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Countdown to 2026

Dec 30, 2025

Currently, it is 3 days before the new year and it’s time for some cleaning up.

Now, before I share about my reading “clean up” process, I want to share a little peek into my anxiety and depression that hits hard this time of year too.

Happy New Year 2025: 10 funny memes and messages about NEW YEAR that will make you laugh out loud - Times of India

I have found myself almost paralyzed with indecision and overwhelm thinking about all the things I have to do before the new year.

I have to clean the house
I have to finish all of my current crochet projects
I have to finish the books I am currently reading
I have to go through all of our closets and get rid of things we don’t need
I have to go through the pantry
I have to go through the fridge
I have to set up my new craft room
I have to reorganize my desk
I have to decorate the blank walls
I have to wash all of the blankets and comforters
I have to
I have to
I have to

This voice in my head telling me that I must get ready for a new year by tying up all loose ends is loud. And I don’t deal well with that voice. I usually end up rotting on the couch, sleeping the day away, waking up feeling worse about myself, and sleeping more. And not much gets done.

But, I am changing my approach this year.

My new mantra:

It’s okay to NOT start with clean and new.

I will carry many things from 2025 into 2026, as well as let many things go. But I will not be crippled by the “need” to start over this year. I am not a “new” person and I don’t want to be. I am me, an ever-changing me, but me nonetheless.

Okay, enough of that introspective talk! (but I would love to hear what your voice in your head tells you this time of year and how you react.)

Reading Clean-Up

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, my reading life is strange right now and it’s a focus I want to have next year.

I am kind of all over the place. I have a lot of books I am currently reading and a lot of books I have “paused” and can’t decide if I want to DNF. Before the new year, I want to just clean-up my reading and make decisions on the books I have before me. I can’t read them all and start over in January. I will carry some of these books over with me. But that is me and that is reality.

Here’s a peek into that process:

Step 1: List

First, I looked through my StoryGraph and wrote down all of the books I was reading and what I had paused. (I love this feature in StoryGraph by the way, the “pause” feature.)

Step 2: Reflect and Decide

Reflect on each book- a simple “why am I reading this” or “why did I pause” and then a decision…do I continue reading? I am going to try to not overthink and go with my gut or my first reaction.

Here’s what my journal looks like (continues on a few pages, but you get the picture):

Step 3: Update

Now, I update my StoryGraph to match (and there is a space to write why you are DNFing a book, which is another thing I love about this app).

Here is a peek at my updated shelves! It’s still a lot, but it feels better. I went from 16 books I am currently reading and 32 paused to 13 books currently reading (I even finished one while working on this post) and 11 paused.