by Damla
A happy 2026 to all!
We are starting off to a brand new year with brand new potential. Which means that it is a great time to reflect on what worked (and perhaps didn’t work so well) this past year, and to set some new goals and intentions for the new year to make the most of it.
Although setting a New Year’s resolution can feel a bit intimidating or unrealistic, I am here to remind you that your expectations and goals don’t need to be massive undertakings that target a head-to-toe change of your life. They can be small steps, a little change here and there, to make you feel like you are taking time to do something positive for yourself. It can be the intention to improve a skill, to be more consistent with what works for you, to spend a little more time on what you enjoy, or to try something entirely new.
Here is a handy little guide to help you get started with some of the most popular new year resolutions (or to maybe give you some ideas). Be kind to yourself and enjoy the journey. Best of luck!
“For the new year, I want to…”
Build Lasting Habits
This isn’t a book about making your time more productive… this is a book being more productive with your time. Learn from a Zen monk how to find calm, be more present and get more out of the time you have.
The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation.
The Atomic Habits Workbook – James Clear
Packed with tips, tricks, and activities, The Atomic Habits Workbook is your step-by-step guide to making small changes that will transform your habits and deliver remarkable results.
You can also find more book recommendations on building good habits (or avoiding harmful ones) HERE.
Travel More
The Travel Hack Handbook – Lonely Planet
As the cost of living and travel increases, Lonely Planet’s experts reveal the best ways to bag a bargain, whether it’s booking transport, a hotel or finding experiences that won’t break the bank.
The Art of Travel – Alain de Botton
The perfect antidote to those guides that tell us what to do when we get there, The Art of Travel tries to explain why we really went in the first place – and helpfully suggests how we might be happier on our journeys.
Roam Alone – Phoebe Smith and Jan Leeming
Travel literature collection of tales from travelers who go solo by necessity, and apprehensively, but learn to love it, from top travel writers to new authors. Part literature, part guide, with tips for successful solo travel.
Learn A New Language
Fluent Forever – Gabriel Wyner
This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.
The Bilingual Brain – Albert Costa
Costa offers an absorbing examination of the intricacies and impact of an extraordinary skill. Highly engaging and hugely informative, The Bilingual Brain leaves us all with a sense of wonder at how language works.
Lonely Planet: French Phrasebook 2026 Day-To-Day Calendar
Embark on a French adventure with this phrasebook calendar! Learn essential words and phrases for travel, dining, and more.
(Also available in Spanish and Italian)
Save More Money
Welcome to money made simple. Money Mentor is a friendly and practical guide to helping you piece together your own financial plan – step by step – leaving you feeling empowered and free to pursue the life you want.
Buy What You Love Without Going Broke – Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
In their book, Jen and Jill show you how to get control of your spending in a way that’s healthy, not shameful, while exploring topics like over-consumption, self-worth, and the insidious history behind our consumption-obsessed culture.
Money isn’t everything, but Bola shows how you can build your financial knowledge to enhance your well being, open up new possibilities, and achieve your life goals.
Get That Promotion At Work
Growth is not about the genius you possess – it’s about the character you develop. Grant explores how to build the character skills and motivational structures to realize our own potential, and how to design systems that create opportunities for those who have been underrated and overlooked.
The Performance Paradox – Eduardo Briceño
Discover how to balance learning and performing to bolster personal and team success with this revolutionary guide from a world-renowned expert on growth mindset. How can we give ourselves the space to experiment and grow while also delivering high-level results?
The Success Principles – Jack Canfield
In The Success Principles, Jack Canfield helps you get from where you are to where you want to be, teaching you how to increase your confidence, tackle daily challenges, live with passion and purpose, and realize all your ambitions.
Live A Healthier Lifestyle
Outlive – Peter Attia and Bill Gifford
This isn’t ‘biohacking,’ it’s science: a well-founded strategic approach to extending lifespan while improving our physical, cognitive and emotional health, making each decade better than the one before.
Real Healthy – Melissa Hemsley
With delicious, wholesome, and life-friendly recipes to help you eat well every day, Real Healthy provides easy and nourishing alternatives to help you reduce the amount of UPFs that end up on your plate.
Hiking Zen: Train Your Mind in Nature – Phap Xa, Phap Luu, and Jon Kabat-Zinn
Discover the joy of mindful walking and hiking, cultivate deep connection with the world around you, and ultimately embrace the path of happiness as a way of life.
Focus More On Self-Care
The Little Frog’s Guide to Self-Care – Maybell Eequay
Whether you need a boost, some encouragement or an honest view on the world, this book will fill your heart with love for yourself and others, and will remind you that it’s brave and wonderful of you to exist!
Mindfulness Cards – Rohan Gunatillake
This engaging deck makes it easy to bring awareness, calm, and joy to everyday life. Each card includes an inspiring phrase on the front and a bite-sized mindfulness exercise on the back.
Try Something New
365 Days of Creativity – Lorna Scobie
Featuring creative daily exercises and goal-setting as well as plenty of supportive prompts and tips, this fun and inspiring book will stir your imagination to put a little creativity into every day.
Danny Wallace had been saying no far too much. And his life was dull, dull, dull. Yet amazing things that happen when – after being told by a stranger to ‘Say yes more’ – Danny decides to say YES to EVERYTHING.
