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So as a coach for 22 years I am offering you the alternative balm to soothe the tattered psyche which is to forget the magaziney New Year/New You schtick. This is not the best time of year to work against the elements and try and do more and eat less.
However the bleak winter months can be a very useful time for planning, reflection, rumination and letting go of what no longer serves you.
But if even that sounds like hard work for those of you for whom busyness itself is what life is all about then here are a few simple but profound ways to creatively loaf your way to excellence. Counter-intuitive they may be but good things lie in doing less and living more.
1. Reframing rest as self-care
2. Ditch society’s guilt trip re Point 1
3. Take time to reflect on last year. What worked, what didn’t, what did you learn, what will you do differently?
4. Get a very clear idea on what you want (then do the easy list of what you don’t want) for the year ahead.
5. Not seeing life as a competition you have to win
6. Catching up with yourself with quiet moments and allowing the mind to settle and reset
7. Prioritising things that matter and bring joy only to you. Have a go-to joy list.
8. Listening to your body and scanning it for stress, pain or tension. Practice noticing.
9. Napping
10. Switching off from outside noise i.e. digitally detoxing from social media and catching up on some good reading.
11. Tending your pot plants
12. Having quality time with your pets
13. Look at what you are avoiding or procrastinating over – therein lies potential for change
14. Stop comparing your life to others or how things were in the past. Focus on being in the now
15. Dropping anxiety about the future and cultivating curiosity instead
16. Saying “no” to anything that feels draggy or you will resent (instant energy booster this point)
17. Nourishing yourself over punishing regimes
18. Willpower is a non-sustainable source – opt for “want to” power which will get you to your goals with more ease.
19. Make way for new beginnings but letting go of clutter at home, in your work and in your social life.
20. Being “responsibly selfish” by prioritising your needs over others thus being a more energized partner, parent, relative, colleague and friend.
21. Make a list of what is most important to you in life and aim to focus more on that this year.
22. Daydream and dream big.
23. Invest in the latest softwear – i.e. slippers, dressing gown, leggings etc 😉
24. Appreciate what is and the blessings you have. What we focus on expands (and that includes the negative)
25. Conscientiously goof off for a bit of responsible deviancy.
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