Welcome to
The Unlocking
Plough Monday approaches! Luckily for us, in 2026 we’re not reliant on 16th century agricultural labour, but we are taking this opportunity to consider the coming year and invest in having a 2026 which is in line with who we are and what we want.
The unlocking is not ‘new years resolutions’ or committing to a regime - which can sometimes make us feel trapped and set us up to fail. When life is busy and priorities change, we need space to change. The Unlocking leaves room for change whenever we want. The Unlocking brings joy and a sense of achievement, while cultivating optimism and strengthening our trust and confidence in ourselves through small actions.
So you've seen how it works (click here for a reminder), the basics are:
take on 40 little tasks, activities, challenges - in the broadest sense
between plough Monday and Easter - 12th Jan until April 5th
that's about three a week - this keeps it in our mind but not oppressive
How to set your challenges
1. Write a list but don’t stick to it!
Write a list of some ideas now, little and big things. You don’t need to come up with 40 things, leave room for ad-hoc ideas, these are some of the best - one year when walking with a friend I said “I'm going to see if I can run up that hill without stopping” - I did it. Another one was watching a woman in a cafe try to strike up friendly conversation, I decided to cancel my plans and chat to her for as long as our conversation took, we ended up talking about life, family, travel, our beliefs - it was beautiful. So leave lots of room for magic! On this page are some of the things people have said they’re doing this year, feel free to to add some to your list.
2. Make them one-off
They need to be one-off, they're not resolutions - instead of 'do this stretch every day' how about 'try a new stretch’ or ‘do my stretches in the garden', instead of 'say a daily affirmation’, instead 'write myself an affirmation and leave it by the bathroom mirror'. This takes the pressure off and you'll be amazed at what it creates room for. So make sure they are all individual one-off challenges that nudge you to do something out of the norm.
3. Be flexible
You don’t need to commit to anything - come up with new ideas if you change your focus, or extend something you're already doing. For example if you're learning to paint, why not set yourself a new challenge - maybe try an online tutorial, take a class or paint outdoors with natural materials. Keep an open mind for opportunities, if you hear of something happening that you could use as a challenge, then go with it - I went on a challenge to find firewood, knocking on doors to check if it was ok to take pallets, and ended up taking a woman and her husband to hospital because he was unwell - the woman talked to my daughter all the way there about what she thought of school - I heard more of her feelings about it than she had ever shared with me, an unexpectedly wonderful moment was born.
3. Keep track
Choose how you’ll keep track - a journal, scrapbook, photo diary, on social media - whatever you like. You don’t have to keep in touch, this can be private to you, but I’d love it if you did! If you post about them on Social Media - please do share with @The.HouseOutside
Some ideas people have shared for this year:
“learn a poem off by heart”
“jog slowly around the block without stopping”
“write a handwritten letter to my school friend”
“take my kids for a wet walk and get muddy”
“give blood”
“run up the nearest hill and home again”
“make myself a 'sea swimming box' in the car with costume, towel and crocs”
“donate 20 items of clothing to the charity shop”
“make a really nice salad dressing from scratch”
“go to a communal session at the beach sauna”
“find out what I need to do to become a volunteer dog walker”
“try swimming some lengths/distance in the sea”
“weed the little patch of communal ground near my home and pop some seeds and bulbs in”
What now?
I’d love to know your ideas and I’d love to keep in touch as the weeks progress to share what we’re up to. Let me know your thoughts here