23 Ways to Make 2023 Even Better For You and Your Team

Everyone needs a good list to start off a new year, right? Here is one that you can use in its entirety or pick and choose which items make the most sense for you. They cover the full spectrum of leading your team, supporting your personal development, practicing self-care, and mental health. There is a quick overview for each one. I’ve also included a link for a one-page infographic of these same things. You can download and use for your wall, or just to share with someone else that could use it.

1. Be Thankful and Share Gratitude

We all have something to be thankful for each day. It could be as simple as waking up in the morning. But don’t take the little things for granted. Share gratitude with those around you. Let them know what you appreciate about them.

2. Eat Healthier

Food matters. What you consume each day can make a significant difference in how you feel, how you think, and the energy you have for the day. Eat better — less sugar, more moderation, fewer fried or processed items. You may be surprised at how different you can feel by eating a little healthier.

3. Get More Sleep

Looking for more energy, mental sharpness, and a healthier body? Look no further than a few extra winks of sleep each night. If you are not getting about seven hours (or more) each night, you are likely sleep-deprived. This can impact nearly everything about how you lead and live.

4. Exercise

Moving your body also makes a big difference in how you feel, your energy levels, and your mental clarity. Combine this with the extra sleep, and healthier eating, and you will be unstoppable.

5. Have a Plan for Each Day

Planning your day and knowing what needs to happen before you even start it is a sure fire way to increase your productivity. Connect your daily plan to your goals, and you will be on track to accomplish more than any other year.

6. Keep a Positive Mindset

You’re not doubting the items on this list, are you? Stay positive. Think about each thing you do as something you ‘get to do’ versus ‘have to do’. That small shift in thinking can make a tremendous difference in how you approach any task, project, or conversation.

7. Share Ideas With Others

Don’t be an idea hoarder. I cannot tell you how often I have heard from people that they are trying to ‘perfect’ their idea before they share with others. You know the best way to improve an idea? Share it with others, get their feedback, and learn together.

8. Recognize Success Regularly

See something (good). Say something (good). How many times in the past two weeks have you walked by something that looked pretty good, or observed excellent service, and thought, I should remember to recognize them later. Stop, say it now. No one ever complains about being recognized too much. See it, say it, repeat.

9. Learn Something New

We are creatures of growth. Learning something new is an energy booster, brain stimulator, and development accelerator. Take full advantage. Watch a video, read a book about a new subject, try a new hobby. It doesn’t matter what it is, it's the act of doing something for the first time that makes everything come together.

10. Extend Trust

There will not be a perfect moment. Many people live by the idea that others must earn trust. That may be true, but you also have to be willing to extend it. Take a chance on people and extend the trust you always want applied to yourself. Most will reward you in exponential ways.

11. Set Goals

What do you want to get done? Is it written? Are they SMART? Goals get things done. Don’t overthink it. Just capture it and get started.

12. Spend Time With Positive People

Jon Gordon writes about avoiding Energy Vampires. It’s good advice. Seek people with positive energy, and you’ll find you have more of it yourself. Oh, and avoid being the energy vampire. You’ll find that regardless of what type of energy you have, you attract more of it. Positive seems better.

13. Use Energy Wisely

What are you spending your energy on? Are all those activities worth it? Your energy is highly valuable, make sure you are spending time that makes sense for this precious resource. The best places tend to renew your energy levels while you’re doing them.

14. Build Routines

One of the best ways to conserve energy is to have a plan and routine for the things that happen regularly. We make thousands of micro-decisions every day, so the more you can put on autopilot, the better.

15. Get Outside

The great outdoors is not just a marketing slogan, it's a way to renew energy and clear your mind. The benefits of getting outside and spending time in natural sunlight are countless. Even if it’s only for a few minutes on a break, or at lunch. This is especially important during winter months, when you may find yourself going to work in the dark and coming home after sunset as well.

16. Smile

Smiles are contagious. Try it. You’ll see that smiling makes most other people smile, which only makes you smile more. Scientifically proven to make you feel just a bit better — don’t argue with science. Smile more today.

17. Call a Friend

Never fails. I always feel better after I get off the phone with a friend or colleague I haven’t spoken to in a while. It's just a tap away now on your phone. Pick a name, hit dial, and you’re steps closer to a jolt of energy and boost of happiness. (Note: cross-reference #12 on this one for maximum benefit.)

18. Fail at Something and Try Again

What new thing have you tried recently? When was the last time you failed at something? Did you learn something? Did you get back up and try again, or at least acknowledge what you learned, so you can apply that to something else in the future? Fail forward, you’ll be happy you did.

19. Pause and Enjoy

Stop and smell the roses. No, really. Stop. Notice what is around you, and just enjoy the moment often. We all move at a frenetic pace most days, the world wizzes by, and we miss the opportunity to enjoy many of the best things. Aspire to slow down at times this year and notice the cool stuff always around us.

20. Make Time for Hobbies

Schedule it like an important meeting. Making time for the things YOU like to do is critical. It’ll free your mind, allow muscles to relax (even if your hobby may be strenuous like running or sports), and renew energy levels far beyond what you have when you continually put off doing the things that are just for yourself.

21. Make Time for Yourself

Very similar to #20, whether this is also for hobbies or for your personal development, make sure you have time set aside for what you want to do. This could be movie binging, social media scrolling, reading, writing, napping, or more. It is time that you decide one-hundred percent for yourself.

22. Spend Time With Loved Ones

We need our self time, and of course, we have work time, but equally important is creating the time to spend with loved ones. Block this time to ensure you can be fully present and engaged. It could be a dinner, a movie, or a walk in the park — it’ll be time well spent.

23. Reflect and Remember Why You Lead

Take time at least weekly (bonus points if you can do this daily) to reflect on what you have accomplished and how that connects to your WHY. We all want to contribute and make a difference. You know your WHY better than anyone else, enjoy the accomplishments, even the smallest ones, often.

Few of these take more than a couple of minutes each day. And the longer ones, likely involve an investment of time in yourself. There is no better place to put that time. Additionally, many of these become time multipliers – meaning more productivity or enjoyment. We all have the same one-hundred and sixty-eight hours each week, what we do with them is solely up to us.

How are you making yourself better in 2023?

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Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash