How you can use hybrid work to keep your New Year’s resolutions

The majority of employees prefer hybrid work arrangements over fully remote and onsite, according to a Gallup Poll. Having two distinct experiences—in-office and at-home—delivers flexibility and variety, but it also provides an added benefit you might not expect: insights that could help you stick to common New Year’s resolutions.

“If you look back to pre-pandemic, we all got used to our routines,” says Frank Weishaupt, CEO of the video conferencing provider Owl Labs. “You took a job, it was at a location, you went there pretty much every day, and that set your parameters of what your life looked like.”

Today, though, routines around workplaces aren’t always set in stone, and where you work can support healthy habits or detract from them. According to Owl Labs’s 2024 State of Hybrid Work report, 84% of hybrid and remote workers say they eat healthier food when working at home versus at the office. But being at home isn’t always an advantage. The report found that 47% of full-time office workers exercise during the workday, compared to 22% of remote workers.

“The data really differs from how people do things in one place versus the other place,” says Weishaupt. “How can you get consistency in your habits and manage how things might be for you in one location versus another?”

Leverage the Successful Conditions

Start by looking at the days where it seems easier to stick to your goals. If one location seems to strengthen your resolve, evaluate why that might be the case. For example, people who are in the office might find it easier to make time to exercise because of proximity, suggests Weishaupt.

“You’re away from home already,” he says. “You may not feel as guilty as the at-home worker who needs to leave the home to exercise.”

It can also be an access issue. Perhaps it feels easier to exercise because you can go on your lunch hour, or maybe there’s a nearby gym or walking path.

When it comes to eating healthier, working from home offers an advantage because you have more control. “When I’m working at home, I have access to healthier food and healthy snacks, because that’s the way that we live in my house, and that’s the way that we shop,” says Weishaupt.

Combat Underlying Challenges

If the location is hindering your resolve, evaluate that, too. When it comes to exercising on the days you work from home, Weishaupt says there can often be a perception issue.

“If you’re in the office and take an hour to disappear and go to the gym, the perception is that you took time to focus on your mental and physical health,” says Weishaupt. “If you’re working from home, you may feel like you have to overcompensate for it a little bit by being always available. That’s a terrible thing, because you should always be able to prioritize and balance those things out, no matter where you work.”

When it comes to eating healthy, break rooms often offer temptations, like free donuts or candy. In this case, Weishaupt recommends duplicating the behaviors you have at home. For example, you can ask your manager if there’s a way to offer different snacks at the office. Or you can prepare ahead of time by bringing your own food.

“Set yourself up for success, instead of assuming some sort of magic will happen on January 1, where you’re never going to want to eat a Kit Kat again,” he says.

While diet and exercise are common New Year’s resolutions, you may discover that some workplace habits are stronger at home versus the office and vice versa. For example, maybe you are better at tuning out distractions at home but waste time chatting with coworkers on the days you’re onsite. You might want to adopt some of the conditions you have at home, such as shifting your work hours to arrive early when fewer people are there. Or you could shut your office door (if you’ve got one) or wear headphones.

Or perhaps you feel more productive at your desk at work? Consider the atmosphere of your home office to determine if you need to make changes, such as setting up stronger boundaries around work and home tasks.

Spend some time thinking about what is better at work and what is better at home. The key is to understand the triggers—good and bad—for your desired habits, and then prepare for them no matter where you are.