The beginning of a new year often comes with a lot of pressure. New goals, new habits, new expectations. But for me, starting a year in a meaningful way isn’t about doing more, it’s about gaining clarity. About understanding what I want to continue, what I want to change, and what I want to let go of.

Before we can plan our days, weeks and months, I truly believe there’s an important first step: reflection.

Why reflecting on the past year matters

At the start of this year, I created a small reflection sheet called “Reflections of 2025”, which I shared on my Patreon.

It’s a simple and free download you can print or use digitally, and its purpose is to help you gather everything you experienced last year in one place. The good moments, the challenges, the goals you reached, and the things you’re proud of.

Taking the time to reflect is incredibly powerful for your self-esteem. It reminds you of how much you’ve already done and how far you’ve come. It also helps clear your mind before moving forward. For me, reflection is the bridge between one year and the next. It’s what allosw me to step into 2026 with more intention, instead of rushing ahead.

Once that reflection is done, planning becomes much easier and more inspiring. 
You can download the "Reflections of 2025" sheet here, available in patreon in a public post, click here.

Planning as a creative and supportive habit

When I talk about planning, I don’t mean rigid schedules or overwhelming to-do lists. I mean creating a system that supports you visually, emotionally and creatively.

As a creative person, I need tools that feel inspiring. Colourful planners, nice pens, stationery that feels special — these things genuinely motivate me to sit down and plan my days and weeks. Beauty and creativity are not distractions for me; they’re part of the process.

Here are a few tools I personally use and love.

In 2025, I discovered a planner brand (the stripe one, from the "Erik" brandI didn’t even know before and it quickly became one of my favourites. 🥰 

What really made it stand out was the beginning of the planner. It includes a “Yearly Tracker in Pixels” where you can create your own habits or tasks, assign a colour to each one.

There’s also a Self-Awareness Wheel, where you colour different lief areas at the beginning of the year and again at the eend. Visually seeing how things changed over time is incredibly powerful, it makes growth tangible.

The planner also includes:

• An annual table for important dates
• A Goals & Checklist section, where you can plan what you want to focus on each month of 2026
• A Wish List divided into 12 themes, like adventure, self-care, fitness, crazy ideas and more 
• A world map where you can colour the countries you’ve visited or want to visit (which I find so fun!!)

Before each month, there’s also a dedicated page for:

• Monthly expenses
• Month priorities
• Habit tracker
• Notes

For everything it offers, I honestly find this planner very affordable, you can find it if you click here.

I also made a YouTube video where I show in inside of this planner if you are interested. 📽️

Colorful accessories that makes me excited to plan ✏️

Another essential part of my weekly planning is my daily planner from Laura Jane’s Illustrations, which I bought for the first time this year. And I LOVE IT!!! 🤩

I chose the daily planner version, which allows me to plan each day in detail, something I find especially helpful as a small business owner. It includes all the important sections I need to stay organised without feeling overwhelmed.

One thing I absolutely love is that the planner is divided into four different illustration themes, one for each quarter of the year. Each colour marks a new season and that visual change keeps things fresh and exciting.

Laura Jane has so many beautiful designs, and this planner genuinely makes me want to plan my week. Sometimes, that motivation is everything. 🥰✨

🌷 You can find Laura here: https://www.laurajaneillustrations.com/
📒 You can find the "Building my dream one day at a time" daily planner here:
https://amzn.to/3NqHZwc

If you prefer to listen or watch instead of reading, I also shared a YouTube video where I talk about these topics in a more relaxed and personal way. Feel free to watch it if that feels easier for you 🤍

Materials refered in this post:
- A5 Erik Agenda 2026 with stickers: https://amzn.to/4qIKKId
- Laura Janes Illustrations Daily Planner: https://amzn.to/3NqHZwc
- My fave pen highlighters: yellow -  https://amzn.to/4pM9cqP
- orange - https://amzn.to/49rhNdy

Sometimes, slowing down and reflecting is the best way to move forward,
Love Sofia ✨