Before we jump headfirst into 'New Year, New Me,' let's agree to stop doing a few things that make us collectively sigh during the workday. We all have a lot going on, so even tiny changes can make a significant impact.

I bet if a few of us put our heads together, we could come up with a list of at least 50 things that we'd want to stop doing in the new year. But, for brevity and to keep all of our heart rates down, I'll limit this to five (plus five quick fire items to round us out).

Here we go.

1. Unsolicited Meeting Invites With Zero Context

Just like we don't love people knocking on our doors to sell us vacuum cleaners, we don't like meeting invites that have no context. At least with the vacuum cleaner salespeople, you can ignore the door and pretend you aren't home. With meeting invites, we feel obligated to accept and spin our wheels trying to figure out what this meeting is about. Even panicking and going down a wormhole of fear of what this meeting might entail.

Do this instead
If you can't reach out about a potential meeting, at least provide a clear purpose and desired outcomes in the meeting. And make sure attendees know they can reach out with any questions so they're prepared for the meeting. You also might look at bringing in Essential Facilitation™ if this is a consistent problem in your organization.

2. Over-relying on ChatGPT for all Communication

I get it, ChatGPT and other AI tools have made some of our work a lot easier. But, there's now an over-reliance on it for everything. I understand that you have to do a lot of communication and these tools can make you more efficient. I'm with you. That said, if all of your communication is generic AI writing (em dashes abound), you're eroding trust and rapport with your co-workers. At a conference this year I heard a leader gladly tout how they use AI to write all of their memos and emails. I immediately felt bad for their team. How sad to have a leader that literally can't take any time to write something in their own words.

Do this instead
Not every communication is created equally. There are times when just having an AI generated response makes sense. Other times, people want to hear from YOU and not whatever AI dictates would be appropriate. For me, I welcome the grammar error here or there. At least it tells me it's coming from a human. 

3. Blindly Following The Leader Without of Speaking Up

It's scary out there. I read article after article about how people are afraid to speak up and psychological safety is at an all time low as layoffs continue to rise. But, this shouldn't stop us from speaking up when necessary. If you feel you're being led down a dangerous path, it's important to speak up. You were hired for a reason, and hopefully it wasn't just to be a yes-man. Of course, there is a time, place, and a way of doing this. One of our senior consultants dives into this topic here.

Do this instead:
If you feel passionately about something, speak up. You don't need to be brazen or make a scene to get your point across. There's a respectful way of providing input without putting off the receiver. Acknowledge what they're doing, provide your input and the reason you're passionate about it and allow them the air to take it in and ask questions. 

4. Using the Phrase "Quick Chat" When It's NOT a "Quick Chat"

We're all guilty of this. When have you texted someone to see if they can pop on Zoom or on the phone for a quick chat? Maybe you thought it truly was going to be quick, but in the back of your mind you knew. You knew that you were opening a can of worms that deserved it's own meeting time on a person's calendar. Let's stop that in 2026.

Do this instead:
Don't avoid talking to people entirely. But, take a beat to think about what you're discussing. Is it something that is an easy quick 5min call that in the end will save you both time and energy? If it's not, maybe send them an email or schedule a time to meet (refer back to #1 if that's the case). Bottom line: be thoughtful of other people's time.

5. Everything is a 911!!

If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance that your job isn't literally saving lives. If it is, by all means, please continue on with your actual emergencies. Save those lives!

Otherwise, let's be real here. Not everything is a 911. You can wait a day or two before sending a reminder. Your colleague probably doesn't need to get back to you on a decision over the weekend when they're spending time with their family. Stop treating everything as an emergency and let people breathe. We're all doing our best out here.

Do this instead:
Just like in #4, take a beat. How important is this? Is it critical to whatever it is you're working on? Will there be significant impact if you don't hear from a person ASAP? If the answer is no, then take a breath and set a reminder for yourself to reach out later if you don't hear from them.

Bonus Quick Fire:

Let's also stop:

• Pretending that we're 'circling back' when we're actually stalling
• Sending email novels that could've been two sentences
• Putting a 30-minute meeting on the calendar when a 3-line email would do
• Asking for feedback when you've clearly already made up your mind
• Hooking us with a dramatic LinkedIn post lead-in only to serve up AI-written fluff (this might be my personal #1)

As we enter a new year, think about what you might want to change to make the year a little easier on yourself and everyone around you. We all have things we can work on, there's no shame in that. It doesn't mean that we're bad employees. It just means that we're human. 

With that said, happy new year and may 2026 be your year!