How to Ease Into the New Year Without Burnout or Pressure
Every year there’s an unspoken pressure to get your life together and come up with a master plan so that you can ring in the new year as a brand-new person. Well, I don’t subscribe to this program.
Rather than racing to get your life in order before the calendar flips, I’ve started to practice a different type of new year tradition. For me, easing into January and letting my nervous system rest is an ideal way to celebrate the coming year. I think of it as a way to soften the transition, especially if there ARE things you want to build or change in the months ahead.
That Quiet Week Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
The week between Christmas and New Year’s exists in a kind of no-man’s-land. Time feels blurry. Emails slow down. Many people are away. The usual pace of life temporarily loosens its grip.
If you’re going to “accomplish” anything during this week, I’d argue the most meaningful thing you can do is rest.
There are very few times in the year when the collective expectation is to take it easy. That alone makes this week special. It’s a rare window where slowing down isn’t seen as falling behind. Intentional rest, if you can swing it, is deeply restorative.
Introducing a Change of Pace
During this last week of the year I’m very adamant that, in addition to relaxing, that my schedule and routine feels unlike the rest of the year. I don’t do anything dramatic, just slightly different. It might mean waking without an alarm clock or having a different approach to meals.
I keep what I call a ‘skeleton schedule’. It’s enough to feel grounded but light enough to feel like a break from the usual rigors of daily life. I still get my work done if I’m on the clock. I keep my basic routines like moving my body and paying some attention to nutrition and water intake. But other than that, I stick to a loose rhythm to the day. I don’t commit to anything extra so there isn’t pressure.
Clearing Space Without Overhauling Your Life
I know I’ve said I like to take it easy but there are certain things I make sure to do during this week to ensure I feel at ease.
One of my most important rituals happens on December 26th when I take down the Christmas tree and pack the decorations away. I’ve written about this before, but I like to do it while the season still feels festive. That way it doesn’t seem so depressing. It gives me an early sense of closure and signals that we’re transitioning. It also relieves the burden of having that chore hanging over my head. I like to think of it as an easy win.
Honestly, if that’s the only thing you do between Christmas and New Year, you’re already off to a good start.
After that, I do a gentle version of “clearing out.” Not a full reset. Not a deep clean. Just small, practical adjustments that make life easier.
If I want to eat more nutritiously in the new year, I set my fridge and kitchen up to support that. If I want my morning work routine to feel calmer, I adjust my office space to ensure I’ve organized there. I prioritise the areas that directly support the life I want to welcome into the next year.
Laundry still gets done. Life still happens. But the deep cleaning and total reorganising can wait until my regularly scheduled programming resumes. There’s no prize for exhausting yourself during what’s meant to be a restorative pause.
Laying Groundwork For New Habits Without Pressure
This is also when I quietly lay groundwork for bigger goals but without the stress of getting it perfect.
I might start a low-pressure habit like daily morning movement. Nothing ambitious. Just enough to reconnect with my body. Enough to remind myself that consistency doesn’t need intensity to be effective.
I personally like to start my “new year” in November as I’ve written in a previous blog post about having a personal new year. It gives me space to reflect early and avoid the stress that you might otherwise feel at the very end of the year.
Letting Rest Count as Progress
I happen to love the brief pause that occurs between Christmas and New Year’s Eve where it is perfectly acceptable (and sometimes necessary) to move at a slower pace. I don’t consider this to be wasted time at all. I take it as a call to recharge, reflect, and gently prepare for what’s next. Letting this week unfold with ease means I can step into the new year with a sense of calm and readiness for whatever lies ahead.
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