January Reset

a fresh start & how I set myself up for the year ahead

December is one of my most favorite months, and then all the excitement is over and the lights are put away, and it’s the second week of January and…ho hum. It does feel like that, doesn’t it?

One surefire strategy to fight the doldrums is to have a plan…a vision…something exciting that needs execution and action. And so, nearly a decade ago, I devised The January Reset. For many years, I “went away” the first weekend in January to complete all the tasks outlined in this Reset. Some years, Ben and I have taken an overnight somewhere and done them together. But I have now loosened up my “completed the first weekend in January rule,” and I simply finish the list before February starts. This gives me SO much clarity as to what I need to accomplish in January that I hardly have time to pine for the Christmasness of December.

The first thing I do is fill out a brand new planner :D Ah, a fresh start! I’ve used many different styles over the years but have settled on a blank dot journal which I painstakingly draw out myself. One of these days I’m going to get it printed professionally so I don’t have to recreate the wheel each year. I’ve used three sizes (small, medium, and large,) and this year settled on the small one because I want it to be portable (I keep a paper calendar.)

I made a (very amateur) video showing you how I design my planner and then all the categories for my Reset. I’ll outline them below, as well, in case you aren’t able to watch a video. Without further ado...