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December inevitably brings the pre-holiday rush. Most people dive so deeply into it, fantasizing and planning for the next year, that they forget this one isn’t over yet.
How you finish this year will define everything that follows! So, take a deep breath… and then get started on these goals we've prepared for you. They'll help you greet 2025 with joy and ease. Whether it's career, personal life, mental health, home, hobbies, or loved ones-you'll cover it all the bases and finally breathe a sigh of relief!
So, to transform your life already in 2024, finish it successfully, and not wait for 2025 to make a change, you need to…
1. Finish What You've Started
This applies to both personal and professional projects. While work tasks may be tricky to wrap up-after all, they don't always depend solely on you-personal tasks like finally finishing that book you've been reading for two months or consuming last year's canned goods should be manageable. If there are lingering conflicts, resolve them now and leave them in the past year! Finish that partially completed online Lectera course, attend the remaining sessions on your gym pass, redeem the gift card you were given long ago, finally use that special cream you've been saving, and clear any small loans or personal debts, especially if you promised someone something and never followed through. By doing this, you'll have far fewer problems and hassles in the coming year!
2. Plan a Mini Getaway with Family or Friends
Dedicate at least one weekend day in December to spend quality time with the people who matter most to you. December is the perfect time for this! Ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, tubing, park walks with warm thermos, theater performances, or ice sculpture exhibitions. Winter offers a variety of activities, and it's a great excuse to finally visit your grandmother you haven't seen in a while or gather the whole family for a playful snowball fight.
3. Get an Advent Calendar Immediately-or Make One Yourself
Do you know what an advent calendar is? It's essentially a box with small "windows" you open each day to reveal a surprise. Many stores design their own ready-made calendars, like coffee advent calendars offering a new coffee flavor each day, or beauty calendars with daily treats like perfume samples, lipstick, or shower gel. Of course, the fancier the contents, the pricier the calendar-most people start buying them in November. But you can still grab one now! Think about what you like and what brings you joy. There are advent calendars with tea bags, candies, jewelry, and even office supplies. Each day becomes a delightful surprise since you never know what's inside the next "window."
Fun Tip! Turn a box of assorted candies or a pack of chocolate eggs with toys into your personal advent calendar. One day, one treat, and one little figurine! It's a fantastic activity for both you and your child.
4. Start Keeping a Planner and an Emotion Journal
This will genuinely help you enter 2025 more smoothly because it's one of the most beneficial habits you can introduce into your life. The idea is to start planning your tasks and tracking your emotions. Both are equally essential and effective, especially for work, if you're prone to stress, negative emotional outbursts, or mood swings.
Begin managing both your emotional state and your schedule in December so that you won't have to build this habit from scratch in the new year! December is an easier time to start for a simple reason-it's filled with festive cheer. Write down who you've bought gifts for, when you're going shopping, what you're planning to cook, and your project deadlines. At the same time, note moments of high motivation and good moods. Change becomes much easier when it feels light and positive.
5. Impose a "Moratorium" on Impulse Purchases
We get it-when everything around you sparkles and shines, it's almost impossible to resist the urge to buy it all, spending your entire paycheck on the first day. But that's the challenge, isn't it? For December, set a rule to use only the decorations, accessories, and other festive items you already have without buying anything new-or at least, limit yourself to a specific budget. Gifts for loved ones are, of course, an exception, but even there, track your expenses and set spending limits.
This kind of "exercise" will help you manage your budget better in the coming year. After all, if you can resist splurging during the holidays, imagine how easy it will be to control your spending during regular days!
Fun Tip! You can periodically impose such "moratoriums" as a way to prevent impulsive shopping-not permanently, but for specific periods, like two months a year every six months. It's an excellent way to save for a trip or a bigger purchase!
6. Reflect on the Year
How could you skip this step? The best time to reflect on the year isn't the very last day of December but rather early or mid-month. This way, you still have a few weeks to "catch up" if you're dissatisfied with any results. For instance, if you realize you haven't read a single professional book all year, there's still time to fix it! The most important part, however, is to analyze the following questions:
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What new things did you learn about yourself, your personality, and your abilities?
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Which planned goals did you accomplish? Are the unfinished ones still relevant?
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Did you take care of yourself? How?
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What would you do differently this year if you had a second chance?
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What new experiences were most valuable for you, regardless of whether they were positive or negative?
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What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
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What healthy habits did you develop this year?
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Who are you especially grateful to for their help, advice, and support?
7. Add Meaning to Small Things (and Beauty!)
Are you still fastening papers with plain, boring clips? Writing with a simple black pen? Cooking in an old pan with a scratched surface or brewing tea in the first mug you grab? Add more meaning to your daily routines and make even the smallest, most mundane tasks feel thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing. In the office, swap regular clips for golden ones shaped like leaves or animals. In the kitchen, use beautiful enamel cookware. When brewing tea, take a moment to thoughtfully choose the mug you'd like to drink from today and stir it with a lovely spoon you brought back from a trip abroad.
The problem with modern life is the automation with which we live. December, a time when we crave coziness and beauty, is the perfect moment to "re-engage" with your own life. The simplest way to do this is to introduce variety and joy into your everyday tasks.
8. Spend One or More Evenings Alone
Learning to enjoy solitude and reap its benefits is a skill worth mastering, primarily for your own well-being. It's one of the best forms of self-care-to learn to take pleasure in silence and activities that don't require anyone else. Plan a spa night, order your favorite food, watch a movie with a bucket of sweet popcorn and a glass of wine, read a book by an electric fireplace while wrapped in a cozy blanket, or take an early morning walk in the woods when the frosty air feels crisp and invigorating.
These "solo pauses" are great for reducing stress, even if you're an extrovert who thrives on social interaction. It's also an ideal opportunity to combine this time with reflecting on the year or writing in your emotions journal, as both are best done in solitude.
9. Update Your Resume
Even if you're not planning to look for a new job, take the time to compile all your achievements, successful projects, and skills into one document-it doesn't have to be shared! This can help you reflect on your career progress over the past year, assess what you've accomplished, and identify what you've learned. Compare your current resume to the one you had a year ago. You might realize it's time to ask your boss for a raise-or perhaps consider other opportunities if you feel like you've hit a glass ceiling.
10. Set Small Goals and Achieve Them
You still have an entire month to change anything, including yourself! Here are some small goals, including philosophical and abstract ones, that can help you see old things in a new light and live 2025 in a completely different way than you did the previous year:
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Learn to love what you never liked. Plain food, sweeping the floor, grocery shopping-these may seem dull and tiring, but try to hi find the positives and enhance the experience with music, like jazz. For instance, plain food lets you savor the natural flavors of roasted vegetables, a trip to the store becomes a refreshing walk, and sweeping the floor becomes part of clearing out the old and unnecessary.
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Give unused items a new home. Surely you have new beautiful things you never use? Someone else might fall in love with them or truly need them. Pack them into a box, leave them in your building's shared area, or gift them to friends.
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Find meaning in what you do. Why do you work at this company? Why this one in particular? What value do you bring to others and the world? Recognizing the worth of your actions is true self-realization. You don't need to search for some grand "purpose"-you can find it in what you already do!
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Learn to maintain momentum. Do you start things and then abandon them? Or gradually slow down without realizing you've stopped altogether? Why? Identify unfinished tasks and minimize the obstacles that stopped you. For example, if you gave up yoga because you lacked time, try incorporating quick poses at your desk-there are techniques designed for this!
You don't have to wait for 2025 to start fresh. No more promises this time-just start taking action! December is perfect for this. It's the ideal time to "warm up" and practice. Don't miss the chance to combine self-improvement with the joy of the upcoming holiday season.
