How I Reset for the New Year

Happy 2022! I know some people hate the “New Year, New Me” mindset – to be honest I do too, I don’t think a new year will magically turn anyone into a new person – but I’ve always felt the new year is a great time to reset and reprioritize. You can do this anytime, but the start of a fresh year after the craziness of the holidays feels like the best time in my opinion. You don’t have to set any huge goals or commit to anything big, unless you want to of course, because there are other ways to reset and get ready for the year ahead!

Here are the ways I reset and get ready for the new year:

Reflect on the Past Year

This is my number one! What where the highs of your year? The lows? What went well? What could’ve gone better? What do you want to do more of? Less of? List your accomplishments. I think it’s so important to reflect on the past year and appreciate your successes, figure out where there may be room for improvement, and take inventory of where you’re at. I love Brighton Keller’s Self-Assessment, but I’m sure there are tons of resources out there to guide you! You don’t even have to do an exercise or worksheet if that’s not your thing, but for me it really helps to guide my thinking and to write it down on paper.

Take Time to Schedule/Complete Important To Dos

This is something I try to do between Christmas and New Year’s, but really anytime in the first few weeks of the New Year is good! If there’s anything you’ve been putting off or appointments you need to schedule, get it done! Kickoff your year with these either crossed off your list or scheduled. Think doctors appointments, tasks around the house, cleaning up Christmas decor, etc. My number one this year is to schedule an eye exam because the pandemic threw me off and it’s been over a year since my last one!

Get Inspired!

This can be different from person to person, but do something that makes you feel inspired. For me that could be reading a book, reading a magazine, browsing Pinterest, listening to a podcast (I’d recommend Glennon Doyle’s podcast or How’d She Do That?), talking a long walk, or catching up with friends! Whatever will get you excited and energized for the coming year. I received a few books for Christmas (here, here, and here) that I think will help inspire me this year!

Buy a New Planner or Journal

This isn’t for everyone, but a new planner is quite literally my favorite part of a new year. I’m using this one for 2022! I just love a fresh planner to help me stay organized, and I truly do use it all year long. For journaling, I have been using this Five Minute Journal since I’m not the best at writing a lot all at once. I love it because it’s quick, easy, and focuses on gratitude. I do have a blank journal too that I use on occasion to jot down thoughts, feelings, etc. Usually I use it for therapy so I can write down what I want to discuss and/or anything from a session I want to remember. Whatever the best, easiest system is for you, I think it’s great to have somewhere to write things down that you can look back on later!

Edit/Refresh My Space

It feels especially important after the holidays to clear out my space! That includes holiday decor, my closet, and even beauty products. If you’re feeling really ambitious I’d grab one of The Home Edit books (here and here)! In addition to editing out any clutter, the New Year always feels like a good time to refresh decor! I mean really any time is good for redecorating… I recently found these lamps which I’m excited to add to my room! Lamps or throw pillows are easy, inexpensive ways to refresh!

If you’re not into the goal-setting, then those are my main tips for a New Year’s reset! If you do like to set a goal or two, I have a few tips for that below!

Set Intentions for the New Year

Last, but not least, the most obvious way to reset for the new year! I like to set ‘intentions’ when it comes to a new year because I intend to do them, but I don’t feel too much pressure and I don’t get too upset with myself if I don’t accomplish them. I guess technically they are goals or resolutions, but I don’t think the terminology matters much. I am constantly setting intentions and creating lists of goals I’d like to accomplish, so this definitely isn’t just a January 1st thing for me. When I am doing this around the New Year though, I do find it helpful to have reflected on the past year before creating my intentions for the upcoming year.

I think a huge reason most people’s ‘resolutions’ don’t work is because they don’t put too much thought into them. Maybe someone says “Okay, this year I’ll watch less T.V.” That’s great! But if you don’t move beyond ‘watch less T.V.’ then you’re not setting yourself up with for success! So here’s how I move past the initial, broad ideas that become my goals or intentions. Ever heard of SMART goals or the GOST method? I learned about them in college, they’re what most comms professionals use to guide their goals, and I find it immensely helpful in any and all goal/intention setting.

Important note that not all my goals or intentions follow these exact parameters. They absolutely don’t need to. But for someone as Type A as I am, it really helps me dig in and figure out how I’m going to accomplish something. Both these methods refer to ‘goals’ but feel free to reframe it however you want, or pick and choose which parts serve you.

SMART GOALS

gost method

And then I break it down using the GOST model, which helps you get really specific on how to tackle a goal. Each Goal will have an Objective, a Strategy, and then as many Tactics as you want/need! Here’s a quick example:

SMART Goal: Move my body for at least 30 minutes, four times per week during 2022.

Objective: To keep my body & mind healthy.

Strategy: Make movement a priority in my schedule, and make it fun so I won’t want to cancel/skip.

Tactics: Schedule my workouts at the beginning of each week (try to schedule for the morning because that’s my favorite time to exercise), ask a friend to be my workout buddy/hold me accountable, discover which workouts are my favorites and rotate between them, create a playlist for working out.

You can also google these two methods for more in-depth explanations on how to use them. It’s been a minute since I’ve used them in a graded setting so I might not be giving the best example! But I would highly recommend, especially for any professional goals!

Choose a Word for the Year

You can do this after you create your intentions and choose a word that aligns with them, or do this first and then create intentions that your word inspires! Again you don’t have to do this, but I find it helps me. In 2021 I chose the word consistency and really noticed where I was succeeding and where I needed more of it. It was the first year I chose a word and I loved it! My word for this year is still FOCUS. I realized when talking to friends about this year and what I want to accomplish, I kept noticing myself saying “I want to focus on xyz.” It boils down to focusing on my body and my health (mental, physical, emotional, all of it!), because it’s really been put on the back-burner with the pandemic, starting my first job, etc.

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I hope you feel ready to take on 2022 after reading how I reset for the new year. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2022!

xx, c