The never-ending wishlist

Techies’ on making and breaking New Year resolutions

January 02, 2014 06:33 pm | Updated May 13, 2016 06:44 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Illustration: Sreejith R. Kumar

Illustration: Sreejith R. Kumar

Sticking to a New Year resolution is almost like biting off more than you can chew. But we never stop making resolutions. We promise to give up unhealthy food, lose weight, quit smoking, be punctual, be more organised, hit the gym, learn something new, correct past mistakes... New Year resolutions are made at the start of every new year and then given up before the year is a few days old.

So, what’s trending this year among techies?

“As usual, a lot of them have decided to give up smoking. Very few manage to do that; the habit dies hard,” says Nishanth Nazeem, an employee of Kreara Solutions.

Then there is that enthusiastic group of men and women who vow to hit the gym regularly and adopt a healthy lifestyle. With odd working hours, and irregular and eating habits taking a toll on their health, many of them are bitten by the ‘healthy lifestyle’ bug every time a New Year rings in. Diet charts, regular exercise, organic food, working out everyday… the action plan is perfect.

“In fact, I am planning to have a chart so that I can balance vegetarian and non-vegetarian food,” an employee of IBS says. For Anu Sankar, a producer with Toonz Animation, the resolution to lose weight is pretty old, but he has renewed it this time as well. “It isn’t easy, but I hope to do something about it at least this year,” he says with a laugh.

Family first is on the top of the resolutions’ list. Surya S. Nair wants to spend more more time with her seven-year-old daughter Advika. Considering the number of hats she wears as techie, dubbing artiste and RJ, finding that time will be quite a task. Her colleague Ginju Fathima has gone a step ahead. “It’s like this. Last year, my resolution was to devote 90 per cent of my time to my family, especially my three children, and the rest for my relatives, which I achieved. This year, I’ve revised it – 85 per cent for family, five percent for relatives and 10 per cent for myself! In fact, a group of us women are planning a ladies’ day out once in three months on our own!”

Cleaning the work bay area, sporting a new look, being more organised and positive, adopting better money management, joining charity drives… the wishlist is pretty long.

Meanwhile, some unique resolutions also popped up. For instance, Suchin Moses, legal officer with Toonz, plans to read 52 books this year! An avid reader, he has taken the resolution along with five of his friends in Bangalore. “It is quite an ambitious task. I ought to finish at least 30,” says Suchin, adding: “There is one resolution I couldn’t stick to. I had made a conscious decision to listen four times more than I speak. That was quite challenging and I gave up!”

Anu, meanwhile, plans to bring out a book compiling the stories and other articles he has written.

There are a few resolutions that must be quite individualistic. Jose Antony of Accentia has taken the “the most significant” decision, to give up his favourite food – parotta and beef. Sreejith M.S., another techie, has a tough job at hand – spending less time on Facebook. Deleting the account is out of question though, he stresses. Ginju and Julie D’ Silva, who sit close to her in office, have reached an understanding. “That we won’t gossip and won’t encourage gossips!” Ginju says breaking into a laugh.

For those who haven’t yet taken a resolution, just google and you will be bombarded with not just suggestions for resolutions but also advice on how to stick to your resolutions.

To top it all, in this app-driven world, you can find umpteen options to help you remember your resolution and ensure that your don’t err. Way to go...

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