I finished the year feeling a little derailed. A little off track. Professionally, it felt like I got almost nothing done — which was confusing, because I worked my bottom off. December was long days from before sunup to past sundown. No TV. Very little scrolling. Zero curling up with a good book. Loads of stress. Nights where rest didn’t come easily.
And yet, by traditional productivity standards, there wasn’t much to show for it. That disconnect made me assume what I needed was to kick off 2026 with a reset — more focus, better systems, clearer goals. So I carved out a couple of quiet hours to figure out what to do more of, less of, or differently.
I watched a few voices I generally trust — the ones I sometimes feel slightly nervous about because the product often feels like me. To be fair, they had thoughtful insights. And I fully expected to walk away with a tip, a trick, or a framework that would finally unlock better productivity.
Instead of starting with time hacks or focus strategies, the first question was simpler: What do you actually value — not aspirationally, but right now?
As I worked through my values — faith, relationships, financial wellness, a rich and meaningful life, caring well for myself — something surprising happened.
I realized that my December — the flurry, the busyness, the energy poured into people and experiences — was almost perfectly aligned with my values.
Uplifting relationships? Yes.
A rich, meaningful life? Absolutely.
Finance and productivity took a hit. Spiritual rhythms weren’t as strong as I’d like. Healthy diet? You don’t need me to tell you how this went, right? Haha.
But the issue wasn’t failure — it was imbalance over a short season. Things aren’t meant to be evenly mixed all the time. Some values get nurtured in one season, others in the next.
I realized how quick I am to mentally punish myself for not meeting invisible productivity standards — standards I never consciously agreed to. If I decide to move finance and productivity higher on my priority list, that’s a valid choice. But it requires intentional structural changes and trade-offs — not shame.
There’s only so much room to hustle when you’re trying to cultivate a full, rich life — especially when your kids are home all day.
This reframing shifted how I think about success itself.
“Saying yes to something means saying no to something else.” — A wise friend once told me this.
“Achieving success is not as important as our definition of success.” — Mark Manson
I didn’t need better goals.
I needed a better definition of success.
One that recognizes alignment — not output — as the truest measure of whether a season was lived well.
I did walk through a set of questions that helped me clarify my values more clearly than ever before. I’ll share those separately — but for now, this perspective alone has already changed how I’m stepping into the year ahead.
