2023 Mantra: Get Organised, Stay Motivated and Watch Lots of Telly

Whether you're hibernating or spring-cleaning your way into 2023, this lot might help....

Hello hello! Welcome to the first Remotely catch-up of 2023.

Think it says it all this is landing in your inboxes at the tail end of the month really isn’t it….The hermit in me actually quite likes January. It’s quiet, it’s hibernation/Happy Valley season, and more often than not, it’s blissfully plan-free apart from maybe a holiday if you’re lucky. I was in luck this time as we delayed our honeymoon for 6 months (highly recommend) and disappeared off to the Serengeti a week into the new year for 10 days in the bush with only lions for neighbours (bliss). While delaying the inevitable shift into gear for another year has its perks, I was actually ready to get back by the end of our trip and move out of a blissful state of limbo and firmly into 2023. I’m not one for big resolutions anymore (I’ve realised this isn’t the way to engineer change for me), but I do like using January as an excuse to get organised and spring clean, whether that’s my wardrobe, my filing cabinet, or my phone. I actually find myself re-inspired come January, mostly down to the allure of travel and the feeling of a whole new clean slate of the year ahead as well as giving myself time to read, scroll, browse, and wander more than I normally do throughout the year.

So whether you’re struggling to get going this year or revelling in some new year motivation, I hope this month’s list of potential To-Dos will give you something to get your teeth stuck into. There’s also the usual dose of TV, films, podcasts, and favourite purchases of late to keep you inspired and never short of culture to consume.

1: lambswool cardigan - 2: skin food - 3: rug

FEEL GOOD

Here are just a few ideas for things to get you feeling motivated, inspired and good in your own skin. I can’t claim to have done all of them but they are all on my list. Maybe I’ll get around to them by January 2024….

• Learn the art of habit stacking. Creating a new habit is hard and famously takes 30 days to cement. Layering up what you want to be better at with what you already do helps you achieve it. For example, do you want to be better at taking your vitamins? Put them with your nighttime skincare routine or in the cupboard with your cereal to remind yourself to take them.

• Book a smear test.

• Book an eye test.

• Decant dry goods into glass Kilner jars to keep them fresher and keep an eye on supplies more easily.

• Have a piece of furniture reupholstered for a new lease of life and look at home.

• Go to Snappy Snaps, print out photos you love and stick them into mirror frames or post them to friends and family in them.

• Put a to-do list on the fridge and write down things as and when they run out. You and others can then easily see what needs ordering or buying when grocery shopping rather than guessing (is it just me who always seems to do online food orders when I’m not at home?!)

• Make a wish list of dreamy places to stay in your home country on Airbnb for last-minute weekend escape inspiration throughout the year.

• Work out your 3 style words a la stylist Allison Bornstein and declutter your wardrobe. Check out her TikTok for how-to.

• Book a holiday (even better, one with free cancellation so you can finalise plans later). January really is the best month to plan travel.

• Invest in therapy. There’s nothing that will help you and your relationships more if you’re able and willing to invest in it.

• Flog your de-cluttered bits and pieces at a car boot sale or on Depop and donate the takings to a charity.

• Clean those often-forgotten spots. Inside drawers, behind bathroom fittings and along the top of headboards.

• De-clutter your workout gear and only keep the pieces you enjoy putting on or that make you feel good.

• Rather than joining an expensive gym when you’re already time-poor, try an online pilates subscription like Fluidform. It’s without doubt one of the best new habits I got into in 2022. All you need is around 20 minutes a day, and a mat, and Fluidform will send you an equipment pack to get you going. It’s by far the easiest and most effective exercise to fit into a busy routine I’ve found.

• Want to read more? Try Audible - I read twice the amount of books thanks to listening to some on dog walks and whilst doing chores around the house.