Realistic Recap incoming: I didn’t chase big breakthroughs this year. 2025 was stitched together with better habits, tiny changes, and an abundance of micro-moments that actually mattered. None of it was flashy, but all of it was quietly powerful in the way only real life can be. These ten things helped shape my entire year, and I’m handing them to you like a casserole on your porch because I want good things for you too. May they land exactly where & when you need them.

1. Created My 2025 Bingoals Board

This was the year of intentional baby steps. Bingoals turned my life from chaos energy into worksheet of actions & accomplishments. Tiny squares. Manageable tasks. Big dopamine.

It kept me from trying to overhaul my entire existence on a random Tuesday. It also reminded me that progress does not have to be painful. Make Yours Here

If you are more fancy than fun on your goals, take the same concept but write in a personal/professional business plan. We won't tell anyone. 

2. Planning Two “No Plans Days” Every Month

I scheduled blank space into my calendar, like every weary woman needing respite should. Two days a month with no professional commitments, no events, no essential errands. IT WAS EMPTY. These were essential for my sanity so I could have some days to color in whatever my soul needed to do.

3. Keeping My Plans & Punctuality 

If you have met w/me in any professional capacity, this is always my intro. Flaking out, cutting it close on arrival times & showing up flustered & frazzled is a recipe for failure. 

It turns out keeping your word to yourself builds confidence in a way self-help books only dream about.

4. Hiring Out the Things I Hate

Listen, Champions of Autonomy: you are brilliant. So know that Outsourcing is brilliant-woman energy. May 2026 be the year you stop doing everything just because you can. Cleaning help once a month (at least!) A lawn service. Hire an expert to help w/health struggles for Mom & Dad. Tackle the pantry.  Renovate the bathroom. Get a very part-time assistant. Pay someone else to do the things that drain the absolute life out of us. My home is calmer. My brain unclenched. My family benefits because I am not resentful and exhausted. Join us. Find Help Here. 

5. I Realized my home is a BFF

My home isn’t just four walls. It shows up every day for my family & wants nothing more from us than minimal attention & care. It holds my chaos, my half-finished projects & all my best intentions with the kind of loyalty reserved for our innermost circles.  Instead of treating it like a never-ending list of chores, I started seeing it as the place that unconditionally has my back. The more I appreciated it, the more it partnered with me, keeping my life sheltered even when I wasn’t. Honestly, if every relationship were this forgiving and supportive, we'd be unstoppable.

6. Reading One Transformative Book a Month 

2025’s book of the year: The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy. It taught me to measure myself against the progress I’ve made instead of the distance left to go. Game changing for perfectionists (I see you Enneagram 3's), tired moms, and anyone who regularly questions whether they’re doing enough.

7. Practicing Brené Brown Style Conflict Magic

A life upgrade that deserves its own parade.

This year I learned to ask, “The story I’m telling myself is…” during hard conversations.

It saved friendships, parenting moments & one wildly tense exchange in the school parking lot. Honesty + vulnerability = fewer explosions and more repair. It works every time.

8. A Monthly (or weekly. or quarterly.) Friendship Tradition

We are not meant to white-knuckle life alone. So I created a simple Friend Ritual: one brunch, walk, coffee, craft night, or chaotic Target run every month w/some in my closest circles. Some planned, some spontaneous.  No stress. Just connection. I swear my soul breathed deeper & yours will too. 

9. Decluttering My Digital Life

Unsubscribed from 200+ email spammers.Deleting apps that steal my time & distract from my joy. Turning off all non-essential notifications. Reconfiguring the apps on my home screen. Organizing my camera roll. My phone went from “screaming chaos creator” to “functional adult tool.” It was a tiny-but-mighty life change.

10. Letting Myself Celebrate Small Wins

This is a big one. 

2025 became the year I stopped needing huge accomplishments to feel proud.

Some little victories I celebrated:

* optimizing my to-do lists

* using up all the condiments in my fridge

* upgrading my technology 

* reading a book a month 

* sticking to my boundaries 

* drinking enough water every day

* having only Tupperware w/matching lids

These tiny yeses turned into a quiet, steady confidence. It is honestly the biggest quiet transformation I’ve had in years.

You do not need a miracle year.

You do not need to become the most optimized version of yourself.

You just need:

•  a few small wins
•  a few small systems
• a few hearty rests
•  a few brave conversations

and a small, meaningful team cheering you on. Which includes me. Let's make the quiet daily victories turn the whole of 2026 into a win.