My year didn’t go as planned. I thought the digital products from my new business would be farther along and making some money by December, and they aren’t where I pictured. I’m still counting 2026 as a good year, because I was consistent for most of it, which is new for me. So I don’t need this year to wrap up neatly. I can keep showing up and let the unfinished part stay open a little longer.
What happened with my business this year?
I sold my food blog last year. After the sale, I took some time to learn new things, and a few months into 2026 I formed a new LLC and spent a while restructuring before I started a new little business.
That business is digital products. I pictured them farther along by the end of the year, with some money coming in from them. What I found out instead is something I didn’t know going in. Building them is the easy part, and distribution is the struggling part.
I can make a product. Getting it in front of the people who’d want it is the piece I haven’t figured out yet, so the year isn’t ending with the tidy result I had in my head.
Why doesn’t a messy year mean a bad year?
Because I stopped measuring the year only by the results, and started counting what I kept doing.
When I had the food blog, I was busy all the time, but most of it was admin work. I stayed busy without being productive, because I didn’t like making food blog posts, and the admin gave me something to do instead.
This year has looked different. Once I started my new blogs, I kept posting on them. I kept filming Amazon influencer videos. I kept making digital products. Not every week was perfect, and the first few months went to setting up the LLC, but for most of the year I did the things that will hopefully help me with my goals. I’m proud of the consistency.
| What I expected by December | What happened | What I’m counting |
|---|---|---|
| Digital products making some money | Building them was easy, getting them seen is still hard | I kept making them |
| A business farther along | A new LLC and a restructure took the first few months | I kept going once it was set up |
| A neat year-end story | Distribution is still an open question | I kept posting and filming all year |
What changed between the food blog and now?
I picked topics I love this time. I can eat four things because of food sensitivities, so a food blog was a poor fit for me from the start, and I didn’t know myself well enough back then to see it. I wrote about those years in What to Do When You Feel Behind Everyone Else, when I was on the wrong road and felt behind the whole time.
This year I’m on a road I chose on purpose. I’m passionate about what I write about now, so writing comes easy, and the consistency followed from there. I didn’t find more willpower. I found work I want to come back to, and staying consistent got a lot easier once I liked the thing I was being consistent at.
What am I doing about the part that’s still unsolved?
I’m still not entirely sure what my plan is for distribution.
I do feel like I’m going in the right direction, though. I’m going to let the universe take the wheel a little bit on this one, and I’m not going to stress over it too much. That doesn’t mean I’m sitting back and waiting. I’ll keep posting, filming and building, because those are the seeds I can plant on my end, and the open question gets to stay open while I keep doing them.
I’ve been here before with timing. I wanted to sell my food blog sooner than I did, and looking back, selling it right away would have led me to poor choices with the money. I wrote about that in what divine timing means to me. A loose thread at the end of the year leaves room for something to find me.
Why don’t I plan every day?
If I plan too much, I get stressed and overwhelmed. So I keep my goals and my projects clear, and then I work on whatever lights me up that day.
I know being able to work this way is an extreme privilege, and I don’t always get to. Sometimes there’s a deadline, and I do the thing that isn’t lighting me up because it’s due. Most days, though, picking from my projects based on where my energy is keeps me going, where a tight schedule would make me want to quit.
You don’t need my setup to borrow the idea. Knowing your goals is one thing, and scripting every hour of every day is another. Leaving some room unplanned is how I keep the second from crushing the first.
Count what you kept doing this year
- Write down three things you kept doing this year, even the ones without results yet.
- Next to each one, note roughly how often you did it, like weekly or most days.
- Think back to an older version of your year, and notice what’s different now.
- Pick one goal for the rest of the year, and leave the day-to-day plan for it open instead of scheduling every step.
- Keep the list where you’ll see it on the days the results feel slow.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if my year didn’t go as planned?
Count what you kept doing, not only what you finished. When I did that, a year with slow results still showed me a lot of consistency, and that changed how I felt about it. Then keep doing the parts that are working and let the open questions stay open for a while.
Does a year count if I didn’t hit my goals?
Yes, for me it does. My new business isn’t where I pictured by December, but I was consistent for most of the year, and that’s new for me. I count the habits I built, not just the money.
How do I stop feeling behind at the end of the year?
I look at what I’ve been consistent on instead of comparing my results to the ones I imagined. If you feel behind all the time, check whether you’re on a road you chose. I wrote about that in What to Do When You Feel Behind Everyone Else.
Is it okay not to have a plan for next year yet?
It’s okay with me. I don’t have a distribution plan yet, I feel like I’m going in the right direction, and I’m letting the universe take the wheel a little bit while I keep doing my part. Not having every answer doesn’t stop me from showing up.
Why does the new year feel like so much pressure?
I can’t tell you why for everyone. For me, it helps to remember December 31st is just a day leading into January 1st. They’re days strung together, and each one is a fresh chance to start or finish something.
Where I am with this
When your year didn’t go as planned, count what you kept doing and let the unfinished parts stay open. My business isn’t where I thought it would be, and I’m still proud of this year, because I showed up for most of it on work I love. December 31st leads into January 1st the same way every other day leads into the next one, so you don’t need to put so much pressure on the year turning over. Make your list of what you kept doing today, and keep going tomorrow.
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