I’m a planning junkie. I’m always after the system that’s going to change everything for me. Lists everywhere. That one planner that can do it all. Notes in my phone. Productivity apps.

The thing is, novelty is useful. If finding a new tool makes me excited about Doing The Things, what’s the harm?

In a way, this blog is the new tool. In the same way that it’s not very exciting to read about someone who has it all figured out, it’s also not exciting to read about someone who is *going* to figure it out. The thing about publishing a post is that you have to be able to say something. Which means instead of just planning to Do The Things, I actually have to do them before I have anything meaningful to say about it.

This is a new kind of accountability for me. Perhaps no one will read this – that’s great, then I can focus on writing what matters to me instead of being pressured by what others want to read. But perhaps someone is reading this, right now. It’s you! And you might be curious about what happened if I say I plan to do something and then never mention it again. My follow-through benefits me, but it’s a little bit for you too.

Maybe you’re someone like me. Maybe you’re recently divorced and staring at the blank page of a future you have the opportunity to design. You’re looking for ideas and reassurance that one day it won’t all be so overwhelming. Maybe you’re returning to the workforce after a pandemic-and-baby break. You’re a returning student in your thirties. You haven’t had the bandwidth to tend to any more than the extremely stressful and urgent circumstances surrounding you for the last seven years or so, but now you have *some* bandwidth and want to figure out how to focus your energy to develop a life you love.

If I’m the only one who ever sees these words, I benefit from considering them carefully and including what matters most. But if you see them too, I hope they benefit you in whatever phase of life you find yourself in.