Announcements

• On January 31st, I am raising the cost of Productivity & Strategy Coaching (for the first time in years) to $220/session. If you want to schedule one or more sessions in 2026 at the current rate of $195/session, book your next few calls ASAP to lock in the current rate!

• Curious about doing my 6-month Success & Accountability Coaching package in 2026? I am grateful to have just onboarded three new clients and renewed packages for five more—which means, the best way to let me know you’re interested is to sign up for the waitlist here. I’ll reach out directly if a spot opens up.

• Dr. Katy Peplin and I are at it again! We’ll be hosting a brand-new workshop on February 7th focused on bringing an experimental mindset to productivity and academic writing. Join the interest list here to be notified when registration official opens in a few weeks.

Welcome to 2026, a year that I hope will be full of righteous care for our communities, our planet, and our bodies and minds. I always start the year by discussing my theme word, and I’ve been noodling on either sticking with AGAIN, the word I selected when I turned 39 in September, or choose something fresh. I’ll bring you along on my process.

A theme word works best for me when it’s simple to remember and I’m forced to think about it often, like the word tending was in 2018 when I wrote a weekly blog called The Tending Year.

I’ve enjoyed using AGAIN as my word (you can read my reflections on it here, here, and here), but I’m craving something simpler and more specific, a word I can use as a decoder and decision maker when I’m feeling stuck in old habits and need a little extra oomph to explore newer ones. I want a word that can mold itself to my life and encourage subtle shifts in the direction I’d like to go; not something harsh, punitive, or too much like a beautiful riddle to be practical.

You’ve seen the YES/NO and IN/OUT lists before, yeah? They were popular at the start of 2025 if I remember correctly, and I’ve been seeing them pop up again. It’s a creative way to reflect and brainstorm, so I’ll share mine with you.

I don’t want to cause myself undue stress by aiming for perfection, so instead of YES/NO, I’m doing LESS OF/MORE OF lists:

LESS OF

• doomscrolling on my phone

• comparing myself to others, unless it inspires me in a healthy way

• eating things I’m allergic to that make me feel like garbage

• wearing clothes that are uncomfortable

• saying yes when I want to say no

• spur of the moment big spending with the exception that if Bon Iver goes on tour, then I’m dropping big money for the best seats

MORE OF

• reading novels and newsletters and nonfiction

• quiet contemplation, which I could have more of if I stop doomscrolling

• working with amazing clients who are doing cool research and writing

• saving money for an emergency fund, allocating money for retirement, and paying down my student loan interest

• phone dates with friends

• pulling tarot cards when I feel stuck and need a jumpstart

• listening to podcasts about culture

• eating foods that are good for my gut

• improving my bone strength

• getting outside in fresh air

• growing out my natural hair color and loving the pops of gray that are coming in

I love reverse engineering a plan for next steps based on real experience instead of some idealized, optimized version of myself. When I look at the lists above, I notice these things:

• I want to feel good in my body

• I want to connect to people I care about

• I’m craving whimsy and wonder

• I want to learn new things and exercise my mind

• I’m thinking about “future me” and want to set her up to thrive

So, is there a theme word in all of this?

I’m certain there are a dozen I could come up with, but I love the word measure, which has multiple definitions:

• a means to achieve a result you like

• a total amount or size or something

• a criterion other things are compared to

• a rhythmic pattern

• gauging how big something is

• and regulating things to keep them from overwhelming you

Measure feels like a living, breathing theme word. It’s less of a “should I or shouldn’t I, yes or no” and more of a prompt to check in and see if the way I’m acting matches the desires I’ve listed above.

After writing out this newsletter, I’m honestly feeling inspired and curious. I want to read, eat, play, and fill out my spreadsheet to track my spending. I’m feeling measured and it feels soothing.

Have you picked a word for 2026? Or if you don’t want to commit to a word for the whole year, is there a word you’re feeling drawn to for this general season of your life? If you’re feeling stuck, may I recommend using a thesaurus to see where it takes you? I discovered measure by first looking up build, then looking at its synonym scale, and then landing on measure. I love words!

Curiosities

• Last weekend I attended the “Throwing Clay On the Wheel Year: molding 2026 with numerology” with my favorite numerologist and former guest on Honing In, Bee Scolnick. If you missed the live workshop and want to learn more about your number of the year, Bee’s selling the workshop recording and slides here!

• I always forget how amazing kimchi is until I pick up a jar on a whim and get hooked. My favorite brand Hosta Hill closed a few years ago, and I like the brand Mother in Law’s, but I’m hoping to expand my horizons this year and find one I’m obsessed with enough to eat it everyday. If you have a go-to kimchi brand or type, please let me know!

• Kris and I are doing our annual replay of Medieval Dynasty, a building and farming simulation game that we fondly call “bonk bonk” because a lot of the game is using tools like hammers to build things. It’s very soothing and the spring and summer scenes are a nice vicarious break from the chill of winter.

• Somehow I’ve never used a habit tracker with stickers but I recently started using this one and I’m into it! There’s something so fancy about using a wholeass sticker to mark having done something, and I’m hopeful it’ll be a good tool for me.

Take care and talk soon,

Dr. Kate

Email: kate@katehenry.com

Website: katehenry.com

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