Slow-anuary: Ditch the resolutions & Make January 2024 Your Warm-Up Month

For reasons I long believed in myself, January has long been considered the perfect month of the year to leap into action, kickstart new habits and go after our dreams. But what if we've been getting it wrong all along? You don't need a scientific study, really, to know that new year’s resolutions don’t work: 90 per cent of them end up failing and more than half of them have been forgotten by the time we hit February. Perhaps expecting ourselves to have the energy to go after new dreams and projects when we are in the midst of winter and only just recovering from the exhaustion of Christmas is, in fact, just setting us up to fail.

So, this year I’d like to suggest that we try something a little different: instead of seeing January as a month to go leaping into action from day one, chasing after new dreams, habits and goals; we look at it instead as the warm-up month of the year. A time to go slow, to take stock and give ourselves the space to really get clear on what we want this next year to be all about, so that come February, we are ready and have the energy to get started on making those dreams a reality.

If that sounds good to you (it sure does to me), then here are six steps that will help you to embrace a slow January — Slowanuary, if I may — and use the first month of the year as a time to rest, reflect, dream and design a life you love.

Focus on filling up your cup

Use January as a month to finally lean into hibernation mode as much as possible. Snuggle in and enjoy relaxing and restorative activities that fill up your cup, such as candlelit baths, meditative walks out in nature, reading, making things, or watching your favourite films. Enjoy the simple pleasures in life that you don’t have so much time for when you're rushing around during the rest of the year.

By taking things slow in January, you’ll give yourself a valuable opportunity to really reflect back on all that you’ve been through over the past year – the happiest moments, the challenges you’ve overcome and all that you’ve learnt along the way.

Doing this can really help you to process and acknowledge what you’ve been through, while also helping you get clear on what you want the next year to be all about.

Get clear on what ingredients you want to fill your life with in 2024

While you’re still in reflective mode, use it to forward at the year to come and create a list of the ingredients you want to fill your life with over the coming year: the activities, people, places and simple pleasures.

Start by writing down what activities make you feel alive, whether it's going to live music, laughing with friends, cooking, creating or swimming in the sea. Then write down the people you want to spend more time with and the kinds of people you’d like to meet.

Next, write a list of the places you want to spend more time in, whether that’s specific places like your favourite cafe or park, or types of places, such as art galleries or festivals.

And finally, write a list of the simple pleasures you enjoy in life, such as reading a novel, lying in a hammock or catching up with old friends. You now have a clear list of the ingredients you’re going to focus on filling your life with in 2024.

Allow yourself to dream

While January might not be a good time for getting started on new projects, it is a good time for dreaming up what those new projects in 2024 could be. Get started by imagining that you have a magic wand that can magically change any part of your life or make any dream of yours come true.

But you can only have three wishes. What dreams or changes to your life would you choose to make happen in 2024?

Set an intention for the year that will help you to flourish

Now that you’ve given yourself plenty of time and space to get clear on what ingredients you want to fill your life with in 2024 and the dreams you want to go after, it’s time to set an intention for the year that really helps to anchor you to the ingredients and dreams you most want to focus on.

You might set an intention around how you want to feel in 2024, such as '2024 is my year of vitality'; a positive change you want to bring about in your life, such as '2024 is my year of changing career', or an experience you want more of this coming year, such as '2024 is my year of fun'.

Start weaving your ingredients and dreams into your calendar

The final step to setting yourself up so that you are ready to design a life you love in 2024, is to weave the ingredients and dreams you’ve been coming up with, into your calendar. Because when it comes to designing a life you love, your calendar is your number one tool. It is the real-life magic wand that helps to take your dreams and intentions off the page and into your life, until you are living them.

So take out your calendar and for now choose three things you want to make sure you fill your life with over the next three months. For example, you might schedule into your calendar 30 minutes of walking out in nature three mornings a week at 9am.

You might make Wednesday night your creativity night if 2024 is your year of creativity, or if hanging out with friends is an important ingredient for you this year, you might decide to plan a trip away with friends in two months time — so schedule in the date for the trip plus time to plan the trip and book travel and accommodation.

Follow these six steps and by the end of January, not only will you feel fully rested and recharged, but you’ll also be clear on what you want 2024 to be all about and with a plan already in your calendar for how you’re going to start making it happen. Bring on Slowanuary.