Celebrate the New Year by Bringing in New Energy

I’m making a big effort to bring in new energy to 2023 by doing things differently. I’m realising quite quickly that it’s all about small changes, which have a compound influence, and perhaps even support me in ways I didn’t expect.

Last week (9th January) was my first day back working in my business since the New Year. It was also my first time experimenting with themed days.

Avoiding Burn Out in 2023

Last year, I burnt out a lot. It was so frustrating. Part of this is down to my ‘all or nothing’ brain. Once I get an idea in my head, it’s pretty hard to let go of it. I have learned to love this trait, as it allows me to explore my passions. However, it can also easily create overwhelm and leave me totally exhausted.

To manage this better and not burn out. I don’t want to restrict my obsessive character, but instead create space for it to occur without causing problems.

Four Day Working Week

As an online business owner who works from home, it's easy to end up working most days. A little bit here and a little bit there, doesn’t feel like a problem at the time, but it soon becomes draining, which is why work is now limited to Monday to Thursday. I started experimenting with taking Friday to Sunday off at the end of last year, and discovered I recharged quicker and was much more focused on my dedicated work days.

Themed Days

To help maintain my focus over my four day working week and not overload myself, I’ve chosen to theme my days.

For two days, I work in my business. This involves anything to do with the products and services I sell to clients and customers.

The other two days are then spend on my business. This is where I focus on skill development, business growth, connecting with my tribe and expanding my audience.

Prioritising my Wellbeing

My Word of the Year for 2023 is wellbeing, and I feel my new weekly structure is helping honour that intention for the ahead.

If you would like to learn more about creating and working with a word of the year, check out the below links.

FREEBIE - Word of the Year Tarot & Oracle Card Journey

Blog - Wellbeing is my word of 2023

Blog - Choosing a Word of the Year in 2023

Welcoming Back Creativity

The extended time I now have available outside of my four day working week has opened up my creativity. Spending time being creative has been a real problem for me since the pandemic. Also, a commission with a very difficult client left me feeling empty and inadequate when it came to creating art, so I stopped creating for others and myself.

Painting Furniture (Nothing is Safe)

At the end of last year, I tried my hand at painting furniture. It began with a small drawer unit and moved to two side tables.

Blog - I Tried my Hand at Furniture Painting

In my home office, I have a room full of boring white Ikea furniture, which is uninspiring. I want to turn my office space into a space unique to me and reminds me of my creativity.

So far, I’ve painted my drawing table and office desk, and I love the new look. I’ve got two bookcases and a large cube shelving unit to go.

Moral of the Story

I guess the moral of this story is that by changing one thing in my life, I ended up with other benefits i would never have expected, and you can too.

I changed the structure of my working week to help me focus more and burn out less, and by doing so I opened up a big space to naturally explore my creativity again, rather than shoehorn it into pockets of time when I’m tired.

Look at the Big Picture

Step back for a moment and notice some of the change you have made as you started this year.

• What were they?
• What was the reason for the changes?
• What other unexpected benefits have you experienced as a result?

Make sure to acknowledge them and allow them to grow, as perhaps the secondary benefit was actually the one you wanted all along. I know mine was.

Sarah 💜

Hi, I'm Sarah... 

..astrologer, creatrix and life improvement enthusiast

I’m a big fan of using every tool available to create our best lives. It’s not always easy to see life’s challenges as opportunities, but as we learn to tune in to our own needs, explore our behaviours and make better future decisions, it becomes possible to craft an amazing journey for ourselves and those around us. My goal is to help you explore your own life, habits and behaviours in a way that can benefit you and those around you.

If you loved this article, then you’re going to love Cosmic Cuppa, my Monday morning motivational emails, where I share a peek behind the scenes of my own life and how I use astrology, at and self-development to explore ways to show up and be better every day. I also send a digest of my weekly blog articles every Thursday.