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January is around the corner. It is the time when people start making new year resolutions and look forward to improving their lives.
In this post, you’ll be getting 20 things to do in January to start fresh and achieve your goals.
It is often said that any day is better when you are serious about making changes, developing new habits, and go after your dreams.
But the new year seems like a fresh start. It is the time of the year when you are mentally ready to leave your past behind and start a new chapter in your life.
You’re ready to take more challenges, get out of your comfort zone, make bucket lists for the year, and start developing new skills.
But to do any of that, you want to make sure you are on the right track and that’s what we’ll focus on today.
So, here are 20 tasks you can do to make sure you are getting started the right way.
Before we jump ahead, I recommend you to download new year resolution planner and start writing what you want to achieve this year. It will help you to narrow down your focus and prioritize what is important.
25 Things to Do In January To A Better Start Of The Year
1) Reflect on Your Previous Year’s Goals
If you set goals last year, reflect on how well you did.
Have you been able to achieve most of them or not? If not then why?
If you wanted to do or achieve something but could not be able to,
Here are some possibilities:
- You set goals but you were not consistent.
- You procrastinated.
- You did not have any strategy in place.
- You were not learning from the mistakes you were making.
- You were doing the same thing and expecting different results.
I used to make my new year goals and just after a few days I would forget about them and go back to my normal routine as what I wanted to achieve was out of my comfort zone.
2) Do A Life Audit
Next, the very important task to do in January is a life audit so you can understand where your focus needs to be this year.
There will be some areas in your life in which you are already doing better and you are happy.
These areas are also crucial to be noted as it will boost your confidence to work on where you are lacking.
10 Important life areas-
- Health
- Career
- Money
- Relationship With family / friends
- Romantic relationship
- Travel/adventure
- Personal Growth
- Fun and creativity
- Physical environment
- Happiness/life satisfaction
PS- These are just ideas, you can create your own wheel of life and add/remove anything you want to.
Anywhere between 6-12 categories would be great.
And rate them from 0 (not satisfied at all) to 10 (very happy) and from there decide where you want to make improvements.
3) Think Long Term
Before setting goals this year, think long term.
Do you know the best way to set long term goals and not get distracted is to clear your why.
Why do you want what you want?
Is it because you saw someone having it on Instagram or will this goal of yours transform your life for better and you will become a better version of yourself?
Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years from now?
Answer this question and if you think you SHOULD go for it then go for it. 🙂
Just make sure you’re not following the rat race.
4) Set New Years Goals The Right Way
This is connected to the previous ones (I am assuming you did the life audit).
Goals are important to keep your focus where it should be.
A lot of people find it difficult to keep up with one task as our attention span is getting shorter (all thanks to reels and shorts).
That’s why making new year goals can be a great move even if you have never really achieved them in the past years.
These goals will keep you motivated as you will have your priorities clear.
- Top 10 priorities in life and how to set them.
- Here are 100 Realistic new year goals to get inspiration.
- How to create your dream life in 2024 using this vision board.
5) Focus On Yourself
This hustle culture taught us how to grind all day and night in order to feel that you are doing something.
It doesn’t have to feel that way. Hard work is important but burning yourself out is not good for you.
Most don’t realize that, including myself.
I am learning this lesson slowly and started taking some time to focus on myself.
Focus on yourself means you are checking in with yourself, knowing what’s going on in your mind, looking after your needs, and spending some alone time with yourself.
It’s not selfish, it’s important.
6) Take One Step At A Time
Whether you want to break bad habits or develop new ones, taking one step at a time is a good way to stay motivated.
Breaking bad habits takes time.
And you have to be conscious about them as in most cases, we do them unconsciously.
But it’s possible to break them.
Leaving bad habits is a struggle but you can try to replace your bad habits with good ones.
For example: If you spend so much time in front of TV, replace this habit of yours with reading books and going for a walk outside.
Similarly, if you procrastinate, make a to-do list and take actions step by step and remind yourself why this is important for you.
This is why keeping a vision board in front of you is always recommended.
7) Learn one new skill
This is the fun part.
It does not have to be something you don’t like.
You could choose anything that you are interested in and become better at it.
Here are a few popular skills to learn-
- 1) Any language
- 2) Programming.
- 3) Photography.
- 4) Web design.
- 5) Cooking.
- 6) Graphic design.
There are endless skills to learn.
8) Create new skincare routine
As we are in the winter season, skin tends to dry and the chances are your summer skin care routine won’t work for this season.
Create a new skin care routine and invest in good quality products.
Your skin will thank you later!
9) Create new daily routine
If you are not new to creating a routine, you’d know that creating a routine is super fun and easy to do, right?
But following it every single day is super hard.
You’re in a never ending loop of making changes in your routine chart yet you can’t make a perfect one that you can follow.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Ask yourself, what is the most important thing for me today?
Write 3 top priority goals and work on them.
There’s no need to write down 10 tasks and overwhelm yourself.
10) Make yourself exercise every day
This is the most common new year goal for many people and for good reasons.
Because who doesn’t want to get into their best shape.
But most people don’t make any significant change in their physique even after a whole year.
Because they are not consistent.
They take a gym membership but every morning procrastinate to go there.
Do you know the reason behind why they do that?
In most cases, because they set unrealistic expectations for themselves.
For example: Workout for 30 minutes.
That is a super unrealistic goal in the beginning.
And when people can’t meet their expectations, they give up on their goals entirely.
When you are not used to exercising daily, even 5 minutes is a great start.
In the beginning, make yourself work out every day even for just 10 minutes.
Remember every minute counts.
11) Reflect on your eating habits
Workout and your eating habits go hand in hand.
If you mess up with any of those, the other one will suffer and you won’t get the desired result.
To reflect on your eating habits, take a piece of paper and write what you usually eat in a day.
Do you binge eat at midnight? Are you stuck at Emotional eating?
And ask yourself if this habit will get you the results?
If the answer is no, it’s time to change your eating habits.
Note- Replace your bad eating habits with good ones.
12) Allow yourself to make mistakes
It’s not like you make mistakes on purpose but it’s the part of the process when you want to achieve your goals.
What I want to say is that don’t stop yourself from trying out new things and new strategies.
At the end if it does not go as planned, learn from it.
13) Create a morning and night routine
A morning and night routine is equally important.
When you have a morning routine, the chances of you having a productive week is much much higher as you are starting your day on the right foot.
You are spending time in nature, doing workouts and spending some quality time with yourself.
Similarly having a night routine helps you rewind after a long and tough day.
It helps you relax and prepare for a good night’s sleep.
This way you’ll feel less overwhelmed and tackle your day more efficiently.
14) Declutter your life
Your physical declutter turns into a mental confusion.
You will have a hard time finding your stuff when you need them the most which often leads to frustration.
This is one of the best things to do in January to start a fresh life.
Declutter your wardrobe, kitchen, bedroom, and your work space.
Don’t forget digital declutter: your mailbox, unnecessary photos, and folders.
Once you’re done with physical declutter, the next step would be to declutter your mind.
15) Decorate your space
Decorating your space in January can be a great idea!
Imagine adding some colorful lights, rearranging furniture, or putting up artwork. It’s like giving your room a makeover!
A well-decorated space can make you feel happier and more relaxed.
Bright colors and personal touches can lift your spirits, especially during the winter months.
A decorated space feels more inviting.
It’s a wonderful feeling to come home to a place that reflects your personality.
16) Organize your wardrobe
Isn’t it a great feeling when you know exactly where everything is, especially in the morning when you’re in a hurry?
Organizing your wardrobe gives you a chance to go through your clothes and donate or sell items you no longer need.
It creates more space and reduces clutter.
When your wardrobe is organized, you can see all your options clearly.
This makes it easier to mix and match outfits, helping you create new styles without buying new clothes.
17) Create your reading bucket list
Think about the genres and topics you love.
Do you enjoy mysteries, self-help books, historical fiction, or maybe science fiction?
Your reading list should reflect your passions.
If you have books that you started but never finished, January is an excellent time to complete them.
Revisiting unfinished books can boost your interest in reading.
18) Start a new hobby
Starting a new hobby is an exciting way to bring more creativity, joy, and fulfillment into your life.
Enroll in a beginner’s class or find tutorials online.
Learning from others can provide structured guidance so you won’t feel alone.
There are often options to connect with other beginner students on the fb groups.
If you are looking for new ideas, start here: Hobby ideas for women in their 20s.
If you are serious and ready to learn further, you can try one month of skillshare for free.
19) Reflect on your finance
Finances aren’t static. Life changes, and so do your financial needs.
Regularly review your budget, expenses, and goals.
Adjust them as needed to stay on track.
20) Create a new income stream
If one of your goals this year is to pay off your debt, or become more financially independent, start a new income stream.
Building a new income stream is not an overnight thing.
It takes time but eventually all the hard work you put in now will pay off.
Final Thoughts-
Those were 20 things to do in January that will set the tone of your year.
Doing these things will make sure you’re starting your year right and when you look back at your progress in December this year, you will be proud of yourself for taking these actions.
And becoming a much better and new version of yourself.
If you feel like anything you do just isnt working, email me at stunningnewlifeblog@gmail.com and I will try to see what I can do to help you.
If you would like to add anything that I didn’t mention above, please do let me know in the comments below! I’d love to know from you all and don’t forget to get your free new year resolution planner.
omolola Salaam says
I’m glad I found this. Thank you so much.
disha says
So happy to hear that!
Naomie Moore says
Wish I would have found something like this when in my late teens/early 20’s. So 40+ years ago.
Great format. Giggled at get a new hobby. I have more hobbies that I can possibly handle, some are seasonal that weave in and out as the (calendar) seasons change. My climate is burning inferno and less hot and sprinkle in a little rain.
Obviously I am on the other side and all of this was decided years ago. Although I consult with my financial advisors at least once a year and typically a bit more depending on how things change. When I went into semi retirement – we made adjustments.
Right now I work at a dog boarding and daycare facility along with helping out on a few small family ranches and farms. There I get paid in food, eggs and a little cash. So cross of that gym membership.
Now for the good part, will take this in and talk to my staff. They are all young adults in college and can really use this to start off on the right foot.
Thank you so much!
Susan Winslow says
I don’t know why I find keeping to my New Years Resolutions is so hard. I’m hoping if I stick to this list at least for a half an hour a day I will be able to be successful.
Jackie says
Thanks so much for sharing these ideas! I am excited for a fresh start in 2024. Currently working on putting together my resolutions. I want to start with scheduling a professional carpet cleaning this month haha. Love a clean house to start the new year!
Sheila Quinn says
Hej totally inspired now… feel a thousand times more positive thank you so much xx
Amelia says
Definitely needed the reminder to declutter my life and space. I forget the impact that a clean home can have on my mood! It also helps that I’ve scheduled a floor refinishing next week, so I have no choice but to clean clean clean. Thanks for the tips!