Take time to fully rest

KeDezemba is upon us and all we want to do is be merry, but let us not forget rest. This period of December into January goes by fast, and you do not want to enter the new year drained. Don’t carry the weight and fatigue of the last year into the new one. Rest and rest well using 1 or more of these 7 types of rest - physical, mental, social, sensory, spiritual, emotional and creative. If you are feeling burnt out after a demanding year, listen to this Modern Wisdom podcast to adequately recover from that.

“Rest and rejuvenation are two separate things. It’s like unplugging and charging. Just because you’re no longer draining the battery doesn’t automatically mean it gets recharged. Don’t confuse the need to rest with the equally important need to do things that rejuvenate you. You need time for both and one doesn’t automatically accomplish the other.” Rev Daniel

Declutter and reorganize

This can be in a holistic sense - your home, wardrobe, mind etc. Take stock of what you want to carry with you into the new year and what you can genuinely let go of through gifting to family and friends, donating or selling via Facebook marketplace or Yaga. Be honest to yourself about what is of genuine use to you and what is better suited elsewhere. Reorganizing is another task that can bring refreshment and a sense of newness to your space, as you shift and move items around your home, phone etc, it gets you to mentally experience them differently.

Don’t forget to unsubscribe from those unnecessary email newsletters too!

Financial Evaluation

South Africa is experiencing a tough economic climate, which will affect how much you have available to spend whilst accounting for the increasing cost of everyday necessities. Review your bank statements and get an understanding of how you are actively spending, ensuring you know exactly where your money is going. 22seven is a great money management platform that brings together your financial accounts from various platforms used across South Africa into one view with nudges on areas you can improve on. If this is not an ideal platform for you, trust in Excel to still give you the visibility you need.

After understanding the current state of your finances, consider what future plans you have for your money. Part of a potential goal can be through increased savings and investments. Savings challenges are a fun way to work on your savings, especially if doing so as part of a group plus you can create or adapt a savings challenge to your liking. Common ones include R1, 52-week savings challenge and more. Learn more about these in this detailed blog post. For investing, EasyEquities is one of the platforms to consider with low fees whilst offering access to global equities, exchange trade funds (ETFs), unit trusts and more.

Current year review and upcoming year planning

It is always good to take a moment to reflect on the year gone by so you can assess what you need to continue doing or do differently in the year to come. If you had a vision board, plan, or new year’s resolution, now is the time to resurface them as part of this analysis. Another fantastic tool for this reflection is YearCompass, a well-designed questionnaire exercise to guide this process. As you complete your YearCompass which covers both closing the current year and planning for the next, you can convert your planned year into a vision board, giving you a visual reminder of what you have set out to do. More detail on vision boards and goals are in this blog post. Consider writing notes to yourself to read in the future, they can be affirmations or anything you want them to be and FutureMe is a perfect tool for this.

Physical and mental health checkups

The beginning of the year is the perfect opportunity to realign your body and soul through booking your physical checks - health assessments as offered by your medical aid (blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, BMI, lifestyle report), HIV & STD testing, breast exam, teeth cleaning, pap smear, annual eye test and more. Check-in with your therapist so they too are in tune with where you are mentally. If you are seeking free mental health support, consider using these resources provided through SADAG, Lifeline and more.