As we step into a new year, I wanted to share a ritual I have returned to every December for as long as I can remember. It is simple, grounding, and has quietly shaped some of the most meaningful chapters of my life.
I call it my visual diary.
Each year, before the calendars fill and the pace quickens, I take time to visually map the year I want to live inside. Not in goals or resolutions, but in feeling, texture and intention.
Sometimes it lives on a Pinterest board. Other years it becomes a physical collage spread across my dining table, with magazine clippings, old photographs, scraps of paper, scissors and glue. I always come back to the physical version.
It feels more real when it exists in my hands. There is something powerful about stepping away from screens and allowing space for thought, intuition and clarity. It becomes a pause before the year begins. A way to gently ask yourself what truly matters.
There are no rules here. This is not about who you should be or what you should achieve. It is not a productivity exercise or a checklist for self-improvement.
It is simply a visual diary of what you are moving toward, and how you want the year ahead to feel.
I wanted to share the way I approach mine, in case it offers you a place to begin.
How I want the year to feel
I always start with mood. Not outcomes, not milestones, but the emotional tone I want to live within.
Before I ask what I want to do, I ask how I want my days to feel when I wake up inside them.
For me, that often looks like calm mornings, a steadier pace, quiet confidence, moments of joy woven into the everyday, and more space to breathe. I choose a few words that capture that energy, then collect images that reflect it. Light, colour, texture, interiors, landscapes, fashion, moments of stillness.
This becomes the foundation. Everything else builds from here.
Future self habits
Next, I layer in the habits that support that feeling. Not dramatic changes, but small, quiet rituals that shape a year without announcing themselves.
Movement that feels good rather than punishing. Taking time with skincare instead of rushing through it. Drinking more water. Reading again. Cooking more often. Creating space for evenings that feel restorative rather than overstimulating.
These are the habits of the version of me I am moving toward. They are not aspirational in a distant way. They are practical, gentle and entirely achievable.
When I see them visually, they feel less like tasks and more like invitations.
Health and body alignment
Finally, I focus on what feeling well truly means to me. Not aesthetics, not pressure, but alignment.
Strength that feels supportive. Steady energy throughout the day. Deeper, more restorative sleep. A calmer nervous system. A body that feels listened to rather than pushed.
This part of the diary always reminds me that wellbeing is not about doing more. It is about creating conditions where the body can settle, repair and thrive.
Your visual diary does not need to be perfect or polished. It does not need to be shared. It only needs to feel honest.
I hope this practice helps you step into the year ahead with clarity, softness and a sense of direction that feels entirely your own.
Wishing you a year that feels deeply aligned, supported and true.
With all my love,
Felicity xo
