New year, new you, right? That’s the way it’s supposed to be in January. But what if you aimed for a new year, sustainable you?

The last few years, since burning myself out and wrecking my back, I have approached New Year’s differently. Instead of focusing on grand resolutions that inevitably fail, my focus has been on small, sustainable habits that bring about long-term change. Instead of treating the new year as a deadline to overhaul my entire life and start again, I view it as more of a checkpoint.

This has resulted in a slower start to the new year. It means I don’t start feeling as if I am behind. I don’t start January with the feeling that I have already failed. It means I don’t feel like the new year has intense pressure before it even begins.

If you want to try this for yourself, start with a straightforward list of what worked for you in the past year and what didn’t. Things on my list that didn’t work in 2025 were

• Drinking caffeine after 12
• Doom scrolling in the hour before bed
• Consuming a high percentage of content based around the darker side of life (Think shows like Criminal Intent and SVU)

I am adding a disclaimer in here: your personal convictions about what you consume are your own. I am not saying these shows are bad; I am not saying watching them is bad. My only point is that I notice a distinctly negative shift in my thinking and attitude when I consume a lot of this sort of media, which is unfortunate because it’s my favourite genre.

Things that worked well for me in 2025 were things like

• Charging my phone in the kitchen at night
• starting my morning with a few minutes outside
• Being in God’s word before scrolling

Use these lists to pick a couple of habits to work on for the new year. I picked one I wanted to add in, no caffeine after 12. It’s something I have been inconsistent with, but I notice a big difference in my sleep when I am strict with it. I’ve identified three habits that I definitely want to stay in 2026. They are habits I have already built into my life, with some level of consistency. These habits are sustainable, low-key, and make a long-term difference to my mental health and well-being.

I use my daily planner to track my habits, which helps keep me accountable. I also discuss my progress with my coach. Once these habits become consistent, I will consider implementing other things I would like to do.

January is a great time to take stock of what is working and what isn’t in your life. It gives you a chance to pause and reevaluate, but it doesn’t have to be a complete life do-over. Instead of new year, new you, try aiming for new year, sustainable you.