January 13, 2026 | Issue Archive
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That Old Familiar Feeling...
We’re only a few weeks into the year.
The holidays are behind us.
The routines are back.
Calendars are filling up again.
ids’ practices. Meetings. Deadlines. Travel.
That familiar sense of momentum returns…
And yet, for a lot of people, there’s already a quiet feeling underneath it all:
How am I already behind?!
We started this year with anticipation.
With clarity.
With intention.
And now—somehow—it already feels like too much.
If that’s you, let me say this clearly:
Nothing has gone wrong.
But there is a misunderstanding that trips a lot of good leaders right about now.
This Ends Now
When overwhelm shows up, we usually blame the same thing:
“I just need to prioritize better.”
So we color-code calendars.
We reorganize task lists.
We try to get clearer about what matters most.
And it feels good. For a minute.
While prioritization has its place, here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most overwhelm isn’t caused by poor prioritization.
It’s caused by things that should have already ended.
Meetings that still exist out of habit.
Commitments that made sense in a different season.
Expectations we never consciously renewed—but never released either.
No amount of prioritization fixes that.
Because you’re not overwhelmed by what you’re choosing.
You’re overwhelmed by what you’re still carrying.
So if this year already feels heavier than it should, it may not be because you’re doing the wrong things—
It may be because you’re still doing things that no longer belong.
This Moment Matters
Before you add anything new this week, pause and ask yourself one simple question:
What has quietly run its course—but I’m still carrying it forward?
Not what should I start.
Not what should I optimize.
What might be ready to end.
That question alone can create more space than any new productivity system ever will.
I’ve been working on a simple way to help leaders identify what needs to end—before the next request even arrives.
I’ll share more soon.
For now, let yourself notice this:
You don’t need to do more.
You need to end better.
And when you do...
Up we go—