The Write Habit

Why I Haven’t Planned My Year (and Why That’s Okay)

• Season 2 • Episode 1

Share episode

It’s January 11 - and I haven’t planned my year.

Instead of forcing 12-month goals or rigid structures, I’m learning to trust a more embodied, aligned way of moving forward. And that feels hard for me. 

Let's talk about:

  • How not having your year figured out can be a good thing
  • The perceived "tension" between safety and inner truth
  • Letting go of rigid planning without giving up responsibility

If you’re entering this year as slow as I have, this episode will help you to listen inward. 

Resources for you:


  • Join "The Awakened Author" LIVE for experienced writers with stalled projects (Jan 26-March 6):

https://www.thewritehabitplanner.com/awakenedauthor


  • Learn automatic writing with my FREE guide:

https://www.thewritehabitplanner.com/startautomaticwriting


  • Join my £33 self-paced program "Start Your Book With Automatic Writing":

https://www.thewritehabitplanner.com/automatic-book


  • Order "The Write Habit Planner" - your 52-week goal setting planner

https://www.thewritehabitplanner.com/

Welcome to the first episode of the Write Habit podcast in 2026. It's already January 11 and I've been wanting to record this for quite a while, but I didn't know what to say and I think that's because I hadn't figured myself out yet. Even though it's already almost mid January this year, I took a really long time to transition over and I think I'm almost out of the transition space. I might still be in it. First I want to share a little moment with my son. It was what I would call a butterfly moment, which is a tiny micro moment where you realise there is something beautiful here. So usually my 8 year old doesn't like to be touched or hugged too much. He's autistic and it's just not how he works. But this morning he was feeling really cold and so he asked me to cuddle up with him, which he usually never does. And so we cuddled and he actually even held onto my hands and it was just so blissful. And then I did let him go just to give him space but he leaned over to me and put his head almost on my shoulder and whispered Mama. And it was just the cutest moment. It gave me so much happiness and I mentally said butterfly moment because this is one of those moments I don't want to forget. And I've recently actually started a journal. It's simply a calendar, a diary where I note those butterfly moments. Because in 2026, I want to be able to experience more joy. I don't want to just work hard and get through divorce and build my business and write my books, support my clients, but I want and need to experience joy. And I don't know how you feel, but joy is a very elusive concept to me. It sometimes feels, feels actually unsafe to be joyful because what if it's taken away? This is something that sits very deep for me. It might be similar for you that you almost don't allow yourself to feel joy because what if it crashes down? What if something bad happens? What if you can't keep it? And so this is one of my mantras for 2026. Just bring back the magic, bring back the joy. And by noticing butterfly moments. This is where I am starting this year with something tiny and small. So I had another question that I asked myself when I was sitting in my automatic writing this morning. I was asking why am I unsure about my business this year, because usually I have a few flagship programmes, the 90 day accelerator, the Write Habit Booster and some things around automatic writing and book coaching. But this year I've been trying to sit down to plan my year with a big visual calendar with a whiteboard, the typical tools that I use. Because planning is great, I love it. It didn't happen and I was really feeling, oh, I'm doing it wrong. Why am I not able to plan? What's wrong with me? You know that feeling of failure that sets in because on January 11, you still haven't figured out your whole year. I don't know how you feel at this point when you're listening to this podcast. Maybe your year isn't figured out yet. Maybe this is one of those years where this doesn't happen immediately for you, maybe like it had in the past. So I asked my automatic writing, I went into trance and I asked me under guidance, my subconscious, why am I unsure about my business this year? And the answer came and I want to read it out to you because it's really profound and I think it will really help you if you are at a similar point as I am. My automatic writing said because the metamorphosis is ongoing and you develop your business alongside you. That's why a 12 month goal setting exercise will not help your sense of safety, wanting to have it all planned and your deep truth. Just sort of creating programmes as they come. Those are competing on the one side. You want deep planning and have safety, security, knowing what happens, just being able to see it all in front of you, the path is clear. On the other, you need deep alignment and truth and you want to bring it up from energetics and bringing out the right programmes for the people that are drawn to you that can maybe not be pre planned. So this is the competition going on and right now for the first time in your life, that's what it said to me. The deep alignment, the truth, the integrity are winning. Wow. It's scary because it feels like a trade off. You're trading off safety for inner truth. And this is really rings true for me. I wonder what you think? Do you feel safer when you have a clear goal and milestones and if you try to be letting go and surrendering and being mindful, you feel actually unsafe, like you're floating? So if you internally are nodding, then I'd like keep listening. I hope this episode helps you because I got more insights in my automatic writing. The automatic writing was asking me what if this other more embodied and felt way is the actual safety you need and the other one was a crutch. Because currently actually I have less money than I used to have in the past when I was planning quite a lot. It might be there will be less clarity when the money comes in what programmes are running. But at the same time, and this is what I'm feeling right now within this uncertainty for actually for the first time, I am still feeling very aligned with myself. I'm feeling trusting and positive in the business. Don't ask me where it's coming from. So this automatic writing session this morning was a completely turn around, a new experience for me. I feel that I'm going to have a different way to hold and meet my clients and to hold myself throughout this year in how I launch programmes, how I support others, how I hold others and hopefully creating a space to create the things that want to come through. Now, I'm never not going to plan. I will still work with the Write Habit planner, my own planner, which is almost full. It's somewhere in my bag because I took it to a Cafe. I will still plan what I want to do each week, but I want to bring in the energetic and I don't need the whole year figured out perfectly. Thinking more in terms of sacred starts, small containers to ease myself in. I will definitely run a Mastermind, the book portal. That one I know I will definitely publish. You are already free. The book that I've channelled, I will keep writing on other books that will come through. One of them is called Butterfly Moments, just as the intro of the podcast. So there are quite a few things that are clear to me, but I don't know exactly when I will put things in place. And I will call in help subconsciously from inner guidance, but also actually from an editor that I just hired. But at the same time, I'm not going to stress myself. I want to operate from feeling already free from stress. I want to feel already safe and I want to trust that I will bring through what needs to be brought through. For that, I will keep reflecting. I will do small and embodied goal setting, but this year will hopefully feel different. So you can see that this idea at the start of the podcast, it's January 11. I haven't planned my year yet. I'm wrong. Something is wrong with me has completely shifted through the automatic writing process, through going into trans and asking and having a conversation with my inner guidance has completely turned around and given me a feeling of safety, of feeling I'm acting from truth. I have evolved, I am transforming and I'll see what comes and react to that. So what it said finally, the final words in the automatic writing was you know, this year will happen alongside your own freedom journey. You will live that year of truth and trust and integrity and you will share it deeply. And also you know that butterfly moments and noticing that those tiny moments that give you joy will be your antidote to any upcoming fear, stress, not feeling safe, or getting back into my old self. I really do wonder what that calls up in you. Are you hearing any whispers to go easy at your goal setting? Maybe just plan the first quarter or maybe just have a few priorities and then TuneIn every week rather than fixated goal setting for the whole year ahead. Maybe that is something that speaks to you, maybe coming from a more embodied space, maybe you're interested in learning automatic writing. And I'll put some information in the show notes. Maybe there's a book in the cards for you. If not, if you are simply wanting to keep up your journaling habit, your writing habit, that's also fine. Just sort of listen within. And welcome to 2026 with the Write Habit podcast and me, Nicole Janz, welcome to tuning in to a deeper listening to yourself. And if you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, get on my e-mail list and look out for all the things that I'm trying to bring up in a much more sacred way for you and for myself this year. Thank you so much for tuning in.