Happy New Year.
I’m not really “back.” My brother said I’ve been too silent lately, and he’s bored because there’s nothing for him to read (I lent him my book).
I’ve had a lot on my plate. This is a big decision-making year for me. So I’ve been quiet online, but quite productive in my personal life. A lot is going on, and I’m trying to reserve as much thinking energy as possible for things that actually matter. But today I had coffee. So here I am.
I’m well, thanks for asking.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday to recalibrate last month, because I did.
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Here’s something I want to share this January, since it’s still the new year.
Every once in a while (especially at the end or beginning of a year), I do this thing: I restructure my life. Planning, visualising, researching, making decisions. I know there are mixed opinions about this, but as a planner, this is how I work, and this is how I find my starting line.
First things first: what do you want?
Let’s say you draft a whole list of things you want to have, achieve, or buy in 2026. Goals, dreams, anything, then you create a vision board. You don’t have to be super specific yet, but you need to put them somewhere you can see. To remind yourself that you’re living intentionally, that time is precious. This is your rough map.
Then, when you know what you want, you set a direction.
Then comes the analysis. The reality constraints.
This is where you ask the real questions. You decide your pace, your scope, whether something is actually possible. You check what’s realistic, you set expectations, you design fallback plans, “bare minimum” rules, and systems that you can still follow on dark days.
You begin to notice the information you need, you ask the right people the right questions, you take the next possible steps, you sequence your actions, and you stop wasting energy walking in the dark. Now you have a torchlight in your hand, kan.
So now you know:
- what you want,
- where you’re going,
- what’s realistic,
- and the rough wireframe of your intentional life.
Because I love structure, I plan ahead, I create sequences and branches of where I might go. I design my life because I don’t have the luxury of chaos and recklessness, so I have to be intentional. I’m not super rigid about planning. I always evaluate and recalibrate when something doesn’t work, and I try again. That’s how I’ve been surviving the hard winters. You jatuh, you start again, but you need to keep moving forward:
- Decide what you want (even rough ideas)
- Draw a map (even if it’s wrong)
- Start walking
- Re-route when reality corrects you
You can start the engine and drive somewhere, instead of just wandering aimlessly.
My buffer years are up, and my car is packed. All I need now is to drive into my next phase.
いってらっしゃい !
