Hooray for 2026! I have an optimistic feeling about this year, maybe because last year the world was so flipping crazy. One thing I learned is that many things are not within my control, but that doesn’t mean I’m helpless. I have influence over my own actions, and this year I’m doubling down to make them count. I’m not making resolutions, but I am going to do what I say I am going to do. That’s why I’m choosing “Commit” as my word of the year.
Why Choose a Word of the Year?
Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, is a proponent of choosing a one-word theme for the upcoming year. She describes it like this:
“A one-word theme is just what it sounds like: a single word or short phrase that serves as a guiding principle for the year. It’s a concept that will help guide your decisions and notice opportunities. Unlike traditional resolutions, a theme is imaginative and adaptable. It’s about direction, rather than success or failure.” Her word for this year is “Neighbor” which loosely means welcoming and becoming closer with people in her various communities.
My word, Commit, has several definitions (including being confined to a mental hospital, yikes!). But I define it as the process of making meaningful, specific plans for myself and then having the integrity to follow through on them. And I have discovered a miraculous tool for this process. My calendar.
How My Calendar Helps Me Commit
As a 60-something/freelance/empty-nesting/snowbird/creator chick, my schedule is pretty much my own. This isn’t as liberating as it sounds. Yes, I can play tennis, go to lunch with my mom and take leisurely nature walks. But having no urgency in my day—no boss, clients, deadlines, or meetings—means I’m basically unaccountable, except to myself. This hasn’t made me the most productive in the past, but now that I’ve woken up how important my actions are to my life (and, psst, maybe to the world) I commit to delivering on my promises. And managing my calendar is key.
Because I do have big goals—for my writing, for my relationships, for my health, for my tennis game, for my intellectual and spiritual growth—but if I don’t prioritize those goals by actually making time to work on them, they aren’t gonna happen. Manifestation is a co-creative process with the universe, and my part is to put in the work. Work requires time. Time requires scheduling.
What I’m Scheduling Weekly
So for 2026, I’m aligning my calendar to my priorities and making appointments for the things that are important to me. This may seem obvious, but being very specific about the when of a goal is new to me. I’m not trying to schedule every minute of every day, I value my flexibility and freedom too. But here’s what’s new:
I want to write more and post consistently every week, so I’ve created Office Hours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I’ll write at other times, but these two 3-hour time slots are non-negotiable.
I want to read more (I only finished 16 books last year), so I’m scheduling Sunday and Monday evenings as Reading Nights. I’ve told my husband I’m going off the grid after dinner. I’ll shut down my devices and curl up with a good book, a cup of tea and a face mask and read for two hours.
I want to spend quality time with my husband who just retired (I’ll be writing more about this one). So we’ve scheduled some regular meet ups—lunch out on Tuesdays, a mid-week date night on Wednesdays, and 9 holes of golf on a weekend afternoon. Having these activities booked means we are prioritizing time together and we can look forward to our new routine.
I want to have pretty nails. I have struggled with nail biting my entire life, and as a mature woman who aspires to be stylish, my unkempt nails have to go. In the past, the only way I’ve been able to have nice nails is by surrendering my fingertips to a professional. But I haven’t had a manicure since before Emma’s wedding in August. Starting next week I’m having Manicure Mondays. I just booked my first appointment.
I’ve also scheduled times to strength train, organize my finances, hang out with my mother, line dance (so fun!) and yes, play lots of tennis. My priorities may shift as the year goes on, but the practice of scheduling specific times to work on them is solid. The calendar is the tool, but the magic is that I COMMIT to it. And to myself.
What Works for You?
What things would you like to make more time for and what tools do you use to keep yourself on track? I’d love to hear what you’re into in 2026.
And check back here soon, because I’m committed to posting weekly this year. Better yet, subscribe to my blog with your email address below and you’ll receive new stories to your inbox as soon as I post them.
Fully Fabulous 