I always want January to feel like a clean slate.
In reality, it often feels like I’m supposed to chase a bunch of unrealistic goals someone else picked – goals that don’t match how my brain works or what I actually enjoy. While also remembering to drink eight glasses of water and become the kind of person who “just loves mornings.”
So this year, I’m doing something different. I got my diagnosis, Dorian (my car) is officially mine, and there’s another road trip on the horizon this July.
I’m starting the year the way I actually live: with a warm drink, a slightly chaotic brain (hello, ADHD), and a plan that’s designed to hold me gently accountable – not hustle me.
This post is my little “opening chapter” for 2026: the goals I’m carrying into the year and the planner setup I’m using to keep them gentle, doable, and rooted in real life, rather than the Insta version my brain thinks it can keep up with.
The vibe for 2026: steady, not dramatic
I’m not interested in a Year Of Total Reinvention™. I’m interested in steady momentum that doesn’t cost me my nervous system. The kind of progress that shows up as:
- a calmer kitchen counter
- a body that feels more like home
- a garden that looks like it’s been loved on
- and a version of me who posts online without needing a full emotional support committee first
If I had to summarise the energy I’m aiming for, it’s something like active and engaged – not frantic, not perfect, just… in it. Participating.
My 2026 goals (the big four)
I’ve kept my “headline goals” intentionally broad – because I know how my brain works. If the goal is too rigid, I rebel. If it’s too vague, I drift. So these are big enough to matter, and flexible enough to live inside.
1) Support my health and energy with steady routines and habits
Not a transformation arc. Not a punishment plan. Just a steady, kind return to basics.
I’m a dopamine eater, which means meal planning can be… tricky. This year I want variety that’s easy to prep and fun to eat – without turning lunch into a daily negotiation.
Things I’m leaning on:
- consistent movement (the kind that feels good, hello swimming and Beat Saber)
- daily outside time (even if it’s just a quick Willow walk)
- hydration, meals that actually feed me, and routines that reduce decision fatigue
2) Declutter and build simple systems for a calmer home
My home affects my brain more than I want to admit. Clutter makes me itchy. Visual noise drains me.
This goal isn’t “minimalism” – it’s ease. Fewer piles. Fewer “where did I put that?” moments. More spaces that feel usable without a dramatic clearing ritual first.
This is one I know I’ll struggle with. I have a lot of stuff, and I really do want to pare down what I have – so I’ll be doing a MinsGame (the Minimalism Game) at some point. I’m just not sure when yet.
3) Revamp the garden and grow more vegetables
I want a garden that’s not just there, but part of my life.
I love being out there – it’s my happy place. I’ve even popped a seat in the greenhouse so I can sit and enjoy it properly, and I’ve got plans to expand the veg plot too. But for now I’m keeping it simple:
More growing. More learning. More muddy hands. More “oh! something worked!” moments. I want to be outside more, and the garden is my easiest doorway into that.
4) Build confidence online by creating and sharing regularly
This is the one that matters most professionally and emotionally. I want to show up online in a way that feels like me: thoughtful, a little nerdy, honest, and human. Not polished into blandness. Not silent because I’m waiting to feel “ready”.
Regular creation is a confidence builder. It’s exposure therapy, but with prettier fonts.
January focus: “Home, with a touch of health”
Rather than trying to do everything in January (a trap I have fallen into approximately one million times), I’m focusing the month around a single theme:
Home, with a touch of health.
Because when my environment feels calmer, my brain has more room. And when my body feels better-supported, everything else gets easier.
My January goals (specific + realistic)
- Declutter one hotspot: the desk shelf (you know the one… the doom-shelf)
- Greenhouse reset + tackle the shed (future me would like to locate the trowel without an archaeological dig)
- Set up one home system: a meal planning page I’ll actually use
- Swim 4 times (low impact, high mood benefit, excellent splash factor)
The planner setup I’m using this year
I’m using PowerSheets for my goals, and the Sterling Ink Common Planner for day-to-day life – and I’m treating both like companions, not bosses.
PowerSheets is where I set the direction; Sterling Ink is where I make the day-to-day actually happen.
The point isn’t to fill every page perfectly. The point is to give my brain somewhere to put things so they stop ricocheting around my skull at 2am.
Here’s what my setup looks like right now:
1) Yearly goals live at the front (visible, not buried)
My four headline goals are written where I’ll actually see them.
Not hidden behind ten tabs and a forgotten burst of enthusiasm.
2) Monthly focus gets a simple “theme + targets”
Each month gets:
- a theme (one sentence)
- a small set of targets (3–5 max)
- and space for notes on what’s working and what isn’t
The theme helps me choose what to do when my brain is foggy. It’s like giving Future Me a signpost.
3) Weekly rhythms instead of “perfect weekly plans”
Instead of trying to schedule every moment (lol), I’m using a few repeatable anchors:
Weekly rhythms I’m aiming for:
- 10-minute tidy x4 (Mon / Tue / Thu / Sun)
- Money + goals check (Monday)
- Meal prep + plan (Sunday)
- Garden/house session (Saturday)
- Swim (Tuesday or Thursday – flexible)
This is the sweet spot for me: enough structure to keep things moving, enough flexibility to survive being a human.
4) Daily habits: small, boring, surprisingly powerful
My daily “non-negotiables” (said gently, not aggressively) are:
- AM routine
- PM routine
- Willow walk
- meds
- outside time
- water
- gratitude / “thank you”
These are not meant to be a stick. They’re meant to be a floor – the minimum support my days deserve.
5) My built-in Plan B (because ADHD + life)
I’m also intentionally planning for low-energy days. If the plan only works when I’m at my best, it’s not a plan – it’s a fantasy. So my Plan B options look like:
- 10 minutes counts (instead of “finish the whole job”)
- a shortened walk counts
- one small surface cleared counts
- a “good enough” meal plan counts
I’m not trying to win January. I’m trying to live it.
A note to future me (and maybe you, too)
If you’re reading this and you’re already behind on something – welcome. You’re in excellent company. This year, I’m practising coming back without drama. No “I ruined everything.” No “I’ll start again on Monday.” Just: oh, I drifted – hello again. That’s the real skill, I think. Not perfection. Return.
What are you carrying into this year?
If you’ve got a word of the year, a theme, a goal, or even just a quiet hope – I’d love to hear it. And if your January is currently more “blanket burrito” than “fresh start,” that’s allowed too. We begin where we are.
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