So, how is the new year treating you so far? Still in the same routine but yearning to make some changes? At the start of the year I wrote about how you can Be SMART this year by setting objectives to help you achieve a goal or challenge.  But what if you haven’t got anything specific you want to achieve but know you want, or need, to make some changes to your life.  We all know how easy it is to fall into habits which over time can become routine and, let’s face it, not much fun.  Make this year the year you re-energise your life and start having fun again.  Here are my 10 Top Tips to Re-energise Your Life.

1. Make time for yourself – whether it’s 30 minutes a day, a couple of hours on the weekend, a night out with friends or a weekend away, you’ll benefit from time away from your routine. Trying new things and having new experiences will give you a renewed sense of self and help you to remember that you deserve to be you.
2. Have spa days – there’s nothing more relaxing than a day at the spa and even better when enjoyed with your girlfriends. Choose treatments that will help you to relax and de-stress.  A little bit of pampering, a healthy lunch and tranquility helps to relax the mind and body.
3. De-clutter your home – if your home feels untidy or over full it’s time to have a good honest de-clutter. Whether it’s clothes or house hold items if you’ve not worn them in over a year or used them in the last couple of years, the likely hood is your not going to.  You can either donate to your favourite charity or sell to help fund things on this list.
4. Undertake a creative project – you don’t have to be hugely arty to be creative.  Start of with something small for example making a cushion cover, re-painting an old piece of furniture, painting pottery.  You’ll soon find a craft that suits you.  There are lots of workshops available if you don’t want to go it alone. This is also a great way to meet new people.
5. Visit a new country – if you always go to the same country for your annual vacation, this year try somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.  This might not translate to a two week vacation, but could be one week and two long weekends, or even several long weekends through the year. Dividing your vacation time up will give you more opportunity to travel to new countries and have new experiences.
6. Have a staycation – there are two ways to approach a staycation 1. stay at home but plan for a weekend or a week that you will visit a new place or have a new experience every day.  During this time don’t do any chores or normal things they are out of bounds 2. stay for a weekend in a town you often visit and be a tourist exploring all it has to offer.
7. Take up a new hobby – whether this is crafty, sporty, culinary or literary taking up something new will give you a renewed sense of accomplishment.  If you’ve always been meaning to do this, then make it this year.  There’s no excuse for being too busy, re-evaluate how you divide your time and work at making the time to fit in a new hobby.
8. Re-evaluate how you respond to invites – depending how you currently answer start saying the opposite more often.  If you always say yes to invites, but really want to say no, then try it and see what happens. We often say yes just to please others, when we’d really prefer to be doing something else.  On the flip side if you always turn invites down, then start saying yes. You never know who you might meet, or experiences you might have.  Whichever side of the fence you are on, I suspect you’ll discover a more balanced life.
9. Read a paper book – whether paperback or hardback, just make sure it’s paper.  We’re spending too much time looking at screens of all sizes, it’s time to get back to basics and enjoy flipping through pages. But don’t skip to the back page and spoil the story!
10. Have cultural days – there are so many interesting buildings, museums and monuments around whether in your home town, close by or in another country.  Take time on the weekend, or when on vacation, to discover and enjoy your surroundings.  Learning new things keeps our minds active.