Stop Promising Yourself a New Life: Why January Is for Trying, Not Committing
January has a bit of a reputation, doesn’t it?
New year. New plans. New habits. New you.
And suddenly it feels like if you don’t have a crystal-clear vision, a colour-coded plan, and a level of motivation usually reserved for Olympic athletes… you’re already behind.
But here’s the thing I see every single year, working with women who run brilliant businesses...
January pressure kills momentum.
Not because you don’t care.
Not because you’re lazy.
But because the expectation to commit to everything all at once is completely unrealistic.
What if January wasn’t for committing to a whole new life… but for trying NEW small things instead?
The problem with January pressure
Most of the women I speak to come into January already carrying a lot.
A full inbox.
Half-finished systems.
Client work that doesn’t stop just because it’s a new year.
Family life crashing around.
A brain that never really switches off.
Then January rolls in and adds another layer of social pressure/expectation...
This is the month you get everything together.
So you promise yourself things like...
“This is the year I finally get organised.”
“I’ll just be more disciplined.”
“I need to get on top of everything.”
But pressure doesn’t create progress.
It creates overwhelm, procrastination, and that horrible stuck feeling where you know what you want to do… but can’t quite get moving.
Experimentation vs deprivation
This all leads to one of the things that really winds me up about January culture and that's how much of it is rooted in deprivation.
Less fun.
Less rest.
Less flexibility.
Less spending.
Less joy.
As if the only way forward is to make life smaller for a while.
But deprivation rarely leads to sustainable change.
What I think works far better? Experimentation!
Trying things.
Testing ideas.
Seeing what actually fits your life and business before you lock yourself into it.
That might look like...
trying a new way of batching content instead of committing to daily posting forever
testing one system or process instead of rebuilding your whole backend
experimenting with support for a month rather than deciding everything up front
Small experiments build confidence and then confidence builds momentum and we all love that momentum leads to follow-through.
You don’t need to lock yourself in
One of the biggest blocks I see with women in business is the belief that every decision has to be permanent.
“If I start this, I have to keep it up.”
“If I change this, I need to stick to it.”
“If I ask for help, I need to know exactly what I want.”
You really don’t.(Atomic habits has a lot to answer for, right?)
You’re allowed to...
try something and decide it’s not for you
change your mind
adjust as you go
do things differently to how the internet says you should
most importantly- work with your energy and work when suits you and your energy/skills best.
January works best when- if you do want to try something new- you try, adapt, change and then choose to persevere and push or leave it. NOT when you just pick something and go for it hell for leather all year regardless of how it feels or fits!
Why this actually leads to follow-through
So I think that the truth is- most things don’t get done because there’s no space for them to get done.
It’s not a lack of ideas or a lack of ambition. Nope! It’s a lack of capacity, ability or skills.
When you’re holding everything yourself – admin, systems, emails, planning, client work, life admin – even the smallest new habit can feel like too much.
This is where support changes the game.
Not because you can’t cope, but because you shouldn’t do it all alone. Why should you be awesome at everything when you're already awesome and the thing that made you start the business in the first place.
When someone else is helping with the back-of-house stuff, you suddenly have...
headspace to think
energy to try things
time to follow through on he good stuff
permission to focus on what actually moves your business forward
space to actually be present and ENJOY the none work stuff! (That is allowed in fact massively encouraged round here).
And that’s when things start to stick.
What this means for you right now
If January already feels heavy, a final reminder...
You don’t need a brand-new life. You don’t need a perfect plan. You don’t need to commit to everything.
You just need to try one thing differently.
And if the thing that needs to change is the fact you’re doing too much on your own… that’s where I come in.
How working with a VA helps you try things (without the pressure)
When you work with me and my team at Ministry VA, we don’t expect you to arrive with everything figured out.
Most clients don’t.
In fact not one ever has!
They come feeling...
overwhelmed
behind on admin
stuck in their own head
unsure what to prioritise
desperate for things to feel lighter
We start small. We experiment. We support you where you actually are.
That means...
clearing mental load so you can focus
sorting one system at a time
creating structure that works with your brain
giving you breathing space to try things properly
Always in a simple, supportive, get-it-done way that makes progress feel possible (and dare I say exciting) again.
What could support look like for you?
If this blog has you thinking “I don’t need another plan but I do need space”, then let’s chat.
You don’t need to know exactly what you’d outsource.
You don’t need to have everything organised first.
You don’t need to commit to anything long-term.
A quick call is simply a chance to...
talk through what’s feeling heavy
explore what support could help
see if working together feels right
Book a no-pressure call here
But if you do anything, just remember- January doesn’t need to be about promising yourself a new life.
It can just be about trying something different and ENJOYING it!
