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 coffee stains on my guidebook, days where I didn't open it at all because of sick kids, and moments where my "Inner Critic" told me I was wasting my time. But as we close out this final week, I’ve realized that the mess wasn't a distraction from the design... the mess was the data.
This final week was my favorite because it felt like we were finally putting on our armor. We moved past the "dreaming" phase and got into the "survival" phase. I finally gave my inner critic a name: She’s a pageant queen who’s a little too tight in the tiara, and constantly berates me with her ridiculous and hollow judgments... I'm talking about you, Miss Information! Now that she has a fitting name, suddenly, those thoughts of "you can't do this" felt a lot less like facts and a lot more like noise. Making a "Plan B" changed the game for me. Knowing exactly what my "5-minute version" of a goal looks like took away the guilt of the "off" days. If Week Two was about the Map, and Week Three was about the Machine, Week Four was about the Grit.
The challenge may be over, but the design continues. There is a common phenomenon that happens after a 4-week challenge: we hit the finish line, take a deep breath, and then... we stop. We go back to our old "default" settings.
I am making a pact with you right now: Don't let your guidebook become a souvenir of a good intention. The 2026 Design isn't a document you finish; it’s a living, breathing system. You are going to have weeks in March where you drift. You’re going to have a Summer where your rhythms fall apart. That doesn't mean the design failed; it just means it's time for a Weekly Review (refer back to Day 15!).
What’s Next? Just because the design days are over doesn't mean I’m disappearing. I’ll be right here on the blog with quarterly "Design Check-ins" and updates on how my own 2026 is unfolding (the wins and the car repairs alike).
If you haven't finished your guidebook yet, keep going. There is no expiration date on designing a life you actually love. The "perfect time" was three weeks ago, but the second-best time is ten minutes from now. GO! Get to it and don't wait a second more!
Thank you for designing your year with me. Now, let's go live it.
With grit and gratitude,
Kendra
