You’re Not Behind. January Was Never the Beginning.

So often we start out on January 1 with all these goals.

And then January 1 is… off. It’s still vacation. The first days of January we are in recovery mode. Recovery from gatherings, partying, weather, illness, family. We’re still traveling. Still easing back into routines. Still figuring out childcare and inboxes and sleep schedules. 

Which means that very often, during most of January, we end up feeling that we are already behind the eight ball.

We start our New Year New You goals in January because January 1 is the beginning. Makes sense. But then when we don’t immediately start training for the marathon, building the business, applying for the new job, meditating every day, eating perfectly, and feeling clear and motivated, something feels wrong.

But what if January 1 was never the beginning?

What if January is a ramp-up month?

What if January is not actually a month of the year. It’s the pre-month.

And if January is the pre-month, then something important shifts.

If your workout on January 5 is a walk, you aren’t failing at your running goals. You’re getting a walk in. You’re moving your body. You’re getting a dopamine hit, some reflection time, and a bit of sunshine. You’re doing exactly what makes sense in the pre-month.

If January is the pre-month, then the time you spend planning, gathering all your to-do lists, brainstorming ideas for your business, reviewing notes, sketching things out, and thinking out loud is working on your business.

And while we’re at it, December isn’t really a month either. December is a wash of holidays and travel and family and logistics and endings. It’s not a real month in the way we pretend it is.

So instead of thinking about the year as 12 months, what if it’s really 10 months, with a pre-month and a post-month? A set of 10 makes more sense in my brain anyway.

In January, I’m setting goals. I’m creating plans. I’m establishing habits. I’m building my business. I’m building my writing practice. I’m laying out my year. I’m setting intentions. And I’m giving time to that process, because that process actually takes time.

When we don’t give ourselves time to do this intentionally, one of two things happens.

Either we’re too easy on ourselves, because we feel overwhelmed. January 1 happened and we’re already “behind.” So we soften our goals, delay them, or quietly abandon them.

Or we go too hard on ourselves. We expect full execution without having taken the time to really be with our plans. To understand them. To build lives and systems that could actually support them.

Neither of these approaches works very well. So let’s try an approach that does.

If you want a place to start that isn’t overwhelming, I’m co-hosting a free monthly virtual gathering called Befriend Your Intuition, and the January 2026 call is especially aligned with this pre-month energy. The focus is on identifying your needs so you can actually get them met in the new year, instead of setting goals that ignore what’s really going on underneath. If you’re craving clarity without pressure, you’re warmly invited.

If you’re reading this right around the time it’s published, you can still join us live. And if you’re reading it later, this series continues monthly, with each call standing on its own while also building over time. Make sure you are on my email list to find out about future calls.

Another resource I love for this time of year is Year Compass, which is a beautifully designed, free tool for reflecting on the year behind you and intentionally looking ahead. It’s available in over 50 languages, and it pairs really well with January-as-the-pre-month thinking. 

So this year, I’m choosing to treat January differently.

January is the pre-month. It’s the ramp-up. It’s the space to think, plan, test, adjust, and prepare.

The year begins on February 1.

If this resonates, join me.