Just over a week into 2026, and the pace is picking up. Fortunately, we started the year off very slowly to recharge the batteries.

In fact, I spent three full days 90% offline. I do not know that 100% is fully possible unless I also went off-grid, but I still like my creature comforts. Plus, I appreciate the convenience of being able to look up information or create a random image–like the one for this post.

So, let’s reflect on the time off. First, what did I do?

Well, I read more. I wrote more. I watched more TV. I crocheted more. We started a new puzzle, an actual puzzle that you put together with pieces. I talked to M more. Most importantly, I relaxed more.

Now, this is not to say that I am not normally relaxed or that I am not doing these things on a regular basis. The keyword in what I did is “more”. I found pleasure in doing these activities more than usual.

On a normal routine, I tend to do a lot of activities in a day. Some might say it is more than average, but since I do not go to an office to work or have pre-defined tasks in a day, I would argue that most people do a lot of activities that they just group together as “work” or “housework” or whatever the case may be. I just prefer to delineate specifically so that it then seems as if I am a productive machine. 😅 Therefore, I would not say that I did more activities, I just did those activities for longer periods than before. Though, to be fair I did decide that TV time would not start earlier than 5pm, which is normal time for me anyway. Still, I found that I was focused. There wasn’t the distraction of jumping back and forth from my phone or webpages to do this or that. My mind actually stopped jumping and acting out to get attention via distraction. This resulted in less stress; thus more relaxed.

You know that edgy feeling that you get when you see your phone battery on around 10%–not that I’m overly familiar because my edgy feeling starts at around 25%– 🤪? Well, that was how I was feeling for all of December and most of November. My internal battery was near depletion. It has been a looooong time since I have felt that way because I pretty much take time to recharge at around 50% these days. While changes to my hormone therapy also contributed to my altered state, I know that various interactions with others, activities for all the winter holidays, and life in general were slowly wearing me down with some elements draining me more/quicker than others. So, this was my reasoning for taking the time off.

Also, this year is going to be busy with travel and activities along with focused work on writing and hobbies. So, it was even more important to take the time to reset, recoup, and refresh.

Even though it was only three days, it worked. I was ready to get back online, but at only 85% capacity. I am keeping that 15% for myself to maintain the extra moments that recharged me faster. More specifically, this is what I learned and am adjusting for myself.

*Instead of getting online to ‘doom’ scroll almost first thing in the morning, I am reading my book with my cup of tea. It’s a wonderful metaphorical book-ending of my day since I almost always fall asleep reading my book to help my brain quiet down.

*I will limit my emailing to when I sit down to write each day as a way of removing distractions before I journal and get into the writing flow. Any other emails received that require responding will be done the next day. If I can remember, I will add them to my ’email/messaging’ To-Do list as a way of ensuring I mostly stay on top of communications.

*Schedules and discipline to those schedules are my safety net. By letting others know my preferred schedule, I will be sharing boundaries that work for me. Most people respect them, but I also will remain flexible with those whom I know do not drain my energy but help to maintain or replenish. That way, my schedules keep me on-track and all is a win-win.

So, with these learnings and adjustments in place, I feel ready to tackle 2026 and all the plans that are laid for it. Already, I have kicked off a 21-Day Building a Meditation Practice series with a group of friends. My novel is coming together piece by piece, though I need to do more. I spontaneously booked two nights away this month – one in Florence (where I am writing this now) and one in Rome. M is always welcomed to join me, but these are also for me. In just another couple of weeks, we are away on holiday for sun and play. That is just January, folks!

Let’s go and always remember to pause for recharge when needed; much can be learned in those pauses. 🙏🏽

~T 🔥🐉♋️