More AND less. What will you create more of and less of in 2025?

Full disclosure, there are moments when it feels almost impossible to write these emails. The weight of global events - wars, natural disasters, and upheaval - can make everyday activities seem trivial. But I remind myself that my privilege to not be directly facing such challenges comes with a responsibility: to keep moving forward, to value what I have, and to use what I can offer to support others. Because if there’s no point today, then when is there ever any point?

Even so, it’s hard not to fall into the trap of thinking that whatever I create needs to be profound and impactful enough to justify itself - a pressure that can paralyze. So, I’ve opted to keep this newsletter light and straightforward. 

For this month's Practical Magic, I want to support you to do some more gentle reflection and prioritisation of what works best for YOU, so that you can bring the best of yourself to the rest of the world. 

More AND Less

You may have seen the ‘ins and outs for 2025’ trend across social media. It’s one way to see what people value, it can spark ideas, and it can serve hard boundary setting, but it does not acknowledge nuance and context. 

Definitive yes’s and no’s are the ends of the spectrum, and I am always keen to consider the spaces between them, because in my experience that is where most of our life happens. 

A practical way I have found to experience magical results is to consider what I want more of and what I want less of. To illustrate this approach I am sharing my own ‘mores and lesses for 2025’. These are personal reflections - what feels true for me as I navigate this moment in time. I don’t assume they’ll all resonate with you, but I suspect there are some universal threads here for anyone striving to live consciously in today’s world.

Less X is more Y 

• Less stuff is more head space and physical space

• Less sitting/being stationary is more moving/inspiring

• Less sugar is more balanced energy and better health 

• Less seriousness is more whimsy and lightness and play 

• Less loungewear is more pleasing to my eyes and how I feel

• Less online courses is more experiential learning and in person connection 

• Less working from home all day is more stream of life energy and outside world connection  

• Less getting up and immediately checking my phone is more waking up, processing and reflection time in bed!

Taking (small, sustainable, realistic) action - examples

I share these not to brag, or apply any kind of pressure, but to hopefully share some ideas and inspire you to gift yourself small changes that make a big difference. 

Since writing my lists I have: 

• Bought an in-person course

• Committed to only eating dates (high fibre and no impact on blood sugar) for a sweet tooth hit

• Been getting rid of superfluous things, including actions on my list that realistically I will never get round to doing! 

The best change so far has been how I am experiencing my mornings. I have taken to waking up, drinking water, and journaling three pages before I clean my teeth. Keeping my head out of my phone and letting my mind express itself for a while without the distraction of online noise not only increases my focus (and protects my dopamine!) but also has been helping me prioritise and take action according to my own energy and timeline. 

Beyond my phone, the desire to spend less time on screens has led to my partner and I agreeing to a TV cutoff time of 9pm. Turns out we love it, because we actually get to bed by 10 and still have time to hang out and do some crosswords (highly erotic I know). The screen time limit has also motivated us to go to the movies more. Good quality content and spending quality time with my people. That’s how I want to be engaging with screens! 

What I would love for you

Less X = More Y is a simple equation which allows plenty of scope for you to find your own best and realistic ways to support your energy and intentionally shape your life. Try it for yourself. Spend 10 minutes, free flowing, filling out the equation, and generate a list of what you want more of and less of in 2025. Identify small ways you can take action. Try them out one at a time. Be gentle and kind with yourself while you do it, and notice how you feel and what changes. 

As always I would love to hear how you get on! 

Freya 

P.S. Here are three more ways you can experience my work... 

1 - You can sign up here for my monthly newsletter "Practical Magic". 

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I love to connect - please do leave a comment or share with someone you think this might benefit.