How to have a great day at work: Understand the science of manifesting

In her regular column, founder of Neom and wellness expert Nicola Elliott looks at one thing we can all do that will make our nine-to-five feel happier and healthier

Could manifesting help you live your best (work) life in 2025? (Getty)

Driving back to London last week, the radio announced that “manifest” had been declared 2024’s word of the year, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. My partner scoffed, “What a load of rubbish. What’s wrong with good old-fashioned ‘goal setting’ and working hard? Manifesting isn’t a thing,” he proclaimed.

But I’m less sure, given that three of my least woo-woo friends have allegedly manifested a house in the country, a whole new career, and a kitchen extension between them in the last 12 months.

To find out more about how I could manifest some goals for 2025, I spoke to Victoria Jackson, founder of The Manifestation Collective and author of Manifesting for Beginners and How to Manifest Anything. I wanted to know what was the difference between a basic New Year’s resolution, goal, or plan, and manifestation?

She explained the process to me in a way that made it clear how it works so much better than the basic New Year’s resolution approach.

Let’s take the example of wanting a career change. To manifest it, she says you have you write a “cosmic shopping list” of all the elements you’d want from a new career – salary, size of the team, remote or home-based work, the people you’d work and socialise with. By getting really specific, you’re forced to think with more clarity than with a basic goal, often refining details you wouldn’t have thought through before.

This, she says, is called “hyper-visualisation”. For it to work, you must then get into the headspace of this new fantasy career every day. Actively imagine what it would be like to have that job. Think about the people you’d like to work with and engage with their profiles on LinkedIn, even start dressing as if this were already your role.

By doing this, you’ll not only attract the right energy but also begin taking responsibility for making it actually happen. You’re already starting to become the best version of yourself and, in doing so, are actively moving towards your goal.

Then, something very interesting comes into play: the reticular activating system (RAS) starts to kick in. This is a bundle of nerves at our brainstem that filters out unnecessary information, so only the important stuff gets through. Your RAS takes what you focus on and creates a filter for it, sifting through data and presenting only what you’ve decided is significant to you.

Because you’ve been focused on your new goal, it will suddenly seem as though you’re seeing signs all around you, as your brain becomes hyper-focused on spotting them.

For example, if you repeat “blue car” over and over again, you’re more likely to notice blue cars. Some people suggest you can train your RAS by taking subconscious thoughts and marrying them with conscious thoughts –essentially, setting your intent. So, if you focus hard on those goals, your RAS will reveal the people and opportunities that help you achieve them.

But are there things you shouldn’t manifest – like winning the lottery or getting an ex back? Jackson says that with money, you should ask yourself a deeper question first: why are you asking for the money? Is it freedom, a year out, or a new house you’re truly seeking?

Perhaps it’s not really about the money itself. Those are the things you should be asking for instead. As for getting an ex back, ask yourself if that’s truly the right thing to do. There’s a reason they’re an ex, and if they’re not meant to be in your life, they won’t stay.

Losing weight is another contentious topic for manifesting – it’s better to say you want to be the healthiest version of yourself and then write a detailed list of how that looks and feels. Creating positivity and welcoming something new into your life is far more effective than focusing on “getting rid” of something and generating negativity.

Spirituality plays a part in manifesting for many. Jackson believes you co-create your master plan with the universe, which guides and supports you throughout the process. Manifesting, she says, requires you to trust in the greater plan for you, understanding that if one thing doesn’t work out, another – possibly better – opportunity may be around the corner.

Of course, you could argue that this is simply resilience, which inevitably accompanies any hard-fought goal.

Whether you’re a believer in manifesting or not, it’s hard not to see how this positive thinking feels like an upgrade on traditional goal-setting. It seems like the ultimate way to break down a plan – taking responsibility for all the microsteps that will get you to your target destination. As for whether there’s any real science to it, I suppose I’ll have to wait 11 months to see what the data says.

Nicola Elliott is the founder of the wellness brand Neom, and her book, ‘The Four Ways to Wellbeing: Better Sleep. Less Stress. More Energy. Mood Boost’, is published by Penguin