Rebalancing After the New Year

Tackling the Post-New Year Doldrums

Whether you’re recovering from a delightful and delicious CNY, or your new year’s resolutions are starting to lose a little bit of their shine in the lead up to March, the post-new year doldrums are something we have all experienced. You’ve been to all the parties and doled out – or received – the ang paos. The cauliflower rice is starting to get a little repetitive and the free sauna that comes with your new gym membership is starting to seem less exciting when compared to the hotter weather outside. This is the usual time when people start wondering, now what?

First, you should know you’re not alone. Post-new year doldrums catch everyone, no matter which new year they celebrate. Second, do not despair! There are many things you can do to shake up your life to bring back that lovely feeling of new expectations and possibilities. In this article, we will look at how to reclaim that feeling of looking forward to the future with a rejuvenated sense of excitement!

Seek harmony

The best way to achieve harmony is to be at peace within yourself as well as with your surroundings. You deserve a life where you don’t feel like you are always reacting instead of following a calm, pre-planned path.

Make some time to take a good look at your life over the past year and consider everything from the perspective of harmony.

Start by asking yourself what a harmonious life looks like to you, and write this down. Then note down activities and experiences you had over the past year that match your vision. If the list is a little too short for comfort, you already have your answer.

Next, ask yourself if you have a clear idea of what you would like your life to look like by the next new year. One year is a very reasonable time frame in which to not only affect gradual (and thus lasting change) but to also avoid feeling overwhelmed by trying to fix your entire future in one rush. Plus, it’s a great period of time in which to develop the habits you want to keep and phase out the habits that aren’t serving you.

Once you have set some goals, consider what you need to do to reach those goals? This is when your friends and family can come in and help you out. A great deal of an individual’s success and failure relies on them having or missing a strong support network. Get your tribe together, you may even be surprised by how grateful people are to find that they aren’t alone in wanting support to make positive changes for their future.

Set your priorities

Now, it’s time for the practical steps!

Establish a routine – many social science researchers have found that having a set routine for daily tasks allows you to have a calmer, more relaxed day. This is because the brain loves habits. You will be amazed at how much your stress levels reduce just from having a more structured day.

Declutter – Most people’s brains function better when they don’t have any mess weighing on them – physical or mental. Really pay attention to what items ease your life, and what is just taking up needed space in your house and mind. The huge china display cabinet you inherited from a dearly departed grand aunt may have a lot of sentiment attached, but it can mean just as much in the guest room where you don’t have to see it every day.

Reconnect – rejuvenate yourself through doing the things that you are truly passionate about. Allowing yourself to bring enjoyment back into your life can help you to truly achieve something nearing a work-life balance. Start that side hustle, set up a weekly game night with your family, start going out with your friends again. There is time for the things you want to make time for, so get your badminton racket re-strung and dig out that personalized tumbler you got for Christmas.

Find your (bank) balance

Money makes the world go round, and nothing makes this more clear than having to hand out ang paos or duit Raya. Obviously, giving out a colourful packet isn’t going to bankrupt you but it can be a good time to take a good hard look at your finances if it’s starting to feel that way. Reassuring yourself that your finances are being managed well can be a great way to feel at peace with where your life is at right now.

Plus, if you have more expenses than income, your finances are out of balance. Literally rebalancing them should be your highest priority. Check your debts, savings, current investment portfolio, and income sources.

If you do not have an investment portfolio and want to get started this year, consider reading the below KDI blog articles to help you get started:

If you do have an investment portfolio, maybe consider adjusting in a way that doesn’t make you feel too uncomfortable. Could you take on some investments that are a little riskier than your usual preference? Are there new assets on the market that might benefit your portfolio better? Reviewing your asset allocation can help you to see if any assets are underperforming and which ones could be giving you a better result.

Get Back into Balance With KDI

Kenanga Digital Investing (KDI) gives you the opportunity to start getting back on track with your financial goals. Maybe the goals you want to achieve by next year seem a bit out of reach for your current lifestyle. However, if the problem is financial, then KDI can offer you options for now and for later. Even if you don’t have a lot of cash to spare right now, KDI Save is a great way to start building up a nest egg to start or grow your investment portfolio.

Maybe you’ve realised that you need to further diversify your passive income to ensure that your future goals remain within your financial ability. KDI Invest’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robo-advisor gives you just the right mix of flexibility and diversification. KDI Invest leverages algorithmic data-based investing to give you access to a basket of selected Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) that represent some of today’s most popular investment assets.

Visit https://digitalinvesting.com.my/ to learn more.