19. March 2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿.

There is no denying 2025 has been challenging for so many of us.

Following my recent article on this being a year of extremes, I wanted to share two alternative practices I am using as we enter the holiday season.

As the year ends, the combination of activity and fatigue makes everything feel more pronounced. It is easy for patience to run short. The pressure often feels higher than usual.

My instinct is often to just ‘get through’ it. I want a quick fix before pushing on to 2026.

I am using two practical processes as part of my pause to stay present without adding more pressure to my schedule.

If you decided to join me after the last post, you can choose one or both, whichever offers the space you need.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸

When a frustration arises this week, I stop for five minutes to reflect.

This is a quick way to identify why I feel a certain way.

It is often prompted by a conversation, or even the persistent demands of a pet, child, or colleague.

For example, I was recently navigating a time-sensitive, complex process.

I was working through blockers and trying to reach a specific deadline before finishing my day. My cat, Precious, decided it was time for her dinner, two hours early.

I acknowledged her and made sure she was settled before returning to my task.

But she returned and stared at me.

When I tried to concentrate, she persisted, eventually using her paw to attract my attention.

In that moment, I felt the internal pressure rise.

The interruptions were a distraction from the goal, and I felt the weight of that friction.

By taking a moment to check the story behind the emotion, I realised I was not actually annoyed by Precious.

I was frustrated by the complexity of the process I was trying to navigate.

As a senior IT leader, my guiding light is to keep processes simple.

In that moment, I was feeling the exact burden that end users feel when digital solutions are built without a human-centred design.

Identifying that the trigger was not the root cause was enough to start the release.

You do not need a grand plan. You just need to hear the truth behind the emotion.

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁

For the thoughts or frustrations that no longer serve me, I am simply writing them down as they appear.

I am not trying to solve these issues right now. I am just capturing them to get them out of my head. This allows me to focus on the celebrations ahead.

On New Year’s Eve, I plan to physically burn that list.

It is a simple process to leave that baggage in 2025.

While these items happened for a reason, I now permit myself to let them go. I refuse to carry them into my 2026 vision!

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 ‘𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝘁, ’ 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗶𝘀?