The New Year Starter Test

A new year feels like a clean page. Some people can't wait to write on it. Others would rather start something on a random Tuesday. Most of us are somewhere in between, wondering how we actually like to begin things.

What kind of New Year starter are you? is a short test in SlowMind: ten tap questions, about two minutes, no typing. It tells you which of six starters you are, gives you a small plan that suits your type, and lets you write a letter to yourself that comes back next New Year's Eve.

It is just for fun, inspired by what helps people keep a new habit, and not a measurement.

Six kinds of New Year starter

Your answers add up to four playful scores: Spark, Joy, Shape and Company. The one that stands out gives you a type, with its own picture.

• Fresh Starter. You love a clean page, and you can't wait to write on it.
• Quiet Rebuilder. This year you're building back, slowly and on purpose.
• Joy Seeker. If it isn't fun, it isn't happening. Honestly, that's a strategy.
• Steady Builder. Give you a cue and a routine, and you'll still be going in March.
• Team Player. You show up for people, so bring a person along.
• Free Spirit. You don't do resolutions. You do what feels right on the day.

What the questions are like

The questions are short scenes, not exams. They ask what you are holding at midnight, how the past year treated you and what you want more of in the year ahead.

If the past year asked a lot of you, the test notices, and your result is gentler for it.

A small plan, matched to your type

Big vague resolutions are easy to make and hard to keep. Habit research suggests, in general, that a small, specific plan with a clear cue is easier to follow. No plan comes with a guarantee, but a small one gives you a fair start.

When you take the test, you pick what you want more of: time with people, calm, rest, moving in a way you enjoy, steadier money, learning or making something, better work, or less phone and more life. SlowMind turns that into one wish, written as something to start rather than something to stop:

• The start. One clear thing to begin.
• The fun part. Why it will feel good.
• An if-then cue. For example: "If it's 10 pm, then the lights go low and my phone charges outside the bedroom."
• A first step under five minutes. Small enough for today.

It ends with a line worth keeping: missing a day doesn't reset you. You can type the wish in your own words, and it stays private.

A letter to your future self

After your result you can write a letter to yourself, with optional prompts and a snapshot of how you are today. Then you press and hold a wax seal until the envelope closes.

The letter opens on 31 December at 10:00 your local time, about a year away. Write it in December 2026 and it opens on 31 December 2027. You press and hold the seal again to read it, and you can answer it.

How it really works:

• It arrives in the app. There is no email. If you choose to get a nudge, a notification says it has arrived, without a word of its content. Reminders come 30 and 7 days before, with a backup on your phone.
• It is yours alone. You tick a consent box before sealing. The app cannot read it back before the date, and it is never used for ads, analytics or the written reading.
• You need an account. A guest is asked to save an account first, so the letter still reaches you on a new phone.
• You can change your mind. Delete a letter any time.

Compare with a friend

Send one link to the group chat. Each friend who takes the test, in the app or in their browser, gets their own pair card with you. Your wish and your letter stay yours.

What you get in SlowMind

When you finish, SlowMind gives you:

• Your starter type with its picture and four bars.
• One rewritten wish with a fun part, an if-then cue and a first step under five minutes.
• A share card with your type, never your wish.
• A letter to your future self that opens on a later 31 December.
• A longer written reading with Premium, built from your scores.

Frequently asked questions

Is the New Year starter test free?

The app is free to download, and the test is free to take. Your type, your one rewritten wish, the share card, comparing with friends and the letter are all included. Premium unlocks the longer written reading.

When can I take it?

In the SlowMind app it is open from 1 November to 15 January every year, by your device's date. A finished result stays in the app after that; only taking the test is seasonal.

Who can read my letter, and when does it arrive?

Only you, and only after it opens. The app cannot read it back before then, and it is not used for analytics, ads, the written reading, share cards or comparisons. It opens in the app, not by email, on 31 December at 10:00 your local time, about a year after you write it, with a notification if you choose one. You need an account to seal a letter, and you can delete it any time.

Is this a serious personality test?

No. It is just for fun, inspired by what helps people keep a new habit, and not a measurement. SlowMind is a tool for reflection, not therapy, and no plan can promise a goal will be reached.

What if I do not do resolutions, or last year was hard?

Yes. If the past year asked a lot of you, your result can give you permission to go slowly, as the Quiet Rebuilder. If you would rather skip the January pressure, the Free Spirit starts fresh in any month.