Compliments of the Season, everyone!
I hope you are recovering well from the holiday food coma and enjoying this weird, quiet little bridge between the years.
We are currently sitting in "The Void."
It’s that specific week between December 25th and January 1st where time feels like an illusion.
If you are like me, you are probably feeling a mix of two very distinct emotions right now.
On one hand, you feel a little lazy. You want to stay in your pajamas and watch movies.
On the other hand, you feel a creeping sense of panic.
You scroll through Instagram and see people posting their "2025 Recaps" and their ambitious goals for 2026.
You start thinking, "Oh no, I need a plan. I need a vision board. I need to change my entire life by Thursday."
We tend to treat the New Year as a massive addition project. We want to add new habits, new money, new relationships.
But I’ve learned the hard way that you cannot bring new furniture into a house that is already hoarded with junk.
If your brain is running slow, it’s probably because you have too many "tabs" open.
You know that feeling when your phone starts lagging because you have 47 browser tabs open in the background?
That is exactly what happens to our mindset at the end of the year.
We are walking around with open loops of guilt, regret, and "what-ifs" from the last twelve months.
So, before we talk about resolutions, let’s talk about deletion.
Here are the five heavy "Mental Tabs" you need to close permanently today so you can actually run fast in 2026.
1. The "Ghost Goals" of 2025
We all started this year with a list.
Maybe you said you were going to learn Spanish. Maybe you said you were going to read 20 books. Maybe you said you were going to launch that podcast.
Now, it is December 28th. And looking at that list, there are a few boxes left unchecked.
Whenever you think about those unchecked boxes, you feel a little pang in your stomach. That is the "Ghost Goal" haunting you.
It drains your battery. It whispers to you, "You aren't disciplined. You didn't finish what you started."
Here is the radical mindset shift: Archive them.
The person who wrote those goals in January 2025 is not the same person sitting here in December.
You have different priorities now. You have different scars. You have different knowledge.
Maybe you didn't learn Spanish because you realized you actually needed to focus on your coding skills for work.
Maybe you didn't launch the podcast because you needed to rest.
Holding onto a goal that no longer fits you is like wearing a pair of shoes that are two sizes too small just because you paid for them.
It doesn't prove you are disciplined; it just proves you are stubborn.
Take a look at your uncompleted goals. Ask yourself: "Do I actually want this, or do I just feel guilty about it?"
If it’s guilt, close the tab.
Declare "Bankruptcy" on your 2025 to-do list.
You are allowed to start 2026 with a blank slate, not a backlog.
2. The "If Only" Replay Reel
The human brain is obsessed with the past.
Specifically, it is obsessed with the alternative endings of the past.
We replay arguments in the shower. "If only I had said this, I would have won."
We replay financial mistakes. "If only I had bought that stock, I’d be rich."
We keep this tab open because we think that if we analyze the mistake enough times, we can somehow retroactively fix it.
But rumination is not problem-solving. It is emotional torture.
There is a Japanese concept called Shikata ga nai. It roughly translates to "it cannot be helped."
It is the deep acceptance that what has happened is now carved in stone.
I spent half of this year beating myself up over a business decision I made in March. I lost money. I felt stupid.
I kept the tab open, refreshing it every night, trying to find a way to not feel stupid.
But I realized that the "processing power" I was using to regret March was stealing the energy I needed for December.
You cannot drive the car forward if you are staring in the rearview mirror.
Whatever mistake you made this year—whatever embarrassment, whatever loss—it is done.
Forgive the version of you who made that mistake. They were doing the best they could with the information they had.
Close the tab. The video is over. Stop watching the replay.
3. The "Comparison" Cookie Tracker
In web browsing, "cookies" track where you go and what you look at to show you ads.
In our minds, we have a "Comparison Cookie" that tracks how we stack up against everyone else.
End-of-year is peak season for this.
You see your cousin’s engagement photos. You see your colleague’s promotion on LinkedIn. You see your friend’s vacation to Bali.
And suddenly, your year feels... small.
You start thinking, "Everyone else is moving forward, and I am standing still."
This is a mental virus.
The problem with comparison is that you are comparing your "Behind-the-Scenes" footage with everyone else’s "Highlight Reel."
You know your own struggles. You know the nights you cried. You know the debt.
But you only see their smiles.
I remember talking to a friend who I thought had the "Perfect Year." She got a new job, traveled, and looked amazing online.
When we grabbed coffee, she burst into tears. She told me she was lonely, burned out, and hated the new job.
I was shocked.
It was a reminder that we truly have no idea what people are carrying.
The only metric that matters is: Are you better than you were last year? Not richer than your neighbor. Not fitter than the influencer.
Just... better than the 2024 version of You.
If the answer is yes, you won.
Clear your browser history. Stop looking at their paper. Keep your eyes on your own test.
4. The "I'll Be Happy When..." Waiting Room
This is the most dangerous tab of all.
It is the tab of deferred happiness.
"I'll be happy when I lose 10 pounds in January."
"I'll be happy when I get the raise."
"I'll be happy when I meet my soulmate."
We treat happiness like a destination we have to earn, rather than a manner of traveling.
We spend our lives in the Waiting Room.
But here is the brutal truth: The goalpost always moves.
As soon as you lose the 10 pounds, you’ll find something else to hate about your body.
As soon as you get the raise, you’ll want a bigger house.
If you cannot find a way to be content in the messy, imperfect "now" of December 28th, you will not be content in the shiny "future" of January 1st.
Naval Ravikant, the philosopher and investor, says, "Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want."
I am not saying you shouldn't have goals.
But you must separate your goals from your peace.
Close the tab that says you are incomplete.
You are not a broken app waiting for an update. You are a fully functioning human being right now.
Enjoy the coffee you are drinking today. Enjoy the breath in your lungs.
Don't wait for 2026 to start living.
5. The "Toxic Loyalty" Subscription
We talked about friendships yesterday, but this is about the mindset of obligation.
Many of us are running background scripts of "People Pleasing."
We are subscribed to other people's expectations of us.
We say yes to events we don't want to attend. We silence our opinions to keep the peace.
We carry the emotional baggage of our parents or partners.
This consumes a massive amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) in your brain.
If you are exhausted, it might be because you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Before the New Year hits, I want you to look at your "subscriptions."
Who are you trying to impress?
Whose permission are you waiting for?
I realized this year that I was still trying to impress a teacher I had in high school. I am a grown adult, yet I was still seeking validation from an authority figure who doesn't even remember my name.
It was a Toxic Loyalty to an old hierarchy.
Unsubscribe.
You do not owe anyone an explanation for how you choose to live your life.
You do not owe anyone your time.
The only person you need to make proud in 2026 is the person you see in the mirror.
The Power of the Reset Button
Computers run faster after a restart. Humans do too.
This Sunday is your restart button.
You don't need a fancy ritual. You don't need to burn sage (unless you want to).
You just need to sit quietly for a moment, perhaps with your phone off, and make a decision.
Decide that you are not dragging the dusty, heavy baggage of 2025 into the fresh, clean house of 2026.
Decide that you are forgiving yourself.
Decide that you are enough.
Close the tabs.
Look at that beautiful, blank desktop screen.
Now... what do you want to open first?
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