2020 has forced us to spend more time indoors and away from the workplace and our loved ones.
However, not all changes resulting from the long lockdowns around the globe were necessarily negative.
In fact, for some, lessons learnt this year – as well as new ways of doing things – will be carried forward into 2021.
From home-schooling children to shifting your business to being 100% remote; from becoming vegan to turning a back garden into a business, here entrepreneurs reveal which positive changes they will gladly be carrying into the New Year.
Continuing to prioritize family time
“While 2020 was an interesting year, to say the least, I intentionally prioritized self-care and a healthy work/life balance. As a business owner, I made more time for family and friends throughout the pandemic. This year reminded me of what was really important — those I love. I look forward to continuing to prioritize myself and my loved ones in the new year.”
Kyle Elliott – Career and life coach at CaffeinatedKyle.com
My business is now run remotely
“2020 was about launching a new life management business. Life management is an industry that values in-person, sit-down meetings; however, the pandemic put a stop to that. Despite this, we have been amazed at how open everyone has been to the idea of meeting and speaking on Zoom (or equivalent). It has been so successful that we believe we can run the client side remotely too – which is huge when you think of an office and overheads.”
Kate Kirkman – Partner at www.mylifecollective.co.uk
Home-schooling my kids
“Besides bringing all my trading online, I also decided to home-school my children. This made our life much more enjoyable, as we were without the hustle of commuting hours in the winter weather and ironing school uniforms and making lunch boxes. Now I spend more time with my children, and I see their progress.”
Edit B Kiss – Spiritual healer and life coach
Becoming vegan
“As someone who turned vegan in 2020 and stuck with it, I’d definitely say that this is a positive change that I plan on taking forward into 2021. Changing to a plant-based diet has improved my health and it gives me more energy during the day to handle all my tasks, both business and personal. Now that almost a year has passed, I’ve already embraced it as a part of my routine and don’t plan on changing it!”
Stefan Smulders – CEO at LinkedIn automation software www.expandi.io
Adopting video content
“As the majority of our staff is located in Brooklyn, we were forced to pivot early in the Pandemic due to office closures. This forced our video production team to upend their process to accommodate remote and disparate content creation. As a result, we uncovered new efficiencies we have implemented to produce better and more frequent contributor videos to our platform in 2021!”
Max Whiteside – Lead Community Engagement team at training www.BarBend.com
Leaning to say NO and Consistent Exercise
“One of the positive changes I have carried forward since the beginning of the pandemic is regular fitness which has been a huge help in resetting my productivity. It’s hard to have an unproductive day after a workout.
Additionally, I have implemented saying no to opportunities that aren’t serving me or taking away from my immediate focus. On top of this, I have started time blocking my schedule to stay structured and organized.”
Jordan Smyth – Founder at natural skincare start-up www.gleamin.com