Before we have even blinked, the new year is here. And as tradition dictates, many of us will set some goals for our annually measured existence.

The most interesting thing about this particular year is how much our goals and intentions have changed – the COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of things into perspective for us all.

We also learned that we really like coffee cocktails, and learning how to use fun things like flavoured coffee syrups and different styles of cold brew coffee recipes to mix up our lockdowns.

We’ve just all had a taste of what matters most, and you know we’re gonna tell you that coffee helps solve all of it like the tasty little helper it is.

If you don’t agree, I guess you’ll just have to keep reading to find out how we’re going to show you that the humble coffee bean makes the world go ‘round.

Health and fitness goals – drink coffee!

Most of us are trying to be healthier. That could mean a lot of things including:

- Getting fitter

- Getting stronger

- Managing an injury

- Improving your mental health

- Gaining weight

- Weight loss goals

Whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve, you absolutely can do it. You just have to hack the parts of the brain that are geared for survival. It’s these parts that cannot comprehend waiting for a long term outcome, it’s a relatively new thing for our monkey brains to need long-term thinking.

You have to convince your brain every time it has an urge that derails your goals that the long term outcome is necessary for survival, each possible failure has to seem like a real threat to present existence.

How can you do this? You have to interrupt the thought pattern, delay the thing you want to do (or not do) by just a little and you’ll find that it’s easier each time to win the battle. You create a space to react in the way that you want to, even if the delay itself is the win. We cheekily suggest a coffee break.

Not only does having a coffee give you a mental and physical break– it also have some incredible health benefits. How bad is coffee for you? How good is coffee for you? Is coffee good for weight loss? Find your answers here, in a special little something we whipped up earlier. You’ll never put one down now.

Study goals and career goals – drink coffee!

With all our time to think about our lives, and how we really want them to be – it shouldn’t be a surprise that a lot of us are switching careers, changing study direction or up skilling. The professional development and education sector are having a bonanza of a time.

Short term careers goals, long term career goals – they’re all under the microscope as we take stock of the last couple of years and what we really want. Some common career goals examples include:

- Working less hours

- Joining a new industry

- Getting into your dream role or pursuing study for a life passion

- Getting a better salary or remuneration package

- Learning a new skill

- Meeting new people

- Starting a business

- Becoming an expert in your field with further study

So what is it about coffee that helps us meet those goals? That’s easy. Some of it’s the caffeine in coffee, some of its more about the way we think and live:

- Routines – with routine comes discipline

- Rituals – daily rituals are part of routine, but the ritual itself is what gives us mental comfort in what can be new and anxiety-inducing times

- Increased concentration – coffee is well known and scientifically proven to increase alertness and concentration, with better study and work performance outcomes in the right intake

- Increased productivity – It’s not what you think. Increases to productivity, creativity and knowledge retention are often linked to taking frequent breaks

If you’re thinking about switching up your career either by a new course of study or by jumping into a different industry, the humble coffee can not only be the stability in exciting chaos – it’ll actually help you think more clearly about it too.

Socialising and family time – drink coffee!

One of the biggest things we’ve taken away from our times in lockdown is how much we were missing our family and friends. Whether you were locked up with them and it made you realise how much you were missing out on (or not), or it was painful to be away from them for so long – it really put things into perspective for a lot of us.

Most of us wish we could spend less time working and more time with our loved ones. Many of us are re-prioritising this, and trying to find ways that we can incorporate this social need into our working hours. This might be by working together, choosing more flexible working arrangements and times, cutting down on our work hours overall or making sure to really appreciate each other when we do have time together.

One of the most culturally important parts of Australian socialising is going out for a coffee. In the pandemic we had much of those options removed, and we saw how many social groups and regular gatherings relied solely on this ritual to spend time with each other. Thankfully, the takeaway coffee prevailed, and many of us took advantage of being able to grab one and have a walk with one friend or family member if they were in our local LGA.

Coffee isn’t something that discriminates. It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you come from, there is a place for everyone to gather and connect when it comes to coffee. It might be having one at home with your family or visitors. It could be meeting up at a local café. It’s even there at sporting events and ‘driver reviver’ stops on long journeys.

If there was anything that highlighted the importance of coffee during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was this dynamic: Coffee is part of how our community connects, and part of how we come together.

Saving money – drink coffee!

This year we were shown that having a good time and connecting with those you love doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be a $5 takeaway coffee and a stroll.

It has also shown us that we might like online shopping more than we thought – eep!

I’d say quite a few of us are promising that in the new year we’re going to use the phrase “treat yourself!” a little more reasonably, and trying to do a little budget damage control.

But as we transition to a more flexible working environment and pursue our goals with a fresh perspective in mind, investing in a home coffee machine or alternative brewing set up is on the cards for many of us. When you work alone, you’re more likely to seek out social interaction by visiting the local café more often – maybe you’re even working in one.

So it might be time to consider buying the best coffee machine you can to save you some dollars, and meet those New Year financial goals. A coffee at home can be far less than $1 to make, and comes with the same host of benefits listed above, including:

- Cheaper mental breaks

- Increased productivity, decreased spending

- Helping you concentrate on meeting your goals

- Being able to host coffee catch ups at home

- Making a coffee for the road

- Drinking more delicious coffee and doing stuff faster

If that isn’t an absolute life hack for beating your New Year Resolutions to the finish line, we don’t know what is.

Crush your New Years Resolutions by drinking more coffee – it works, we swear!

We could go on all day and night about how coffee basically runs the world, but we’re pretty sure we are preaching to the converted right now

So if you’re looking to get a head start on your goals and setting yourself up for success our advice is clear: get yourself a great coffee set up, and plan all the ways it’s going to help you achieve your New Year goals. Worst case scenario, you’ll be drinking great coffee and have a great rejoinder for anyone who criticises your purchase.

If you’re looking for a more convincing argument, or just someone to support your cause – talk to the Crema Coffee Garage team about how we can help inspire your ultimate brewing experience. It’s kind of a big deal.