“Back to Life”: The new New Year on Pinterest

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Every year on Pinterest, searches for organization, routine, positivity, and goal setting spike twice— once during the new year as resolutions are in full swing, and again right before fall as people get inspired after an energizing summer. A global survey revealed over half (57%) of adults in the U.S. say that they are looking for ways to maintain their positive summer mindset through fall¹. We call this moment getting “Back to Life, ” as Pinners have essentially anointed a new New Year. 

Searches for ideas like improving finances, feeling more positive, organizing the home and planning for the future all have a second life come fall. The beginning of a new year is a common time to set ambitious goals, but Pinterest data has shown us Pinners see two times in the year as opportunities to start fresh.

LIFE ORGANIZATION

LIFE ORGANIZATION

As a top search during “Back to Life” “life organization” is up 78% this year, with specific trends including: 

  • Sustainable lifestyle (+108%): From sustainable home products to eco-friendly fashion and beauty buys, Pinners are searching for ways to shop and live more responsibly. Searches for “save the planet” are up 380% this year!

  • Organization videos (+230%): People are increasingly turning to Pinterest to watch organizational videos to learn (and master) top tricks and hacks. Curate your closet, style a shelfie, or arrange your pantry like a pro - 38% American respondents said they would like to prepare for fall by decluttering their homes and be more organized¹. 

  • Budgeting finances (+3298%): Knowing when to spend and save money is key for keeping finances organized. Pinners are using household budget templates to ease stress and form healthy money habits.

FEEL-GOOD ROUTINES

FEEL-GOOD ROUTINES

As people are searching for organizational hacks, they’re also looking for healthy habits. This year’s top searches related to “routine” during Back to Life are “skin care routine,” “morning routine,” “self care routine,” “workout routine” and “beauty routine.” Specific top trends include: 

  • Productive day routine (+180%): Pinners know that having the right daily routine can help spark productivity. 

  • Morning routine videos (+161%): Whether it’s yoga or a  routine for getting ready, people are looking for ways to look and feel better each morning.

  • Weekend routine (+144%): Pinners love to plan! Searches for weekend routines help them smartly prep for the week ahead.

The survey showed over half (56%) of American respondents feel the need to incorporate more self-care especially as they prepare for fall, such as eat more healthily (42%), exercising more/ adopting a new fitness regime (36%), and taking care of their bodies (36%)¹.

Additionally, more people than ever are looking for ways to create a visual action plan for themselves and their families, with searches for “routine chart” up 161% and “family chore chart” up 282%.

The importance of “me time” isn’t lost on Pinners, as searches for “self-care routine” are up 140%. 

Even more specifically, a new trend, “drinks for clear skin” has emerged, with searches up 140%.  Other trending drinks for self-care include:

POSITIVITY

POSITIVITY

Along the lines of the emergence of “me time”, self-care is here to stay, as people are searching for terms that help them tap into the feel-good vibes. The survey showed over half (57%) of American respondents are looking for ways to maintain their positive summer mindset through fall¹. For Pinners, positivity can mean embracing what they might consider body flaws. This year for Back to Life, trending searches include “acne positivity” (+193%), “stretch marks positivity” (+163%), “body hair positivity” (+158%), and “cellulite positivity” (+69%). Remarkably, these are just a few of the examples showing how people are using Pinterest to love and care for themselves.

Gratitude plays a big role in staying positive too. During Back to Life, people also look for ways to appreciate what’s already in front of them, including uplifting quotes to maintain that positive summer mindset as the seasons change: 

Enid Hwang
Culture and Community Manager at Pinterest
“Over the years, we’ve seen the end of summer become a distinct and significant moment on Pinterest when people want to make personal changes to refresh their routines, set goals, get organized and most importantly, stay positive. We call this mindset ‘back to life’ and find that people have a specific intent around what they’re thinking and feeling as they use Pinterest. Thanks to 300 million Pinners who use Pinterest each month around the world, we have 200 billion ideas to meet their interests and match their mindset”

GOAL SETTING

GOAL SETTING

As the second shot at a New Year’s resolution, Back to Life sees its fair share of goal-related searches including goal planning (+128%) and goal list (+101%), showing how planning and taking small steps each day can help achieve life goals (+81%).

For many Pinners, life goals are about professional development with “career planning” up +101%. Whether it’s earning a promotion, starting a side hustle, or making a career change, people see the Back to Life moment as a time to pause, reflect, and figure out how to get there, including:

  • Dream house plans (+669%): Many people see designing a dreamy place to call home as a big-picture ambition.

  • Big family goals (+86%): The more the merrier! There’s never a dull moment in a big family — especially when you can set goals for a future together.

  • Travel dreams (+2178%): Summer break may be over, but people use the Back to Life moment to plan their next trip and stay on track with their travel goals throughout the year.

Methodology

¹ Survey focused on Fall preparation commissioned by Pinterest, 1000 respondents in the United States.

² All percent increases throughout this post are calculated using normalized searches from June ‘18 to June ‘19.