January is a bit of a lie.
We roll into the new year still full from the holidays, running on broken sleep, and somehow expected to overhaul our entire lives in the coldest, darkest month of the year.
We set these big goals with good intentions, and then by February, most of us have let them slip or honestly, completely forgotten them. And maybe it’s less about being lazy and more about how January was never really the right time to begin.
March, on the other hand? March makes sense.
The days are getting noticeably longer. Flowers are starting to bloom. There’s something in the air — a collective exhale, like the world is slowly coming back online after months of hibernation.
Seasonally, energetically, and emotionally, March feels like the actual start of something new. So why are we still letting January hold all the weight?
This year, I’m reclaiming March as my Re-New Year. It’s a second chance to reset, refocus, and re-enter the year with intention. Think of it as spring cleaning, but for your goals, your mindset, and your environment. Here’s exactly what that looks like for me.
1. Reflect First, Before You Plan Anything
Before jumping into a new set of goals, I think it’s worth pausing to look back at where you started. What’s actually been working since January? What has left the chat? What did you commit to that, honestly, no longer makes sense for where you are right now?
This kind of reflection isn’t meant for you to judge yourself for falling short. It’s easy to keep a goal on your list just because you wrote it down three months ago, even when you know, deep down, it doesn’t fit anymore. The Re-New Year is permission to release what isn’t working and double down on what is.
Take 30 minutes to sit with your original goals. Journal it out, voice-memo it to yourself, talk it through with a friend. Whatever works. Just don’t skip this step. The clarity you get from reflecting will make everything that comes next so much more focused.
2. Use the 12 Week Year Concept
One framework that completely changed how I think about goals is the concept behind The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. The core idea is simple but powerful: instead of thinking in year-long timelines (which breed procrastination and vague planning), you treat every 12 weeks as its own “year.” The shorter window creates urgency and makes your goals feel far more tangible.
And here’s the thing, the timing right now is actually perfect for this.
December, January, and February naturally go together as a kind of unofficial first quarter. They’re cozy, slower months. Holiday recovery. Shorter days. Now that we’re in March, we’re essentially stepping into a fresh 12-week cycle. This is your new Q2 — and it’s a genuinely good one to work with. Spring energy is real, and it’s worth leaning into it.
Even if you’ve never read the book, you can borrow the concept easily: pick 3–5 things you want to focus on in the next 12 weeks, treat them with the same intentionality you’d give to year-long goals, and check in on your progress weekly. That’s it.
3. Set a Monthly Theme
This is one of my favorite practices and one I genuinely look forward to each month. Alongside specific goals, I choose a single word or phrase to act as a guiding energy for the month. It’s less prescriptive than a goal and more like a lens you carry with you.
This month, my theme is lucky.
I’ve been sitting with this idea that good things can happen all at once, that I don’t have to earn abundance slowly, one piece at a time. I want to deepen my belief in that. And with St. Patrick’s Day falling in March, “lucky” just felt right. It showed up naturally and I ran with it.
For the visual and organizational side of things, I love using Xanthe Appleyard’s Leisure Ethic Notion template to map out my intentions and goals for the month. I also make a Pinterest board that matches the theme. It sounds small, but having a visual anchor for the energy you’re cultivating is surprisingly grounding. If you’re a visual person, I really recommend trying it.
Your theme can be anything: abundance, clarity, boldness, ease, discipline, play. There’s no wrong answer. Just pick something that genuinely excites or challenges you right now.
4. Map Out 3–4 Specific, Grounded Goals
Once you have your reflection done and your theme set, it’s time to get specific. Not in a punishing, rigid way — but in a way that actually gives you something to act on.
I try to keep it to 3–4 goals per quarter. Fewer than that and you’re probably underselling yourself; more than that and you’re setting yourself up for overwhelm.
Within each goal, I try to get genuinely granular. Not just “grow my audience” but “post three times a week, pitch two collaborations, and show up to one in-person event this month.” Specificity is where goals go from wishful thinking to actionable plans.
But here’s the part people often forget: your plan is not precious. Check in with yourself weekly, or at minimum every two weeks, and ask whether what you’re doing is actually moving the needle. If it’s not, adjust. There is no single right way to reach a goal, and being flexible doesn’t mean you’re quitting or not doing it right. It shows that you’re determined as hell to get what you want.
The Re-New Year won’t be perfect, and it’s important that we dump that pressure for everything to go as planned. I believe it’s more about intentionality and staying committed to what you say you’re going to do. And you can start again, at any time.
Spring is here (okay technically not yet, but to me, it is). The year isn’t over. In many ways, it’s just getting started.
Happy Re-New Year.