Sundaze 268: New Year, back to work and content musings

Welcome to another year of Sundaze!

I don’t know about you, but I am oh so ready to continue capturing this syrup-slow, hope-filled Sunday mood throughout the year. After a quiet Christmas and quieter New Year’s, I’m really in my soft girl era and I love it. During Betwixmas, I felt really inspired to plan out plenty of blog content and make some Instagram content too. Have I finally become a Reels girlie?! Long may this continue, since Not Blogging tends to make me feel completely unlike myself.

A big thank you to everybody that took part in the 2023 Reader Survey, too! I’m keeping it open for another week, if you want to share your thoughts with me. I always enjoy this annual opportunity to check in on you all and see what is and isn’t working. I’m so pleased that all of the responses aligned with the content ideas that’ve been percolating in my mind – we love an in-tune community. To be honest, I feel at a bit of a loose end with several parts of my life, so I think it’ll be good for me to pour some creative energy into these digital pages.

The New Year start

Friends, I’ve started 2024 feeling emotional. I can’t put my finger on what exactly is it, which often means it’s a melting pot of reasons. So, I’m taking January slow and leaning into what I need in the moment. The goals I’ve set can wait a month or so; winter is a season of rest after all. I read somewhere on the Internet last year that it’s completely fine to set goals during a time when you feel ready for a clean slate, then begin working on them once you’ve properly restored and refuelled your energy. I love that.

As ever, there’ll be plenty of New Year content on Daisybutter and my other platforms this month. You’ll find think-pieces, cosy Reels, sustainable style, journalling and reading content, all in a (hopefully) manageable pattern.

The ultimate Sunday reset (last weekend)

You all know that I love a Sunday reset routine. Since my working week begins on a Monday, a Sunday reset is essential for me to ‘run’ the week effectively. So, you can imagine my excitement when I realised that New Year’s Day fell on a Monday. Cue the ultimate Sunday and Monday reset…

— Breakfast in bed
— Vitamins, probiotics and meds
— Gym session
— Grocery shop
— Big clean: dust, declutter, rearrange and hoover
— Meal prep: chop ingredients, clear out fridge, cook parts of meals ahead of time
— Declutter phone and MacBook folders
— Update phone and MacBook wallpapers
— End-of-year journalling
— Finish vision board
— Set up month-ahead in finance tracker
— Set up daily, weekly and monthly in bullet journal
— Shoot and schedule & Chai January content
— Read
— Cook a homemade New Year’s Eve dinner with my sister.

I’m also a huge fan of the ‘ins and outs’ trend on social media at the moment, so I’m definitely going to be adding these to at least some of my content in the coming weeks.

Back to work

Following my ultimate New Year’s Eve/Sunday reset, I felt incredibly excited and motivated to return to work on Tuesday. I’m really grateful to be in another job where I genuinely feel happy to be at work and surrounded by great people. 2024 is going to be a big year for work, I can feel it in my bones, and it all starts with me getting to lead my first campaign!

Hand in hand with that, I’m looking forward to making 2024 the ‘best year yet’ on Daisybutter. From brand partnerships to fresh content, returning to longer features and expanding my audience, I feel super determined to elevate this space once again. I’m really enjoying balancing work, my blog and my bookstagram. And, who knows? I’m tempted to dip my toe back into a splash of freelance writing work on the side too. We’ll see.

Ins

— New notebook page elation
— Wearing outfits again
— Nourishing homemade meals
— Crisp winter walks.

Outs

— Incessant rain
— Wasting notebooks ‘just because’ it’s January
— The sight of anything leftover-related
— No more Christmas lights.

Links I’ve Loved

Really enjoying using my Dermalogica Micellar Prebiotic Precleanse at the moment. It scrubs off my SPF and daily impurities so well, before I go in with my cleanser of choice.
Lizzie’s 2024 goals sound so well-rounded and I’m rooting for her to achieve them! Plus, her gyaru blog is a total dream to read. Lizzie shares casual posts and longer features, in that inimitable old-school blogger way.
If you’re trying to make use of the New Year start, The Everygirl have a weekly challenge on.
Productivity fans, you’ll love The English Everygirl, penned by Sian. This week, she wrote about her 24 goals for 2024.
Want to read more in 2024? Here’s the exact Kindle that I use.
And you can befriend me on Goodreads, too, to see what I’m reading.
My sister gifted me this build-your-own scenic bookcase model and I had SO many questions about it on Instagram. Pick yours up here.
Finally, I’m decluttering some of my things on Vinted to make room for my Christmas gifts and treats.