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# When the New Year shine starts to fade
- URL: https://www.ridiculouslyefficient.com/when-the-new-year-shine-starts-to-fade/
- Published: 2026-01-12T16:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-18T22:15:10.000Z
- Description: and life creeps back in…
- Author: Marissa Brassfield
- Tags: Vision-Execution, Energy & Alignment

By now, the New Year shine usually starts to fade.

The fresh notebooks.  
The clean calendar.  
The “this year will be different” feeling.

Life creeps back in fast.  
Old habits resurface.  
Time fills itself without asking.

And it’s the moment where you either commit to intention… or not. 

Here’s something simple I return to when things start to feel rushed again:

I notice **what I feel most grateful for** — and then I protect *that*.

If what you’re most grateful for right now is **quiet** →  
Block 15 minutes for silence, reading, a bath, or just sitting. Unplugged. Choose peace.

If it’s **connection** →  
Block 15 minutes to be fully present with one person. Phone down. Attention all the way there.

If it’s **your body feeling okay** →  
Block 15 minutes to move, stretch, walk, or breathe… not to optimize, just to care.

Put it on the calendar.  
Treat it like a meeting you wouldn’t cancel.

The [New Year](https://www.ridiculouslyefficient.com/a-new-year-note-wherever-youre-standing/) shouldn’t be about doing more…   
It should be a time to double down on what already matters, and let **that** be what shapes how you live.

And if you want help spotting *which* small change would give you the most breathing room right now, that’s exactly what my [Advisor Calls](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2QNJu66%5Fpkf2FkKmETl0eCXKbqrEZe4U4W2rh%5FO3gm4-dkFRbOv-e8ugjJZDjVB9Trgc1F7Yx1?ref=ridiculouslyefficient.com) are for. Often it’s one simple shift that changes everything.

Wherever you are in this season, I’m rooting for you.

Marissa

*That fading isn't failure. It's often the first sign of* [*the vision-execution gap*](https://www.ridiculouslyefficient.com/vision-execution-gap-sustainable-leadership/)*.*