Your December Break Left Clues. Here’s How to Use Them – Part 2.

Last week we started collecting the data.

We reflected on three things that shape the holiday mindset more than we realise:

  • your nervous system

  • your boundaries

  • your attention + energy

And if you only change those three things this year, you will already feel a shift.

But there are a few more themes that matter just as much — because they’re the ones that make you feel like you again.

This isn’t about having more time.

It’s about living with more intention.

So here’s the rest of the data.

4) Identity Data (Who were you when you weren’t performing?).

Many people come back from a break thinking they need to “get themselves together.”

But what if the holiday version of you is actually the more authentic version?

Reflect:

  • Who was I when I wasn’t in performance mode?

  • What parts of me came back online?

  • What did I enjoy that I usually dismiss as unproductive?

  • What did I feel proud of… without achieving anything?

  • What did I remember about myself?

Notice this: The holiday mindset isn’t about time. It’s about permission.

Make it practical:

Choose one small action that reflects the holiday version of you:

  • do one “unproductive” thing this week on purpose

  • bring back a hobby once a week, without pressure to be good at it

  • wear something that makes you feel good, not just professional

  • let yourself be lighter, funnier, more playful — even when it’s busy

  • create a slower start to your day (even 10 minutes slower)

The work year becomes heavy when you’re always in prove-yourself mode. So ask: What would it look like to live as myself this year — not just work as myself?

5) Rhythm + Routine Data (What did your days feel like?).

Holidays feel calm because your rhythm changes.

The day isn’t constantly broken.

Reflect:

  • What were my mornings like?

  • What were my afternoons like?

  • What did I do slower?

  • When did I feel most rested?

  • What time was I going to sleep?

  • What did I do before bed?

Notice this: The holiday mindset doesn’t start in the morning. It starts the night before.

Make it practical:

Instead of overhauling your schedule, choose one “rhythm anchor”:

  • a morning start ritual (coffee outside, journaling, quiet)

  • a lunch break away from your desk

  • a 15-minute walk in the afternoon

  • a shutdown ritual at the end of the workday

  • a bedtime routine that starts 30 minutes earlier

  • putting your phone away before you sleep

The rhythm of your day is the rhythm of your mind.

6) Joy Data (Joy is data too).

Joy isn’t frivolous.

It’s information.

Reflect:

  • What made me laugh the most?

  • What moments made me feel most alive?

  • What did I do just because?

  • What felt playful?

  • What felt nourishing?

Notice this: Without joy, everything becomes a grind — even the things you love.

Make it practical:

Bring joy back in small doses (not once a year):

  • a playlist that changes your mood instantly

  • listening to music while you make dinner

  • a walk with no agenda

  • sitting outside with your coffee

  • planning one small thing weekly to look forward to

  • doing something creative once a week

Joy is not a reward. It’s fuel.

7) Connection Data (Protect connection like it’s a non-negotiable).

For many people, the best part of the holiday mindset is that you remember you’re a human being — not a machine.

You connect more. You laugh more. You feel supported.

Then work begins again and connection becomes “nice-to-have.”

Reflect:

What kind of connection did I have over the break that I want to keep?

Make it practical:

  • a monthly lunch or dinner

  • a weekly WhatsApp check-in

  • a standing coffee catch-up

  • a walk with someone instead of alone

  • a voice note instead of a quick text

Connection isn’t a luxury. It’s a nervous system strategy.

Final Thought: The Holiday Mindset Isn’t Reserved for December.

The holiday mindset isn’t something you stumble into.

It’s something you choose.

And you choose it by noticing what calmed you, what nourished you, what connected you, what made you feel like yourself again…

Then you build the year from there.

Maybe the question isn’t: How do I get through this year?

Maybe it’s: How do I want to feel while I live it?

Here's to a new kind of 2026,

Warm wishes,

Lori

Lori Milner