If you’re anything like most business owners I know, your to-do list right now looks like a Target receipt. Never-ending, slightly overwhelming, and full of things you genuinely don’t remember putting there. And somehow, even on your most productive days, it still feels like you didn’t get enough done. Spoiler alert. Your to-do list is kind of lying to you.

January always feels like a deep breath. The world slows down just long enough for you to look at your life and say okay, what now. And honestly, I kind of love that. Not in a “new year, new me” way, but in a real and gentle way that lets you reflect on what the past twelve months taught you and decide who you want to be moving forward.

There is something oddly satisfying about closing out a year. It’s like the business version of cleaning out your closet. You pull everything out, look at the chaos you created, question your past decisions, and then put it all back in a way that makes you feel like maybe you do have your life together after all. The end of the year is the perfect time to do that for your business. Not because you need to overhaul everything, but because starting January with clarity feels a lot better than starting with confusion and fourteen open tabs.

If you had told me a year ago that I’d be living out of a suitcase, building a business from my laptop, and navigating grocery stores in languages I don’t speak, I would have laughed and then probably cried a little. Yet here we are. Life has a funny way of throwing plot twists at you right when you think the storyline is set.

The holidays are supposed to feel magical, cozy, joyful, twinkly, all the sparkly Pinterest board vibes. But if you’re a business owner, sometimes it feels more like juggling flaming candy canes while trying to keep your inbox from bursting into flames. End of year deadlines, family events, travel, shopping, wrapping, cooking, content planning, everyone suddenly needing everything from you right now. It is a lot. And honestly, you deserve to enjoy the holidays without feeling like your business is clinging to you like a toddler who refuses to nap.

Okay, let’s clear this up once and for all because I love you, but if one more person asks me “so what actually is a virtual assistant and what do you do all day,” I’m going to need a snack break and a nap.