The new year is here and with it, all the optimism and possibility of fresh starts and better habits.

In addition to the old reliable resolutions of eating better, exercising more and perhaps scrolling through your phone a little less, January is also the ideal time to form new working habits and undertake new projects.

The 301 (and counting!) Connected Hubs around the country offer the perfect opportunity for just about anyone to inject a new lease of life into their work, career, and life as a whole.

 Make 2023 the year of the hub

We all know that those New Year’s resolutions are easy to make but harder to keep. Thankfully our hubs are the ideal spaces to support your goals and keep you on track.

Whether you are a start-up, a freelancer or remotely working from home, striking a healthy work-life balance can be really tough. However, the time you devote to play is just as important as the time you invest in work. Working from a hub that’s within easy reach of home, your favourite swimming spot or that book club you’ve always wanted to join can be a game-changer. Also, being surrounded by other people who you can see taking regular breaks and keeping regular office hours will encourage you to do the same.

Speaking of people, emerging from a solitary remote work environment, or prising yourself away from the kitchen table and into a more sociable space could be just the 2023 reboot you need. Take your pick of 4,920 desks at hubs nationwide and you’ll soon be meeting new people, embracing new experiences, and even taking on new hobbies – all thanks to that better work-life balance. And isn’t that what New Year’s resolutions are all about? Who knows, a Connected Hubs five-a-side football team could soon be in the offing!

Taking on a new project this year? Changing up your existing work habits is a sure-fire way to see your creativity and motivation thrive. Embracing a hub as your workspace can bring a new sense of purpose and provide engagement with people to bounce ideas off or seek valuable advice from. It also gets you away from the domestic to-do list, keeping work and home separate. The result is some serious focus on your 2023 career goals.

From remote workers to co-workers

After 2022, a year in which we were still transitioning out of Covid restrictions, 2023 is brimming with potential. This January we can hit the ground running with real purpose in how we want to work and who we want to work with. If working from home was a temporary measure that has now become a little too permanent, you can easily combat the social isolation – not to mention the home heating bills – by switching to a nearby hub.

The ideal medium between a long office commute and a productive work environment close to home, the scores of remote workers around the country can easily become amiable co-workers in 2023.

And the results speak for themselves, a 2022 CSO study found that on average (and with the exception of Co. Donegal), we each live just over 5km from a remote working hub. With the added bonus of an improved work-life balance and greater social inclusion, hubs actually match the benefits of working from home – making testing the waters a no-brainer.

Perhaps 2023 will see the return of kitchen chats while the kettle boils or watercooler moments about the finale of that must-see Netflix series. Chit-chat, sociability and more importantly, face-to-face support, has been missing from our work lives for some time now – we believe in the power of hubs to bring it back.

 Start-ups: Work for yourself, not by yourself

 With the new year naturally a time to pause and reflect on our life, work, and careers, for many of us that can mean finally taking the plunge and developing that long-held business idea. While of course a daunting prospect, Connected Hubs are hives of activity, full of like-minded people and replete with all the resources you need to get things started with your start-up.

Practically tailor-made for fledgling businesses, hubs can foster productivity and collaboration for start-ups no matter what stage they’re at. Only at the idea stage? No problem, specialist start-up hubs include managers who mentor and guide you towards the precise supports your idea requires. A number of hubs are vehicles for start-up programmes like New Frontiers – the national entrepreneurial development programme for ambitious early-stage entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas boasting scale-up potential – and the NDRC Accelerator Programme, which is designed to support ambitious entrepreneurs with globally scalable, innovative tech start-ups.

Those further along on the journey may need the support and reassurance of other start-ups going through the same process. Hubs provide an environment in which you can sound out ideas, vent your frustrations and benefit from a network of entrepreneurs in the very same boat.

Are you ready to make 2023 the year of the hub? Find a Connected Hub near you today.