Leading up to the end of last year, I was intentionally slowing down and maintaining my boundaries. If a new meeting popped up in December, I would suggest we meet in January instead. That way, the lead-up to Christmas and the end-of-year break felt far less far frantic and I finished the year feeling calmer and more organised.
The only issue? December Nat slightly over-estimated her availability in the first week back in January. In that first week, I booked back-to-back meetings on four out of my five working days. Not exactly easing into the new year…
I think there’s a collective impulse amongst high-achievers to “hit the ground running” and “get right back into it.”
Also, when you’re genuinely excited about the work you do, that impulse is even stronger. You come back rested, energised and excited, ready to tackle everything all at once!
But it’s not about sprinting into the new year. It’s about setting the right pace in January, so you experience sustainable success in the year ahead.
And if, like me, you’ve found yourself already over-committing early this year, don’t worry it’s not too late to course-correct.
Once I kicked off the first week and realised how full it was, I reviewed each meeting and asked myself, “Does this actually need to happen this week?”
In my case, they were all great opportunities, and I didn’t want to reschedule.
So the next question became “What else can I take off my plate to protect my energy?”
If the meetings were non-negotiables, then I needed to make them my sole focus for the week. I prepped beforehand, attended each meeting, and completed any quick follow-ups straight after.
That was it, that was my week.
Everything else was pushed out.
Just because you’ve made a plan in your mind, doesn’t mean you can’t reassess and re-adjust to better suit you in the moment.
Remember the drama triangle? This is where it can sneak in.
Instead of slipping into:
- The Victim “I’m always so busy, see it’s all started again and it’s only week one”
- Or the Hero “If I don’t do it, no one else will, I’ll push through like I always do”
There’s another option.
We can get creative, delegate where appropriate, reassign deadlines where possible and re-adjust timeframes to set a pace that actually supports us.
January is about leaving the habits and patterns of the previous year behind, so we can step into February with purpose, direction and openness to what’s unfolding next.
If this resonates, I unpack this further in this week’s podcast episode: 🎧 Back to Work Without Burning Out, How to Ease Into 2026 With Clarity and Boundaries.
Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts:
Everyone deserves to have a career they love, where their work feels meaningful and supports the life they want to live.
Here’s to an exciting year ahead where success isn’t defined by how fast you move, but by how well your pace supports you.
– Nat
PS If January hasn’t unfolded the way you expected, take that as data, an opportunity to realign and remember small adjustments now make a big difference later.
PPS If you’re noticing familiar patterns showing up again at work: over-responsibility, second-guessing yourself, or feeling stuck, book a career clarity call with me here. It's a space to unpack what's really going on and get clear on your next steps.
