Tips to help kickstart the new year

2026 is here and I'm sharing some tips on how to kickstart the new year, making the most of what's to come.

Last year felt like it whizzed by, and now we're back in January of 2026. Christmas has been and gone, schools have returned for the spring term, and most people have gone back to work.

January isn't a popular month for many people. It brings January blues, and can cause a lack of motivation, particularly when it's cold and rainy and dark.

However, January is also a time for fresh starts, new beginnings, and new habits. A lot of people set resolutions, or create vision boards and bingo cards, for the year ahead.

So, I'm sticking to the theme of motivation and sharing some tips to help kickstart the new year.

Keep up to date

One of the worst things that can happen is starting the new year and knowing nothing about what you've got going on. A lot of events and appointments may have been scheduled before Christmas, but it's easy to forget them.

Therefore, when it's the start of a new year, it can help to have a diary or a calendar.

Having a diary/calendar means you can write down everything you've got planned, birthdays and anniversaries, deadlines, etc. It doesn't have to be complicated or anything fancy, simply write down the dates.

If you want to go a step further, you can colour-code your entries. I use a different coloured pen for different topics; for example, purple is for birthdays, blue is for university, pink is for personal, and orange is for family.

However you want to design it, having a diary can make it easier to kickstart your new year by having all the important dates in one place.

Practice self-care

I know it's the start of the year, and a lot of people say, Be productive and get things done. And that's great, but one thing that should become a habit is self-care.

In today's world, stress has become more common, and so has burnout. So, this year, I'm preaching self-care.

Practising self-care will help make you more productive, put you in a better mood, and give you time to care for your physical and mental health away from the demands of work.

It doesn't have to be a huge ritual full of skincare products or a whole routine. It can simply be having a hot drink, snuggling up on the sofa, and watching a comfort movie. Or if you fancy it, a spa day, a solo date, a takeaway one evening, etc.

Just choose something that'll help you relax and indulge.

Exercise and repeat

Continuing along the lines of improving health, my next tip is all about your physical health.

Exercise is something everyone should add to their weekly routine. You can pick the form of exercise; if you're not a runner, don't force yourself to run, and if you don't like the gym, don't force yourself to sign up.

But choose a form of exercise that fits in with you and your routine. Something simple that you can do a couple of times a week.

By getting your body and mind used to exercising regularly at the start of the year, you'll build the habit to continue throughout the next 12 months.

This will help improve your physical health and your mental health with all those post-workout endorphins. You don't have to have a specific goal in mind, but just try to be active a couple of times a week for 20-30 minutes.

You'll thank yourself in December.

Aim for yearly goals

New Year's resolutions tend to last through January, but are sometimes given up quite quickly, much like vision boards and bingo cards.

My final tip is to aim for yearly goals. They don't have to be big; in fact, it's probably easier if they're smaller, more achievable goals.

Creating a list of some goals for the year gives you ample time to work towards achieving them. You don't have to set many; just a few will do, but by having these goals, you'll set yourself things to achieve and give yourself a new sense of motivation in January.

It will kickstart your year because you know it'll feel good when you can tick off each goal at the end of 2026.

So, as we're in January, I hope you all had a Happy New Year, and continue to have a fantastic 2026.

Until next time...