Fed up with the usual new year’s resolutions? We asked the experts how to improve your life in 2025 without doing anything too drastic.
Take baby steps to good health
Ella Mills, founder of Deliciously Ella and author of new book ‘Healthy Made Simple’
Healthy living isn’t about radical overhauls. It’s about small, simple, consistent decisions that nourish your mental and physical health. So, instead of trying to fix everything and berating yourself for inevitably falling off the impossibly unrealistic bandwagon, think about getting 1% closer to that goal each day.
Call on women
Harriet Harman, Labour MP & Mother of the House of Commons
Don’t think you’ve got to go it alone. Get your sisters around you.
Focus on the skills you do have
Edwina Dunn OBE, founder of educational charity The Female Lead*
Think about what you find easy at work. We all have natural talents but tend to undervalue them, just because we think everyone can do it. They can’t. We are all different and have our own strengths and weaknesses. So don’t worry about what you’re bad at, think mainly of what you love and are good at. That’s why others value you.
Get the bus
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Getting the bus is the best way to see a city and means you don’t need to worry about petrol and parking – plus you’re helping to decongest the roads. In London, with unlimited journeys within an hour costing only £1.75, it’s a bargain.
Stop postponing plans
Camille Charrière, writer and influencer
If you don’t feel like doing something today do not agree to it in a month. You will not be more excited to do it then and will no doubt end up cancelling.
Validate your partner
Darla Gale, family and marriage therapist and founder of Heartstrings Counselling
Validation is the secret ingredient to a happier, healthier relationship. When you validate your partner, you acknowledge and recognise their feelings, thoughts and experiences as legitimate. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with what they’re saying. You just have to be able to understand and empathise with their point of view. It can be as simple as saying, ‘I can understand why that would make you feel (insert emotion here).’
Dress for yourself
Tamu McPherson, founder of street-style site All The Pretty Birds and influencer
Wear the pieces that truly excite you.
Don’t strive for perfection
Sophy Ridge, Sky News presenter**
Women in particular feel they need to do everything perfectly or not at all and that can hold you back. Life is a lot easier when you cut yourself some slack. I remind myself of this when I’m interviewing politicians so I feel less intimidated, or when I first applied to be a political correspondent at Sky and had no TV experience. Don’t be a perfectionist.
Less (laundry) is more
Lauren Bravo, author of ‘Preloved’
Consider this permission to embrace the sniff test. Over-washing has a massive impact on the longevity and fit of our clothes – not to mention their carbon footprint. So instead stick to a spot wash for those little lunch souvenirs, invest in a laundry spray (Clothes Doctor and The Lab Co make delicious ones) and hang things outside in a breeze for a lazy refresh. Your wardrobe will thank you, and your energy bills will too.
Leave a bad date
Grace Campbell, comedian and podcaster†
Don’t be afraid to leave somewhere early. If I’m on a bad date, I cherish the moment where I get to leave, the moment I liberate myself from the torture of small talk. Knowing that I get to go home and lie down.
Capture each day
Alexandra Cameron, photographer
Try to document the beautiful little moments in life that we so often forget or overlook. The way the water runs down your window when it rains. The way the afternoon light dances on the wall. Capturing little moments can remind us to be present to life’s beauty and little joys, it can be a small moment of celebration and after a while you’ll notice more and more.
Speak up
Alison McGovern, Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Employment and Social Security
If you’re ever feeling nervous about public speaking, just remember: you can never talk too loudly or too slowly.
Go to the GP
Rachel Hibbert, breast cancer survivor††
My breast cancer diagnosis came as a huge shock to me as I never imagined facing it aged 34. Now I understand the importance of being aware of changes to my body, I’m incredibly passionate about encouraging others who are experiencing potential signs of cancer to contact their GP as soon as possible. No matter what the outcome, the NHS will be there for you so don’t be afraid to come forward. Finding cancer earlier makes it more treatable and could save your life.
Make peace with renting
Katherine Ormerod, author, journalist, fashion and DIY influencer
At 40 with two kids in tow, I have gone through feelings of serious anxiety about how precarious rental life can be. I’ve felt like I’ve failed my kids, that I’ve made terrible missteps and that I mustn’t be a success because I haven’t been able to achieve the financial stability that property ownership creates. Turning that narrative around has changed how I feel about so many things. The world has shifted and owning your forever home isn’t necessarily as good for your financial stability as it once was. It’s also out of reach for so many more than in generations past and you can still be a raging success in 2025 and be paying for your shelter PCM. By changing my mindset and stopping torturing myself over it, I have not just made my life easier, but also exponentially happier.
Prepare for your workout the night before
Emma Lovewell, Peloton instructor
An easy hack to make working out in the cold/dark months a little easier is to lay out your workout clothes the night before if you're doing an early workout. Working out in the mornning when there is daylight helps me as well. You could also invite a friend to do a workout with you to hold you both accountable.
Find your shade
Yasmin Salmon, make-up artist to the stars
When picking your foundation, look for the letters that are normally shown next to the foundation shade number. These letters are used to describe your undertone. If you have a yellow, peachy or golden hue you would
be W (warm). If you’re pinky, blue or red you would be C (cooler). Or if you’re neither you would be N (neutral). This little tip is the secret to finding your perfect shade of foundation.
Repeat after me: ‘it doesn’t matter’
Anna Mathur, psychotherapist, author and speaker
It makes life that little bit easier when I don’t tip into stress mode when things happen that are out of my control. ‘It doesn’t really matter,’ I say to myself as I eye up the noticeboard saying that the train is delayed, or I’ve double-booked a meeting. Sure, it’s frustrating, but these things happen, and this little sentence reminds
me that, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end of the world.
Do two food shops
Clare Seal, money expert @myfrugalyear
Try switching from one weekly shop to two – one for the weekend and the other for weekdays. I do this and it means that we only have to meal plan a few days in advance – great if you have ADHD – nothing goes off, so we waste very little, almost zero temptation to get a takeaway and the fridge and cupboards aren’t as full so we can easily see what we have got. It also reduces those top-up shops that always somehow cost at least £30.