I was delighted to write this end of year article for the Luxury Property Forum that guides its members in taking time over the Christmas and New Year break to reflect, recharge and prepare for 2026. It offers a framework for using these quieter days to regain focus, reconnect with what matters and shape the year ahead with intention and clarity.
This article was published on its platform on December 15 2025.
As the year comes to a close and with the latest UK Budget signalling another year of economic adjustment, many individuals and business leaders are taking time to reflect, reassess and plan for next year.
The pace of day-to-day life is often fast and leaves little time to step back and take stock. Yet the festive period between Christmas and New Year is a time when many slow down and find the time to gather their thoughts. It offers a natural pause, a chance to reflect on the year that has been, consider the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and step forward with greater clarity.
Here are five ways to reflect, reset and prepare yourself for the year ahead…
1. Reflect with intention guided by useful questions
Reflection works best when we are guided by thoughtful questions – the kind that help us slow down, go deeper and see things from new angles.
Before thinking about the future, take a moment to look back. Consider what shaped your year: the decisions you made, the challenges you faced, the small wins that lifted you, and the moments that stretched you.
Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted – your favourite corner, a café, a quiet room or a walk in nature and work through the questions I have shared. Take your time.
As you reflect, notice both the professional and the personal. They rarely sit apart. They shape each other more than we realise.
You can download my End of Year Reflection Questions as the end of this article to use as a guide
2. Choose ONE new habit that will genuinely support you
We often enter January with long lists of resolutions, only to feel disappointed by February. So here is a different approach – choose one new habit that would genuinely make the biggest difference to your well-being, focus or fulfilment.
Perhaps it’s protecting dedicated time for strategy and creative thinking, prioritising your health, or carving out time each week to nurture key relationships.
One client in the property sector who began a new role this year acknowledged that he had neglected his health this year. So, he’s easing into December with a routine that he can practise consistently before the new year arrives. By January it will be a habit that feels part of him.
Think about one habit your future self will thank you for – and make a commitment to it now. Small changes, consistently applied, lead to profound transformation.
3. Block out your holidays before your diary fills itself
Our diaries have a way of filling before we’ve had a chance to protect the things that matter most.
Even if you don’t yet know the destination, block out your holiday time for 2026 now. Treat it as non-negotiable. Moments of rest, joy and relaxation are not luxuries – they are essential to our resilience and ability to lead and live well.
I’ve already blocked out time in June and August, and simply seeing those dates in the diary lifts my energy.
4. Reconnect with the people who matter
Life gets busy – sometimes too busy – and suddenly we realise how much time has passed since we last spoke to someone who is important to us.
We all need strong support networks around us to thrive.
Reach out to someone who has supported you, or someone you’ve been meaning to catch up with. It doesn’t matter how long it has been. Often the conversations we have delayed for months are the ones that bring us the most joy and grounding.
Reconnection reminds us that we’re part of a wider network of care, encouragement and shared experience…something far more valuable than any to-do list.
5. Get clear on the future you want to create
Once you’ve reflected on your year, it becomes easier to think ahead – not from a place of pressure, but from a place of clarity.
What do you want your life to feel like in 2026? What kind of work do you want to be doing? What do you want less of? What do you want more of?
This is often the starting point for my Vision Intensive programme, designed to help you understand your motivations, values and purpose, and turn them into a grounded, inspiring plan for your future.
Two clients who recently completed the programme have already made meaningful changes for 2026, one stepping into a new role in January with a confident mind-set about the impact they will have, and another planning for their retirement in three years and what that exciting chapter will look like. Some of these have been brave choices, but they come from clarity.
Stepping into 2026
Preparing for a new year is less about reinvention and more about alignment with what matters most. By pausing long enough to reflect, reconnect and replenish, you create the clarity to make decisions that genuinely support your ambitions and wellbeing.
Take this moment for yourself. Step into 2026 with clarity, intention and a renewed sense of possibility.
If you would like to explore the questions and your answers further, then a Vision Intensive programme in the New Year may be something worth you exploring – I’d be happy to talk you through how it works to see if it is right for you. Contact me on team@potentialplus-int.com
Reflective Questions
Download a copy of my End of Year Reflection Questions sheet to guide your reflection process
Have a wonderful Christmas, Happy New Year and enjoy this reflective time!
Oona