Sometimes, the new year can feel very overwhelming. I am someone who always starts the new year with aspirations, despite losing track of my “intentions,” “resolutions,” or “goals” by the third month of the year.
This year, I have Substack, and I am publishing this specific post to help keep me accountable.
2025 was potentially one of the hardest years of my life. I came into the year with a 3-month-old. I had postpartum anxiety and depression, and I wondered why all of the other moms I met seemed to like their babies, while I was tolerating mine, and would dream about a drop-off at a baby safe haven (more on this at a later time; I’m planning to do a post reflecting back on this challenging moment).
Because of this, and other outside factors, my relationship was tested, and the morale in my household was at an all-time low for a majority of the year. Don’t even get me started on balancing a career requiring travel, pumping and breastfeeding, trying to maintain a relationship, and being a type 1 diabetic. I was, and still am, hanging by a thread of sanity.
All that said, I’m hoping this year is better than last year. So what am I doing? How am I approaching this?
January Kick Off
I’m a firm believer that your actions in January set the tone for the rest of the year, but there is no need to be such a hardass about it. Here are some things I want to focus on for 2026, specifically for January:
No online shopping. I don’t need it, none of us really need it. This is a branch of the modern lifestyle dissatisfaction, I think many of us may suffer from. I’m using this as an opportunity to delete shopping apps, unsubscribe from emails, review my subscriptions, and really evaluate what keeping an eye on my finances and reining in impulse purchases for one month can do for me.
Integrate exercise and movement into my day. This has been tough for me over the last year. Now my son sleeps more regularly, and I’m doing the best I can to be disciplined around my work schedule (easier said than done). If I can get movement in (at least 3x/week with weights), either right after my son is dropped off at daycare, or before I pick him up, or over lunch, this will hopefully set the tone for the rest of the year. And despite the fact I’m in the field 3-4 days per week, I should be able to slot in at least 10 minutes in one of those three windows.
Be kind. This is really hard for me, especially when I feel frustrated or irritated by others. Most of the time, people aren’t even aware they are being a hindrance or thorn in my side, and no one can read minds. However, my irritation at the behavior remains, and I need to find a balance between responding kindly and being firm about what I need and expect. If anyone has tips for dealing with this when it comes to a baby/toddler, please share them.
The Rest of the Year
Now that the tone for 2026 is set, I’m looking to almost bucket list my hopes and dreams for this coming year. I will caveat that this is a dreamer’s list, and no idea is too crazy.
I’m trying to work on myself and develop more offline skills and habits that will last. Mostly, I want a record of my aspirations so I can look back and see what has changed in December 2026. Do you do anything similar to this at the start of the year? Let me know in the comments below.
Without further ado, see my list of things I’d like for 2026:
Diversify my active revenue streams to bring in $3,000 in extra income. How? I have no idea! Why $3,000? I don’t know, it seems attainable! I plan to write a lot this year, so I’ll start submitting some essays to journals/publications, etc.
Write my book. This is a fiction book based on my and my college friend group’s experiences. If you are a college friend, you’ve probably heard me talk about this. I think 5/10 of you have given me the green light on this so far.
Take at least one trip overseas and 2 domestically. I am planning to go to Japan for 2 weeks in April, despite my mom/partner guilt that I feel holding me back. This is something I’ve been dreaming about for at least a decade, and my brother lives on Okinawa. NOW IS THE TIME. I will not rob myself of this experience I’ve been dreaming about when I have people who support me doing this and will be there for my son.
Move out of Vermont. This place has taken its course, and it isn’t a good fit for me these days. I hate the brutally cold winters, and it is expensive as fuck. Let’s say I could find a 2-bed 2-bath in NYC for what I pay in rent here (granted, not in the best area), and most of my business for work is 3+ hours away.
I’m thinking southern New England, but even that is wildly expensive, and I couldn’t even buy a house if I wanted to in an area I’d want to be in. Then my mind shifts to perhaps North Carolina. Ideally, the beach part, but I’m open to the Raleigh area. My dollar goes farther, and I want to build a life for my family that is relaxed and comfortable. My parents are pulling for Southern New England, but I’m afraid that would only work if I had a subsidy. Only 6 more months of this lease, and the shackles come off.Go to therapy to keep me sane and help me figure out what I’m doing with my life because I feel very lost.
Establish what I can captain and what Rob can captain in our household dynamic. This should help us avoid conflict around control of certain tasks and areas of upkeep. Decisions will be made together as a team.
Go to Scotland for 4 days to see Fatboy Slim and Lily Allen in Glasgow at the end of February with a close friend, so I can remember who I am.
Invest in furniture (new bookshelves, cozy chair, a new mattress for my aching back, a bed frame, and nightstands that I actually like, side tables), as in actual good, real wood furniture.
Quality time with my parents and my extended family.
Drink water before coffee.
Shop intentionally and develop my personal style. I love expressing myself with color and pattern, and yet…I don’t. More of this for 2026.
Read 30 books.
Master puff and inverse puff pastry so I can blow people away with my vienoisserie skills.
Get good at baking bread; it isn’t hard, but it is hard!
Win one of those work sales awards.
Reach out to my friends when they cross my mind. This past year, as a new mom, I feel like I dropped the ball on staying in touch with friends.
Develop a gratitude practice so I can stop feeling down and shift focus to appreciate what I have.
Actually care about managing my diabetes. My numbers aren’t bad, but they aren’t ideal. I have a son to live for, for Christ's sake, I need to cool it on things that impact my sugar poorly.
Yoga teacher training?
There are many things that I think would be great to add here, but I want to make sure I can get a decent chunk of this done. Obviously, not all of this is possible, but I am hoping some of it is. Can I read 30 books and also write a novel while drinking water before my coffee? Maybe. Can I also do yoga teacher training and a gratitude practice while also being a parent and having a full-time job on top of that? Probably not.
But if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember, and I really want to see where I am and what I’ve done a year from now.
What practices are you hoping to bring into the new year? Do you keep track of your goals and aspirations? Let me know in the comments below, and tap the heart to leave some love.