The Year Of…

Alrighty then…I’m back. Again. And determined to make it stick this time. I miss blogging.

Normally I’d have posted a “Year in Review” between Christmas and New Year’s, but 2025 was basically The Year of Death and Decay, so I’d prefer to just leave it in the past where it belongs.

2026 is off to a bit of a bumpy start, but I can see a few possibilities ahead. Will this be:

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The Year of Writing?

I started finally getting back into a regular writing practice last year by attending a writing group every Tuesday – not a critique group, a writing group. Where we actually just all sit and write together for an hour. No talking. It’s glorious.

This year, I want to expand that into a daily practice. To start, I can set aside thirty minutes a day, which is enough for decent daily progress.

The Year of Financial Fitness?

I have debt – far, far too much of it, from years of living like I had money. I’m not going bankrupt or anything, but I do need to pay my debt off before I can retire from the day job, and I’d like to do that within the next 5-7 years.

I started being much more accountable (to myself) for my spending late last year, and am carrying that into the new year as well. I have payoff goals, and spending goals, and a decent motivation to drive them.

The Year of Healthy Living?

I gained a lot of weight last year, which I attribute partially to the amount of stress I was under, and partially due to hormonal issues. I ate a lot more, made unhealthy choices, and moved a lot less.

I’ve gotten better at dealing with the stress (and some of it is just gone, thankfully). I’m also dealing with the hormonal issues (HRT for the win!), and finally getting back to being more active, as well as watching how much and what I eat.

I have one more screening coming up that is potentially worrisome, but after that, and assuming it turns out to be nothing, there won’t be anything in the way of my getting back in shape and shedding a fair amount of weight. Assuming I don’t trip over my own feet again (which is how I started the year…I’m talented like that. See the upcoming February newsletter for that story.).

The Year of Less Stuff?

I took a look around my house a week or so before Christmas (don’t hold me to that date, but it doesn’t matter), and finally figured out that my house and all the clutter was really bringing down my mood and motivation. I have too much stuff. There’s just no other way to put it, and my grand realization is that I can’t organize my way out of that problem. There comes a point in time where there’s not enough space to house all the stuff, and the only way to fix that is to either get more space (not what I want to do) or get rid of stuff.

I’ve already started this process, and I’m not gonna lie – it’s hard. There’s nothing wrong with a lot of my stuff, and it’s in good shape, and it’s stuff that makes me happy on an individual basis. But the fact remains – I have no space, and the space I have that’s packed with stuff is making me unhappy. So, choices are being made, stuff is being rehomed, reallocated and sometimes just discarded, depending.

The Year of Reading?

I haven’t been reading nearly as much as I’d like, and even though I have time set aside for it at night, I often find myself skipping it as things like planning the next day and journaling bleed into that time.

This year, I’ve set aside two nights per week where that reading time is paramount. And I’m considering joining a book club or two just to give myself motivation to make good progress (though setting aside time for actual meetings is somewhat difficult, so that may not happen).

The Year of Less Guilt?

I think in a way, a lot of people are programmed from a young age to feel guilty when not busy or doing something “productive”. We shouldn’t sit and read – that’s lazy. We shouldn’t watch TV or play video games – it’s brain rot. We shouldn’t let the housecleaning go, or relax on our day off, because there’s so much to do and heaven forbid we actually take a day *off* rather than do something productive with it.

I have a hard time taking off work – I feel guilty for not being there, taking care of whatever comes up. But I have vacation days I need to use, and while I want to use some of them for writing and publishing related tasks, there’s no reason I shouldn’t take an hour here and there to play a game or do something equally as “time-wasting”. I want to let go of feeling guilty if I don’t have the time or energy to vacuum one weekend, or if I decide I need a walk to clear my head at work (I rarely take the 15 minute breaks we’re allowed, but I should). I don’t want to beat myself up for sitting on the couch for an hour every evening and watching TV with my husband while I play video games on my phone.

I want to allow myself to do enjoyable, non-productive things without feeling like I should be doing something “productive”. There should be space in my life for just “enjoying things” in the moment with no expectation of progress or forward motion.

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I don’t know what this year will turn out to be. Maybe some of these things, probably not all of them. Maybe something decidedly different (in a good way, I hope).

I will be content if the body count of people/pets in my sphere is lower than five this year. Anything decent that happens past that will be a nice bonus.

Are you projecting a theme for your 2026? Or are you also waiting to see what happens? Either way, I hope you’re able to shape your year into something that you both want and need, without it putting up too much of a fuss!

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