Why Slowing Down in the New Year Is Actually Natural and Avoids Burnout

Ep 260: In this episode, Allison and Ceara share about the importance of reflecting and evaluating on the previous year before jumping into new goals. We highlight our personal desire to find the balance between starting the year in a restful and restorative way, but also setting your north star for the year to capitalize on the new year energy. We share tangible ways you can reflect, organize and plan the upcoming months such as categorizing with the 8 dimensions of wellness or creating a ‘school curriculum.’

In the catch up segment, we both share updates of our Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations. Ceara spent the week in Charlotte with her siblings and parents. They played a lot of games that were a huge hit with the group. Allison’s mom and sister came to The Netherlands so they got to meet baby Hayes.

TAKEAWAYS:

• Slowing down in January is aligned with nature, not a sign of laziness.
• Refining and narrowing down your goals can avoid burnout.
• Reflection before goal-setting creates clarity.
• Starting the year with intention rather than pressure.
• Use frameworks like the 8 dimensions of wellness to evaluate.
• Creating a “personal curriculum” can organize priorities in a fun way.
• Slower pacing often fosters creativity, clarity, and deeper insight.
• Doing less sometimes leads to more.
• The quieter start of the year allows space for emotional processing.

RELATED EPISODES:

Episode # 100 - 100 Ways To Improve Your Life

Episode # 108 - Self-Care Series: 8 Dimensions of Wellness

Episode # 117 - How the ‘8 Dimensions of Wellness Series’ Changed Our Lives

Episode # 244 - How to Make Your Own Personal Curriculum

MENTIONS:

Ceara’s Family Game Suggestions - Wavelength, Scattegories, JackBox, We’re Not Really Strangers Family Edition, Karaoke Machine, Pickleball

Allison’s Family Outing - Alpaca Eco Farm

DIY 2026 Goal Punch Cards - Video on TikTok

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