Welcome, 2026. Please Be Nice.

You’re a temporary houseguest, and I’m not letting you run the show.

Anyone else fed up with noise—the loud clamor of packed schedules, digital pressure, and performance demands? The past year exhausted me with its long to-do lists, “shoulds,” and unrealistic expectations. So, no fireworks for me as 2026 begins, just a commitment to something more foundational: my sanity.

I gave up on resolutions about five years ago in favor of setting a trajectory and occasionally reviewing my progress. Unfortunately, those trajectories focused on productivity. While I enjoy being productive from a creative standpoint, I’m done with the kind of productivity that devours my soul.

So this year, instead of facing the systemic roar of “more, better, faster,” I’m focusing on “manageable, satisfying, and thoughtful.”

What does that mean in practice?

I have a schedule, but it’s realistic and leaves room to breathe. I’m making more space for what fuels me: writing, time with family and friends, and moments of doing absolutely nothing. And I’ll journal because it keeps me grounded. (If you’re building a journaling practice, Wonder Prompts launches January 4.)

I am free to take breaks when I need them, rather than pushing through. (Which is why there may be some weeks when my one-woman podcast, Write, Writer, Write! doesn’t post a new episode. Just because the internet gods say I “should” post regularly doesn’t mean I always can, and I’m learning to be okay with that.)

My terms dictate my social media engagement, not algorithms. I rarely used it last year, and I miss the interaction, so I’m back on board but on a small scale, without adhering to someone else’s idea of what I “should” do to increase attention. I don’t want attention if it is coming to me through manufactured processes. I want to put heart into everything I do.

My experimentation with AI continues—as a tool, not a collaborator—so I can fully understand the ongoing conversations about it. At the same time, I will remain mindful of the very real damage it is causing. (If you’re curious, this post is all mine. After writing it, I asked ChatGPT to flag any oversights or bumpy lines. I used a handful of minor sentence edits to correct typos and ensure clarity, and that’s it.)

I will change my approach—and my attitude—toward any of these decisions if something I discover compels me to do so.

I’m not alone in my growing rebellion against the rules of expectation and performance. Just this morning, I read posts from Cassandra Jackson-Baker and Monica Hebert echoing similar themes.

And the more I choose my own humanity over what the world demands, the more convinced I am that it matters beyond me.

Especially in a world gone mad, we need time to just be, to nurture real relationships, to listen to perspectives other than our own, to embrace tolerance, to model kindness and humility, and to be willing to change when we discover we’re off track or completely off base.

So here’s to a kinder, gentler 2026, if not in the world at large, at least within us. That is where lasting change begins.

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

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