At a Glance
- Experts give year-end advice on decluttering, risk planning, finance, and fitness.
- Advice includes acknowledging emotions, separating holiday spending, and building small weekly habits.
- Practical steps: brain dumps, risk scenario mapping, and gradual workout schedules.
- Why it matters: Helps people navigate transitions smoothly into 2026.
The end of December is a time for reflection, goal setting, and preparing for the new year. This feature gathers insights from a professional organizer, an actuary, a personal finance educator, a personal trainer, and a political science professor to offer a rounded view of how to transition effectively.
Emotional Transition and Decluttering
**Laura Olivares, co-founder of Silver Solutions, explains that even exciting changes can bring sadness.
Laura Olivares said:
> “Changes, even exciting ones, can unearth sadness or grief over places, things and people left behind. Acknowledging those feelings can help smooth the move from one chapter to another.”
She recommends letting go of meaningful items with a moment of acknowledgement, whether a second or a brief pause.
- Brain dump thoughts, ideas, and goals in December.
- Schedule tasks that move priorities forward before Jan. 1.
- Set three tasks on each of three days for a total of nine tasks per week.
Risk Planning and Financial Timing
R. Dale Hall, managing director of research at the Society of Actuaries, stresses that risk cannot be fully predicted.
R. Dale Hall said:
> “We can’t control or predict everything and must accept the possibility of something unexpected.”
R. Dale Hall said:
> “Keep ’em separate. I recommend people enjoy the holidays and hold off on financial goals until January.”
He advises keeping holiday spending separate from financial goal-setting, suggesting people enjoy the holidays and set goals in January.
- Map out risk scenarios and response strategies.
- Diversify or mitigate risks where possible.
- Hold off on new financial goals until the new year begins.
Dana Miranda, author of You Don’t Need a Budget, warns against rigid rules that cause shame.
Dana Miranda said:
> “We tend to be not good at talking about the nuances and that leaves people with, ‘Here’s the one right rule. It’s not possible for me to achieve that perfection, so I’m just going to feel ashamed of every move that I make that is not moving toward that perfect goal.”
She encourages incorporating political context into personal finance conversations to highlight systemic impacts.
Fitness Habits and Practical Steps
Keri Harvey, a certified personal trainer, emphasizes starting small to avoid injury.
Keri Harvey said:
> “We want to be mindful of making sure that we’re not asking too much or trying to overcompensate for what we feel like we left behind this past year or what we feel like we left on the table this past year.”
Keri Harvey said:
> “Find things that you actually enjoy doing and try and fit those in as well so that the idea of starting something new or adding to it isn’t one that comes with a negative like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to have to do this,’ where you’re dragging yourself into it.”
Her advice: aim for two to three gym visits per week, build gradually, and choose enjoyable activities.
- Warm up and include a mobility routine.
- Find fun workouts to reduce resistance to starting.
- Avoid unrealistic schedules such as five days a week, two hours a day from day one.
Historical Lessons on Change
Jeanne Theoharis, a political science professor, reminds readers that change often occurs without guaranteed success.
Jeanne Theoharis said:
> “A number of us would be willing to do something brave if we knew that it would work, and we might even be willing to have some consequences. But part of what looking at the actual history of Rosa Parks or the actual history of the Montgomery bus boycott is that you have to make these stands with no sense that they will work.”
She referenced voting rights erosion and the mythologizing of civil rights history.
Key Takeaways
- Acknowledge emotions when decluttering to ease transitions.
- Separate holiday spending from goal setting and plan risk scenarios.
- Build small, enjoyable habits in fitness and finance for lasting change.
As 2026 approaches, these experts provide a toolkit to help people turn reflection into action and start the new year with clarity and confidence.
