From July’s “burn the checklist” to January’s soft glow.
At midyear, I let old goals crumble and rewrote the brief. That spark did its job. Now, on the edge of 2026, I’m not chasing a bigger fire, I’m tending the embers: steady warmth over bright blaze. Less proving, more living. Fewer ladders, more roots.
Here’s what stayed lit, what I’m releasing, and what I’m carrying forward.
What stayed lit (and felt good)
- Soft weekly reset: tea, candle, tiny tidy, a few honest lines, kept going and still working.
- Creating in public: sharing lived, imperfect notes instead of waiting for “perfect.” I’m posting gentle snippets on TikTok.
- Moving my body for comfort and mood: walks, stretches, and small bursts of fun, yes, dance breaks.
- Gentle stewardship with money: regular check‑ins instead of avoidance. Still a work‑in‑progress, and that’s okay.
What I’m releasing
- Rigid timelines pretending to be motivation.
- Over‑engineered systems I don’t actually open.
- Metrics that drain joy (output for output’s sake).
- Apologising for how my brain works.
What I’m carrying into 2026
Energy + Environment
- One room per quarter gets attention, declutter, refresh, or micro‑makeover.
- Most mornings start with a tiny check‑in: an emoji, a card, a scribble, just a moment to notice. And re‑establish those 6am wake‑ups.
- End the week with a soft close: breathe, reset, review, and celebrate the small wins.
Creative Work + Systems
- Two blog posts per quarter rooted in lived experience and joy, one monthly review and one “just for fun.”
- January as a warm‑up month for short‑form video: 3 simple clips a week (face optional, voice optional, honest always) to rebuild comfort on camera.
- One workflow refinement per month, small, specific, boring‑but‑useful. Systems are how I get things done.
- End each month with three questions: What moved? What sparked? What surprised me?
Money + Wellness
- Monthly money date: budget open, shame closed, plus an end‑of‑month review with Jono.
- Continue ADHD support: referral admin, tools that actually help, compassionate planning.
- Move 3–5×/week from a comfort menu (walks, mobility, dance breaks, swims).
Joy without metrics
- DnD for the story, not the scoreboard.
- Plan the coming year’s vegetable plot to be even more productive than this year.
- Journal through solo RPGs with no audience, no pressure. Hello, The Last Tea Shop.
My dual‑compass flow: two Hobonichi Weeks (overview)
Two compact planners with clear roles:
- Weeks A: The Workhorse: structure & logistics (appointments, admin, projects, health, money). Lives on the desk or in the everyday bag.
- Weeks B: The Wanderer: reflection & creativity (one‑line daily log, highlights, quotes, doodles). Lives by the bed or in a pocket.
Daily rhythm: Morning → glance at Workhorse and set a gentle Top 3. Evening → 1–3 lines in Wanderer (one sensory detail counts).
Weekly reset (20–25 min): review + migrate in Workhorse; 3 highlights / 1 lesson / 1 joy in Wanderer; choose a focus word for the week.
Rule of thumb: Workhorse = map. Wanderer = story.
Gentle metrics & rhythms (ADHD‑friendly)
- The Rule of 3: three priorities for the week; one for today.
- Plan‑B days: pre‑approved minimums (15‑minute tidy; 10‑minute walk; 5‑minute money peek; one paragraph written).
- Visibility beats intensity: trackers where I’ll see them; automations that remove friction; alarms only where kind.
- Content cadence: Q1 = 2 blog posts; January = 12 micro‑videos (3/week) to rebuild comfort on camera.
Permission slip for 2026
You’re allowed to change your mind. To go slower. To make art that isn’t optimised. To spend a whole afternoon making soup. To be proud of quiet progress. To stop mid‑path and choose again.
Quiet intention over loud resolution. See you in January.
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