We’ve officially arrived at Lesson One inside the January Life Edit.

And honestly, I love how many of you are resonating with giving January a different job. Something other than forcing big change or a full life overhaul. For most of us, January just isn’t wired for that. And the good news? It doesn’t need to be.

January works best as a rest. A pause. A quiet realignment.

Can I be honest for a minute?

I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to live the way I thought I should. Choosing paths that looked reasonable on the outside, but didn’t actually fit who I was. And the tricky part? It’s hard to see when you’re in it. Sometimes the direction you’re “supposed” to go looks almost identical to the one you were created for. Of course, until enough time passes that you realize you’ve drifted.

That's the thing about drifting. Living one degree in the wrong direction can take you somewhere completely different.

That small misalignment often shows up as a quiet discomfort. An underlying exhaustion. That feeling of, “something’s off, but I can’t quite name it.” It’s not always a big problem. It’s often just being out of alignment with how you want to live and what actually gives you energy.

That’s why I believe January isn’t about rushing into change. It’s about slowing down long enough to realign your life and clean it up. To reset your direction before you start moving again.

Because I don’t want you to get to December wondering where the year went. I want you to get there and feel clear, confident, and a little amazed at how intentional you were this year.

And that starts with setting the stage (or cleaning it).

Over the next five days, I’ll walk you through five areas to clean up. Then we’ll use the rest of the month to actually do the work. You don’t have to wait until all five are shared to start. But I do encourage you to pause, notice, and plan before jumping in. Clarity saves energy. It keeps you from working hard on what doesn’t matter while ignoring what does.

I know for me, I’m great at cleaning the surface-level stuff. But I don’t always look under the hood. I can tidy things up, tell myself it’s “handled,” and still feel drained because the real mess is hidden. That kind of cleaning actually costs more energy over time because the mess keeps resurfacing.

This is different. We're going to start in a place where a lot of our energy quietly leaks out.

Day 01: Cleaning Your Mental and Digital Spaces

Take a minute to ponder how much of your day is spent inside your own head or on a screen. It's alarming, isn't it?

I feel it too, but there is no point in judging it. Instead, do something about it. I don't mean getting rid of your screens or trying to rid yourself of your thoughts. I mean, cleaning up these spaces so you can get to a place where you gain value from them.

Your mind isn't leaving you, and neither are your screens. We just need to get you back to a place where they are serving you rather than hurting you.

Let's start with cleaning up your digital world:

This might look like:

• Deleting apps you don't use but still mentally "track".
• Deleting apps you do use but have little to no benefit from.
• It could be deleting apps from your phone that are better used on your computer.
• It could be clearing old text messages and voicemails.
• It could be downloading all your images to your computer (and printing the ones you want), or moving them from your phone to another storage location.

You might also digitally clean up:

• The hundreds (or thousands) of unread emails sitting in your inbox.
• Cleaning the folders off your desktop.
• Dealing with the notes, tabs, and documents scattered everywhere.
• Going through the subscriptions you forgot you even had (that includes the streaming services you pay for).
• Unsubscribing from social feeds that leave you feeling heavy instead of inspired.

In your mental space, this may be slightly different, but still not time-consuming. Note: cleaning up your digital world will free up significant mental space.

• It could look like brain-dumping everything that is open in your head, delegating the tasks you need to so you no longer have to remember what you're hoping not to forget.
• It could also look like accounting for the inputs you have coming in and deciding what is no longer worth your energy.
• Turning off all notifications, because every time your phone dings, it does a number on your mental state.

But it could also look like:

• Not overthinking every decision.
• Releasing old expectations or any expectations.
• Carrying on conversations that have already ended.
• Carrying guilt and shame.
• Holding judgments towards everything and anything.

Don't overcomplicate this. Overcomplicating things is often your mind distracting you from the work of releasing what isn't helping. Instead, notice what you engage with and what's around you that feels draining or isn't serving you. Then do something about it.

Use this simple energy framework to help you notice what's out of balance:

As you look at your mental and digital space, ask:

• Does this give me energy, neutralize my energy, or drain my energy?
• Does interacting with this leave me feeling clearer or more scattered?
• If I removed this, would I feel relief… or resistance?

You don’t need to fix everything today. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s awareness.

Use the space in your planner labeled "space for your thoughts, meetings, projects, and ideas" (next to the January lesson in your Nourished Planner) to identify and list the mental and digital tasks that are draining you. Use the next few days to be aware and take note.

When you're ready, start dealing with them.

1. Start with what is most exhausting. Clean that first.

When you clean up energy there, the next step becomes easier.

Keep moving through your list, cleaning up what needs to be clean and start to feel the peace that comes with a little more space.

Later, you can decide how to fill this space you're creating, but you can't know that until you create the space.

Take it slow.

Let January do what it does best!

I'll be back tomorrow to help you clean the next space!

It's my birthday week! I'd like to give you a gift this year! In honor of still being in my 30's, take 30% off the 2026 Nourished Planner! Sale ends on Friday, January 16th at midnight! Discount applied automatically at checkout. GET THE SALE HERE!