With the new decade just days away, Eclipse Media Group put together a few of our resolutions for 2020. Beyond eating less takeout, exercising more or trying (and ultimately failing) to drink less caffeine – we’re hoping these small goals will help us start the year focused. We’re also keeping in mind that setting too many New Year’s resolutions, especially unattainable ones, can quickly leave us feeling overwhelmed and a little defeated. So to start, we’re making our goals more realistic, in the hopes that micro-changes will help us tackle some of the bigger accomplishments.

Here are just a few of those goals our team members are  hoping to accomplish in 2020:

Andrea Gural, Principal and Co-Founder
For 2020, my resolution is to only checking my email a few(ish) times a day. To be honest, most days, I don’t really want to know how many times I navigate to my email tab in Chrome. It’s literally second nature and I would probably be fairly disgusted. It would likely be very similar to when you are  curiously and, casually scrolling through your iPhone’s settings, only find out that in Screen Time you actually picked up your device an astounding 93 times the day before. (And no, Apple, I don’t really want to “Share Across Devices” to report my combined screen time, thank you very much!)

I know checking email all the time violates ALL time management techniques, but for me it’s the hardest habit to break. In our deadline driven, client service world – which expects an instantaneous response – it’s a bit disconcerting to not be always on top of what is landing in your inbox. Whether it’s a media inquiry from a reporter on deadline, a client needing information urgently on their latest metrics, or (gasp) missing out on the last hours of that 40% off sale – it’s comforting to know that you are aware of and on top of these priorities.

I also know that this habit can be disastrous for productivity and can essentially ensure that all you do all day is send and answer email. Yes, this is entirely possible! In this new dawn of 2020, I hereby resolve to only check my email 4(ish) times a day. After all, a crisis at 10 a.m. is probably still going to be a crisis at 1 p.m. At least I will have the sanity of getting a few other things done first.

Chelsie Woods, Principal and Co-Founder
I’m a lover of books and since my teenage years have enjoyed the opportunity to get lost in the pages of a good novel. Although I read a lot for work – newspapers articles, magazine articles and blogs – these are all short and sweet snippets of information that are easy to digest within a matter of minutes. Because of this, I have yet to fully invest the time into reading a professional development book that explores a new way to think, or approach PR and marketing.

This year, my New Year’s Resolution is to invest time into reading that professional development book, by setting aside a few minutes each day to read a few pages. I have even picked out the first book I plan to read – Marketing Rebellion, which talks about the changes afoot in the marketing world, and why companies need to leverage the human element as part of their brand and story-telling strategy.

I have to admit I’ve never been a big follower of New Year’s resolutions, but as I get older I have begun to see the growing value of this annual tradition designed to drive positive life changes. Perhaps this New Year’s Resolution will be the one to stick.

Rachel Peck, PR & Marketing Associate
Admittedly, I’ve never actually set a New Year’s resolution. That being said, I’ve decided to give it my best shot for 2020. Well, as far as setting and keeping a resolution. As this year is winding down, I’ve found myself caught up in the professional day-to-day of meeting deadlines, developing content, etc., while also maintaining a social life and getting all my holiday shopping done. It’s begun to feel like November – January is all about survival and trying to dodge the flu. In 2020, I’d like to mix things up a bit and strive to learn something new – if not everyday – then at least once a month. Whether it be making time to attend more professional development workshops, experimenting with new social media tactics, or on a personal note, learning how to put the phone down occasionally.

Additionally, while I’m learning all those new things, I’m hoping to travel more in 2020 and take on a few more ultramarathons. On the whole, I think 2020 is going to be an interesting year!

Happy New Year from Eclipse Media Group!