New Year, new you?

If you are like me, you will have returned from an all - too - brief break and are feeling a little pinch around the waistline.

I'm sure this suit required a belt last year. That little bit of growth is worth remembering if you are shopping for clothes in the never ending Boxing Day sales.

If Christmas is a time for socialising, relaxing and excess, January is when we refocus on our professional and personal lives and live a frugal life of hibernation. It's a good feeling to come back to a clear desk and slightly less bulging inbox, but keeping it that way takes effort. It's not just our desks that get cleared and tidied but also our minds. A new year is when most people reassess their lives and their goals.

Family lawyers know this better than anyone, as 'divorce day' returns to the news cycle once again. For a few days, divorce statistics, expert opinion and provocative questions would encourage anyone to consider divorce. As John van der Luit-Drummond asked in his blog this week, is 'divorce day' a self-fulfilling prophecy for the legal sector?

The New Year also brings with it aspirational resolutions. Yes, once again I will do my filing straight away, close my completed time recording down at the end of each day and leave my desk at lunch time for a walk (or run) around the park. Grand plans can quickly go unrealised, so I have taken to being increasingly realistic year on year. Giant strides have become baby steps and I seem to get much further now as a result.

You will see some changes here at SJ over the next few months as we introduce new features, opportunities to get involved with and some top notch commentary, opinion, reporting and interviews. We are always happy to hear from you, on Twitter, LinkedIn or by email.

In addition, for those of you looking for great value continuing professional development (CPD), and would like to meet the team, you will be delighted to hear that SJ Live will also return in February, with workshops across most practice areas. It will be wonderful to see you there. I'm going to get my running shoes on now. I need to make the most of this enthusiasm while it lasts.

Kevin Poulter, editor at large

#SJPOULTER 

editorial@solicitorsjournal.co.uk