6 Simple Tips to Flourish in 2026

I truly can’t believe it’s 2026!

It’s easy to say every year that the past year flew by, but for 2025, it’s so true. As we start this new year, I wanted to share 6 easy tips that will help us flourish in 2026.

These tips are super simple and yet they can change your life, and I’ve already started applying them myself.

1.      Clean Out Your Inbox

Sometimes it’s the little things that can stress us out the most. One of those things for me is a cluttered email inbox.

I encourage you to go through your email subscriptions and opt out of the types of emails you don’t need, such as marketing promotions and other unnecessary categories for each subscription that aren’t useful for your purposes. This simple step helps you avoid the endless compounding of unnecessary notifications that don’t serve any purpose other than cluttering your inbox and probably stressing you out.

You will start your year with an inbox that’s clean and will only provide you with the essentials as you progress through your year. 

No more wasting time sifting through junk emails!

2.      Social Media Refresh

If you feel led to take a fast from social media altogether for January, by all means, do so. However, what I’ve chosen to do is to declutter my Instagram feed by resetting my content preferences.

Go to Settings > Scroll to “What you see” > Content Preferences > Reset Suggested Content

This simple setting will refresh your feed by not showing any more random reels based on your past activity, leaving you with a fresh start and hopefully a less likelihood of wasted time doom scrolling.

This simple adjustment leaves you with a fresh algorithm for the new year!

3.      Set One Achievable Lifestyle Goal

Each new year, millions of people create resolutions usually revolving around lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. But how many of those people actually achieve their goals by the end of the year?

To change this trend, I think it’s better to start with one lifestyle goal that is realistic. Then, once we make that goal a habit, we can start building from there.

As for me, I’m setting a realistic goal of doing at least 20 minutes of an upper body workout on Thursday of each week. My discipline in this area is lacking… so this is a good start for building this into my weekly routine.

Choose one small achievable goal related to your lifestyle this year, and see what progress you make as something small becomes a habit that will eventually be second nature for you!

4.      Set A Character Goal

Although I agree that setting goals in our natural lifestyle is very important, I believe setting goals in our character often gets overlooked when making our new year’s resolutions.

Afterall, the world we live in is centered on the exterior, the outward appearance. But God is looking at our heart.

I’d invite you to take some time to reflect with the Lord on what area of your character He wants you to focus on this year.

Is it kindness? Is it compassion? Is it forgiveness? Is it patience?

For me, it’s that last one!

Once you’ve found your area of focus for this year, you can start by researching this virtue in the Bible and then begin to write down or meditate on those particular Scriptures. This will help you keep them in the forefront of your mind as you go throughout your year.

5.      Plan Your Fun Sabbath

In this fast-paced world where busyness and accomplishments can easily become our sense of self-worth, it’s so important that we implement a routine of sabbath.

No matter what day of the week you choose to prioritize rest, I think sabbath is much more enjoyable when you do what you love.

For me, that’s getting out my tea set and having a tea party for one (and inviting the lord into it!) This is my quiet place to relax.

But maybe your version of sabbath rest is going on a walk, playing a sport with your spouse, going out to eat at a restaurant with your family, gardening, drawing… Whatever it is, make  sure you enjoy it and it truly refreshes you and brings you rest for your soul.

Take a moment to think of your ideal sabbath activity and plan how you can implement this into your weekly routine as we move into this new year.

6.      Start with Surrender

No matter where you are in your relationship with God, I encourage you to start 2026 with surrender.

Maybe 2025 was a wonderful year for you. Or, maybe as you reflect on last year, your heart is weighed down by disappointment, regret or grief.

But, despite how last year looked, 2026 is a new beginning for you!

I know I talk about this frequently, but it’s one of my passions. Psalm 139:16 tells us that our lives were written down by God in a book before we were born, meaning you are here on this earth at this time on purpose and for a purpose.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

The best way we can approach this new year is to surrender it to the Lord, to put it on the altar, so to speak.

I love to pray this simple prayer often: “Lord, teach me and show me Your will.”

Remember, god is a gentleman, meaning He will not volunteer information until we seek Him.

So, as you consistently ask Him what His will is for you this year, He will direct your steps. Even if you don’t have a clear answer yet, rest assured He is still working behind the scenes in your life, even using rejection or what appears to be negative or stagnant circumstances to help keep you on the route He has planned for you. In His often mysterious way, He is helping you avoid what steers you away from Him.

I’m sure we can all look back on our lives and see that in hindsight, what we thought we wanted and what we thought was best for us was truly not God’s best.

Happy New Year 2026 and may God bless you abundantly this year as you progress in your destiny and towards God’s bright future for you in His Kingdom!