07/01/2026
"New Year, New..." meh.
My birthday is on the 1st of January, so I totally get why Jan is a great time to come up with lots of ambitious resolutions, goals, targets... whatever we want to call them.
And yes, while I will be setting some "challenges" for myself in 2026, I am framing them as investment. Investment in myself, rather than a "new start" or a "new me".
Here are my three tips for investing in yourself (all free btw):
1) Reflection.
One thing the start and end of a year makes us do is reflect. But why wait 365 days to do it?
Every month I reflect on the previous month: what went well, what could have been better, client wins, my wins, personal highlights, etc. I often do it at my lowest and it helps to change my perspective, i.e. I get some!
I use Notion (notion.com) to do this. I have a planner with filters, and it's a recurring task.
2) Make the bed... or set small, achievable habits.
When I was really struggling with my mental health, my small habits were things like "get up", "brush my teeth", and "make the bed".
On my journey to recovery, the daily tasks we often take for granted have been replaced by more ambitious things, like "long run/walk with Diego" (image below) as I have got a half marathon this year. However, some small goals like "make coffee mindfully" and "make the bed" have remained.
There's something to be said for starting the day with consistent, small habits. I use Finch (finchcare.com) to help me with this.
3) Ask for feedback, regularly.
This could be from a family member, friend, partner, colleague, manager... really anyone in your life that you trust to help you with this investment in yourself.
As part of a leadership programme I enrolled in, I had to ask five people to describe me in three words and then collect those words. What came back made me think differently.
You could also ask things like... "What do you most admire about me?", "What's one thing that you think I could improve on?", or a more lighthearted: "If I was an animal, what do you think I would be?"
Think about your objective, and that will help with the who and what you ask.
DM me if you'd like to any extra tips with Notion, Finch, etc. And I'd love to hear if any of this helps you!
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If you're looking for other ways to invest in yourself, the first cohort of the Lead Next Workshop with Laura Leslie (siskincoaching.co.uk) and myself starts this February. These small group half-day workshops are designed for aspiring and new leaders. We are offering a significant discount to our first two cohorts as we want to work with you in developing this exciting programme. So that's £95 (instead of £299)!
Register your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ln2wHR9siN6bgwP3aAzdUrbg4g7uN-v_rRwpiKArcz4/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=117656068700998539785
