There is a specific kind of surrender that happens when the temperature stays below freezing. You look at the driveway, then at the shovel, and you realize that no amount of grit or effort will change the fact that the ground is locked tight. This was my first lesson in wintering: some things cannot be fixed; they can…

Let’s be real: February feels like the 'Wednesday' of the year. I started the month with big plans and a full pot of coffee, but life eventually hit the 'snooze' button for me. Between a sleep schedule that went rogue and motivation that decided to take a sudden vacation, my blog drafts have been chill…

Being snowed in for a week has taught me two things: 1) I love a good cozy hobby, and 2) I am often too overstimulated to actually enjoy it. My brain has this pesky habit of auditing every possible task that "should" be completed before I’m allowed to sit down and do something "fun." It’s a vicious…

We made it (even if it was messy)! We have spent four weeks looking at our lives under a microscope; auditing our past, defining our values, mapping out seasons, and building daily rhythms. I’ll be the first to admit: my 21 days didn't look like the "aesthetic" planners you see on Instagram. There were c…

We have reached the end of the design phase. You have a North Star, a Seasonal Strategy, and a Daily Rhythm. But I have a warning for you: Planning is a form of "Productive Procrastination" if it never leads to a start date. You can have the most beautiful guidebook in the world, but if you don't move yo…

Why do we quit? Usually, it's because the "Hard Work" is happening now, but the "Reward" is six months away. The human brain isn't wired to work for months without a win. If you don't build "pit stops" into your year, your brain will eventually rebel and look for cheap rewards…

We’ve all heard of a "post-mortem," an analysis of why something failed after it’s already dead. But in a Designed Year, we use a Pre-Mortem. We are going to step into a time machine, travel to December 2026, and imagine that your year was a total disaster. You didn't hit your goals, you didn't keep …

A plan that cannot bend will eventually break. Most people fail their year because they design for their "Best Version." The version of them that has 8 hours of sleep, a clean house, and healthy kids. But what happens when the car breaks down? What happens when you’re grieving, or sick, or just plain exhaust…