January 13, 2026
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It’s the second Tuesday of 2026, and I am exhausted.
I know who to blame, too. Me. I’m the problem. Or rather, me from the not-so-distant past is the problem.
December 2025 was filled with Past-Me telling Current-Me a lot of lies. Well-meaning ones, but lies nonetheless.
“Over the holidays, I’ll finally have enough time to build that automation / fix that bug / revisit that strategy.”
“I just have to get through everything I’ve been putting off, then I can end the year right.”
“January is when things will change. If I start fast, 2026 will really be my year.”
Then January arrived. My to-do lists popped back up. This time, with everything highlighted red.
Along with them, social feeds full of influencers talking about “crushing Q1” and “the 5AM club.” I wasn’t ready for it. In fact, I got miiiighty close to “accidentally” dropping my laptop in the ocean.
Offline, everyone I talk to feels the same way. But online? It feels like I’m the only one.
So, consider this newsletter an act of de-influencing. A protest of the go-get-it crowd filling our feeds (and nightmares).
Key takeaways:
The holiday “break” usually isn’t a break. Most founders use holidays to catch up, not rest. Be mindful that you may be starting the year with a drained battery.
Reject the January sprint. High-energy strategy requires high-energy brains. Making big decisions while exhausted leads to bad outcomes.
Soft launch your year. Don't force new initiatives yet. Spend January closing open loops and fixing operational friction. Start the ‘big’ work on February 1st.
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Weekly Insight
Every Thursday evening, I help facilitate a mental health support group. We talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Last week, a participant shared that he was tired of feeling like he was failing. He felt the world was hyper-obsessed with “pushing forward” and “10x growth,” leaving no room for anyone who didn't have the energy to sprint. He felt immense pressure to have a happy, shiny update on his accomplishments.
Immediately, I thought of the startup world.
January feels like we've all joined a group obsessed with forward momentum, which has zero cognizance of where we just came from. It assumes the calendar year is a magical refresh button. A Tabula rasa. It assumes our energy reserves are at an all-time high and that we’re suddenly wiser than we were in December.
But in the startup world, we didn't get the disconnect required to reach that place.
Most of us just saw “the holidays” as an opportunity to pack more work onto our plates while juggling family stress and obligations. We didn't recharge; just changed the type of battery drain.
I always try to have a neat little lesson in these Weekly Insights. But this one doesn't feel as tidy. So I'll just say this:
If you're tired, you aren't alone. And if you’re struggling with the weight of comparison right now, I get it.
My advice? Be more self-ish.
I don't mean greedy. I mean focused on your self.
What is realistic to accomplish, given your current energy?
Can you detach from the systems that make you feel “lazy” for not sprinting?
Can you accept that it's a New Year, but it's the same (tired) you?
If you feel like you aren't ready to launch yet, I give you permission to wait. Be kind to yourself. Be vulnerable with your peers.
I'm cheering for you. And if you don't meet all the incredibly audacious goals you’ve set for January, I'll keep cheering for you.
You should, too.
What if… we're trying to force January to be something it isn't? (According to Trish)
Argues that we’re biologically wired to hibernate right now. A quick, enjoyable read if you need something to compound this lesson (and make you smile).Entrepreneur burnout: 10 warning signs (Raymond Chabot)
I know, I know, it’s a little early in the year to be throwing around the b word. But hey, what’s the harm in checking in with yourself? If you find yourself feeling cynical or detached (items #3 and #4), you might be dealing with more than just the post-holiday blues.
Intent to Action
To add one final point to my growing Negative Nancy scorecard: I hate New Year's resolutions.
I don't hate the idea of a restart. I actually appreciate the reminder. But I really don't like it being tied to January 1st, when the post-holiday fog is thickest.
I set my resolutions in the Spring. For me, that's a nice time, when I do feel energized. But in January? I work on soft launching the year.
Create a plan to match output expectations with energy levels. Delay the heavy lifts (strategy, new products, hiring) until February 1st. For the rest of January, focus only on closing loops and removing friction.
Week 1-2 (now): Close loops
Goal: Finish what’s already open before trying to move forward.
Rationale: Unfinished tasks are going to weigh on your brain and leech your energy. Plus, getting them done now means they won’t haunt you when things get really busy again.
Action: Look at your to-do list from last year.
Invoicing: Chase every outstanding dollar owed to you.
Inbox zero: Archive old threads. Do not reply to non-urgent “let's pick this up in the new year” emails yet. Snooze them to Feb 1.
Calendar clear: Go through your calendar for the rest of the month and decline/cancel any meeting that doesn't directly keep the lights on or energize you.
Week 3-4 (late Jan): Fix friction
Goal: Remove the “pebbles in your shoe.” The minor, ongoing annoyances that constantly peck at you.
Rationale: If you try to accomplish more this year than last without removing barriers, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Get rid of the negative to create space for the positive.
Action: Tackle low-energy operational fixes, one at a time. For example:
Finally fixing that broken Zapier automation that forces you to manually copy-paste data.
Updating your Calendly link settings so you stop getting double-booked.
Unsubscribing from software tools you haven't used in 6 months.
Spend a couple of weeks on this, and get through as many as you can. You won’t complete them all, and that’s fine. Every one you do tidy up banks more energy for the future.
February 1st: Green light
Goal: Now you look at the year ahead.
Rationale: With a clean inbox, paid invoices, and fixed systems, you can actually look at Q1 goals with a clear head. With reasonable expectations.
Action: Start working on the heavy lifts that will help you achieve your goals for 2026.
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Toolbox 🧰
Goblin.tools | The overwhelm breaker
This is a viral tool specifically designed for neurodivergent or burnt-out brains. You type in a vague, scary task like “Do 2025 Taxes,” and it uses AI to break it down into small, non-intimidating steps (e.g., “Find login,” “Download PDF,” “Open Excel”).
Scribe | Documentation for tired brains
If you’re trying to delegate tasks but don't have the energy to write out an SOP, use this. You just hit 'Record,' do the task once, and Scribe automatically generates a step-by-step guide with screenshots and clicks.
Text Blaze | Automatic text expander
Simple one, but great. If you find yourself typing the same “Thanks, I'll circle back in Feb” email 10 times, you create a snippet. Then you just type /feb (or whatever you want) and it autofills the whole paragraph. Rinse & repeat for any recurring things you type.
