Jayne Whyte's Portfolio

I started the new year with ease and quiet, which is quite different from my normal. Perhaps this is my new normal, as I didn’t feel the usual anxiety of creating a list of goals to achieve or resolutions.

These past weeks have been about clearing my space, making plans, and putting my life back on my own calendar instead of letting it run me. Here are some hacks I have put in place to help me maintain clarity, remain accountable and enjoy every bit of the year.

Health checks:

I finally booked the appointments I kept postponing. Dentist, Eye checks and GP. It turns out peace of mind feels a lot like clicking “confirm appointment” and not avoiding your inbox for months. I had ignored the messages from Specsavers since November last year, and it’s just me being too lazy. There is something powerful about knowing your future self will be looked after because your present self bothered to act. Health planning is not dramatic. It is quiet, practical, and oddly comforting. I have committed to getting it all done, and I am grateful for good health.

2026 Holidays and annual leave:

I used to feel bad for taking time off work, but since last year, all the guilt of taking care of myself has all disappeared. Which is a really good thing. Yes? Now I treat my annual leave like a necessity. These past weeks, I looked at my work and personal calendars and did a bit of thinking and planning around key dates. New places I’d love to visit, and days I’ll be doing absolutely nothing. I booked days for travel, days for rest, and days just to breathe without a schedule. Watching those annual leave days land on my calendar and visualising my planned travels and trips to the most gorgeous sights makes my heart beat faster. I love to travel, and I love to be spoiled while at it.

Some trips are going to be about adventure. Some are about switching off my brain. All of them are about remembering that life is not just work plus recovery from work. It is also fun, curiosity, rest, and memories you smile about when you are back at your desk pretending to be serious.

Spring cleaning:

Not spring yet, but I have done a bit of cleaning and taken out things I don’t need anymore. There is something freeing about opening your wardrobe and seeing only clothes that match your current mood, values, and energy. Like they say, “less is more”. I feel lighter already, and the fewer clothes I have, the better for me.

Fitness tracker:

I am not chasing perfection. I just want to be at the best weight possible and in good health. I want to know how much I move, how much I sleep, and how much water I consume. The tracker is not here to judge me. It is here to remind me that my body likes movement, rest, water, and occasional dancing in the kitchen.

Some days I hit my goals. Some days, my only exercise is emotional resilience. Both count in different ways. The point is not pressure. It is attention. You cannot care for what you refuse to notice.

All of this looks simple on paper. Book this. Clear that. Set this up. But together, it feels like something bigger. It feels like choosing myself on purpose, and it feels good each time I choose myself.

This year, I choose myself. Not in a dramatic, loud way. In a practical, grown way. Making space. Making plans. Making room for health, rest, fun, and growth. This is not a “new year, new me” story. It is a “new year, better organised me” story.

I am learning that life planning is not about controlling everything. It is about creating enough structure, so joy has somewhere to land. Enough order so that chaos does not run the whole house. Enough intention so days do not just happen to me.

I do not know everything this year will bring. But I know I started it awake, active, and paying attention. And honestly, that already feels like a win.

Cheers,

Jayne