At a Glance
- Experts from organization, fitness, finance, risk, and politics share New Year transition advice, from letting go to small habits and systemic thinking.
- Key themes: emotional letting-go, small weekly habits, separating holidays from goals, and systemic thinking.
- Practical steps include a brain dump, nine weekly tasks, and a gradual fitness ramp-up.
- Why it matters: It gives readers a roadmap to realistic resolutions and smoother change.
As December winds down, people look back and plan ahead. A panel of professionals from diverse fields offered practical advice on how to navigate the shift into a new year.
Emotional & Physical Transitions
Professional organizer Laura Olivares emphasizes the emotional side of change. She says letting go deserves a moment and that acknowledging feelings can ease the move to a new chapter.
- Letting go deserves a moment.
- Acknowledge feelings before moving on.
- Brain dump thoughts and goals in December.
- Schedule tasks before Jan. 1.
- Plan nine tasks across three days each week.
Laura Olivares said:
> “When you let go of something that was meaningful to you, it deserves a moment,” she says. “Whatever that moment is, could be a second, could just be an acknowledgement of it. Or maybe you set it on the mantle and you think about it for a while and when you’re ready to let it go, you let it go.”
Managing Risk and Uncertainty
Actuary R. Dale Hall reminds us that no crystal ball exists. He advises separating holiday joy from financial planning and accepting that some events are beyond control.
R. Dale Hall said:
> “It’s the nature of taking risk, right? That yeah, there are going to be uncontrollable things,” Hall says. “There are ways to maybe diversify those risks or mitigate those risks, but no one has that perfect crystal ball that’s going to see three, six, nine, 12 months into the future.”
R. Dale Hall added:
> “Keep ’em separate. He recommends people enjoy the holidays and hold off on financial goals until January.”
Finance and Systemic Thinking
Personal-finance educator Dana Miranda stresses nuance and systemic context. She warns against one-size-fits-all rules and encourages tying financial choices to broader social structures.
Dana Miranda said:
> “We tend to be not good at talking about the nuances and that leaves people with, ‘Here’s the one right rule. It’s not possible for you to achieve that perfection, so I’m just going to feel ashamed of every move that I make that is not moving toward that perfect goal.'”
Dana Miranda added:
> “The way that I try to move that needle just a little bit is to always bring in that political aspect to whatever conversation we’re having … to make the systemic and the cultural impact visible.”
Fitness and Small Habits
Personal trainer Keri Harvey recommends starting small. She advises realistic weekly goals and incorporating enjoyable activities to avoid negative associations.
Keri Harvey said:
> “We want to be mindful of making sure that we’re not asking too much or trying to overcompensate for what we feel like we left behind this past year or what we feel like we left on the table this past year,” she says. “It’s very reasonable to try and have the goal of getting to the gym twice a week, maybe three times a week, and then building from there instead of saying ‘Jan. 1, I’m starting, I’m gonna be at the gym five days a week, two hours a day.’ That’s not realistic and it’s not kind to ourselves.”
Keri Harvey added:
> “Find things that you actually enjoy doing and try and fit those in as well so that the idea of starting something new or adding to it isn’t one that comes with a negative like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to have to do this,’ where you’re dragging yourself into it.”
Historical Perspective and Civil Rights
Political science professor Jeanne Theoharis draws lessons from Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. She argues that brave actions often lack certainty and that reckoning with history is essential for progress.
Jeanne Theoharis said:
> “A number of us would be willing to do something brave if we knew that it would work,” Theoharis says. “And we might even be willing to have some consequences. But part of what looking at the actual history of Rosa Parks or the actual history of the Montgomery bus boycott is in fact you have to make these stands with no sense that they will work.”
Jeanne Theoharis added:
> “It’s difficult to move forward if you’re not honestly addressing what’s come before. “Part of how we’ve gotten here is by that … lack of reckoning with ourselves, lack of reckoning with where we are, lack of reckoning with history.”
Key Takeaways
- Letting go and acknowledging emotions eases transition.
- Separate holiday joy from goal-setting; accept uncertainty.
- Small, realistic habits build lasting change.
- Systemic context matters in personal finance and social progress.
By weaving emotional awareness, practical habits, and broader perspective, the experts show that a new year can be a thoughtful, achievable reset rather than a daunting overhaul.
