability partners may help you stick to your SMART goals.

Staying fit and healthy is a never-ending journey.

Whether you're just getting into exercise or looking to break new territory in your established fitness routine, SMART goals are an absolute must.

Throughout your fitness journey, you'll set a new SMART goal, reach it, reassess it, and then set your next goal.

Over time, this process results in massive transformations in whatever direction you aim.

Nevertheless, it's key that each SMART goal is the right size to keep you motivated and satisfied as you progress towards your longer-term ambitions.

If you set and adhere to SMART fitness goals, you'll see much greater and more consistent improvement than if you'd aimlessly try one fitness program after another without clear direction.

Now that you understand what a SMART goal is, take some time to reflect on where you are in your fitness journey and where you want to be in 3 weeks, 3 months, and 3 years. From there, set your first 1-3-month SMART goal and get to it!

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What Are SMART Fitness Goals? How to Set Them and More

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If you're like most fitness enthusiasts, you already know the importance of setting goals that guide your training program. Setting SMART goals is arguably one of the most important steps in developing your fitness program. Not all fitness goals are created equally, and some goals set you up for frustration and failure from the moment you first step foot in the gym.

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How to maintain a healthy lifestyle through life changes - Canada

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It is possible to gain traction when trying to establish lasting routines and habits even when it feels like you’re going off track

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I have been writing something about myself or my everyday for almost 5 years now. It has been one of the greatest and most freeing experiences in my life because I can actually slow myself down to think about what's truly happening around me as well as my part in it.

Most people treat journaling as something they "know they should do" but rarely ever take up the practice. And if they do, they fall off the wagon within a few months.

It doesn't have to be this way, especially when you learn about the amazing benefits of journaling. Here are 6 ways that journaling will change your life:

1. Dig into your true feeling

Journaling can help you get out of the way of what you truly feel on the inside. In other words, taken the time to sit and write about something that is affecting you can lead to a deeper and more realistic view of what feelings you are actually feeling.

When we are caught up in the "rat-race" of life, we tend to disregard our feelings and keep ourselves, busy and jaded. It isn't until we slow down for some time to let the feelings inside be what they truly are.

2. Give you a point of view

Another thing that journaling can give us is a better understanding of our own point of view as well as what others may think of a situation.

It's always thought to know exactly what others are thinking, but journaling can allow us to slow down enough to start to try to understand someone else's point of view.

3. Remind you of a life worth living

I like to think of journaling as "my life's story". That alone makes it fun, enjoyable, and inspiring to write a little about myself and what is going on with me every single day.

After you have journaled continuously for sometime and you look back on the things that you have written you may realize that your life is much more interesting and deep than you once thought.

In fact, if you are down on yourself a lot, journaling is a great way to get around this and discover that your life is truly worth living.

4. Reassure yourself of who you are

Do you know yourself? Without thinking too hard about it, you may just simply say, "of course I do," yet if you haven't done some serious introspection and work on who you are, chances are you may only know who you think you are.

This was definitely the case for me before I started writing for myself every single day. I thought that I knew what I liked and disliked, who I was, and where I was going in life.

But in reality I these aspects of myself were what I thought I should be; not actually who I was.

With journaling, I uncovered dreams and goals that I never imagine would be mine. I realized that there were so many things that I just couldn't stand to do and therefore gave myself boundaries to say "no" more.

Journaling can do this for you too. You can finally say hello to yourself.

5. Help you record your legendary stories

The idea of being able to write for your life and then pass that writing onto someone else, whether it be old friends, children, grandchildren, etc. is inspiring.

I could only wish that my father or grandfather would have been able to pass on something like that to me. It wouldn't have mattered if the words they wrote were deep or insightful; just as long as they were words that I could read and feel more connected to them.

You can journal every day and then pass this legacy on to loved ones later in life. They can learn about you and what made you tick as a human.

6. Build your serenity

Getting back to number one; when you start to write about your feelings and how situations in your life change your feelings you gain the ability to start to process those feelings.

Rather than leaving feelings completely bottled up inside, you can put them down on paper and get them out of your heart and mind so you can process and understand them more which will lead to a more serene existence.

This especially works well with feelings like anger, jealousy, resentment, etc. Putting these feeling out on paper and letting them take their course is a great way to stay balanced.

Final thoughts

The simple act of writing a few words, sentences, or paragraphs everyday can have a profound and instant effect on your life for the better.

Journaling can change your life. It makes you a more interesting person through the years and makes you feel more interested in your life.

Featured photo credit: Unsplash via unsplash.com

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6 Unexpected Ways Journaling Every Day Will Make Your Life Better - LifeHack

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Keeping a journal is a tough practice. But you can be inspired to keep going by learning 6 different ways journaling will change your life. Then making it a habit will be a lot easier!