You don’t need a new self. Just a better fit.
The calendar is about to flip. And with it, the familiar rhythm kicks in — vision boards, resolutions, big goals, bullet journals, and color-coded plans. For many of us in academic research, the new year means new deadlines, new semesters, and new ambitions. It’s tempting to rush into planning mode.
But let’s take a breath.
This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about designing a year that fits — one that aligns with who you are, how you work best, and what truly matters to you.
Ditch the Pressure, Keep the Intention
Here’s your permission slip: You don’t need to overhaul your entire life by January 1st.
Instead of setting goals based on urgency or comparison, try starting with a different question:
What kind of experience do I want to have in this new year?
From there, design your priorities to match. Let your True North — your mission, your values, your way of being — shape the architecture of your calendar.
Do you want more time to think? Build it in.
Need more creativity? Schedule whitespace.
Want to protect your joy? Let that be a metric, not an afterthought.
You already have the blueprint. Now it’s time to live into it.
Align First, Then Plan
If you’re following the True North Framework, you’re not starting from scratch. You’ve already named your values, checked your alignment, built realignment practices, and experimented with daily anchors. That’s not nothing — that’s infrastructure.
Now you’re ready to make it visible.
Start by looking at your calendar not as a list of demands, but as a canvas. Where do your values already live? Where is there friction? Where is there room to shift?
This is the year to stop cramming joy in the margins. Put it on the main agenda.
Gentle Is Powerful
You don’t have to rush. Some of the best year design happens in mid-January, once the frenzy dies down and the real work begins. But even now, as we hover between years, you can begin with quiet questions:
- What do I want more of?
- What do I want less of?
- What is one value I want to carry into the first week of January?
- What can I let go of before the clock strikes midnight?
There’s no deadline on alignment. Only a direction.
Let this be the year you design with intention. The year your calendar reflects your values. The year your systems support your spirit. The year your work feels like you again.
