🌿 A Mid-Year Reflection
At the beginning of the year, I set myself a series of goals for 2026 — not so much rigid resolutions, but gentle intentions for the kind of year I wanted to create.
Now that we’re halfway through the year, it feels like the right time to pause, reflect, and check in with myself. Some goals have flowed naturally. Others have been harder to hold onto. A few have shifted completely as life, energy, weather, and reality have made themselves known.
And honestly? That feels okay.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about noticing what’s working, what needs adjusting, and what I want to carry with me into the second half of the year.
💪 Physical Health
Goals:
- Walk in nature at least 3 times a week — beaches, bush tracks, or ParkRun.
- Start each morning with gentle movement (yoga, stretching, or dance).
- Grow and eat more of our own fresh produce.
- No phone after 9pm to improve sleep.
Progress:
Walking three times a week went really well while the weather was warm. I loved getting outside, especially to beaches, and it felt good to have that rhythm in place. But as the weather has cooled, my motivation has definitely slowed down too. One of my winter adjustments is to set the treadmill back up so we can keep moving indoors and stay fit for hockey. I know I feel better when I’m walking regularly, so this is one goal I don’t want to let disappear completely just because the season has changed.
The morning movement routine hasn’t really happened. Mornings are still the part of my day where I most need to slow down, but also the part where that feels the hardest. I’m not giving up on it, but I think I need to make this goal much smaller and gentler for the second half of the year.
Growing our own food has been lovely, even if it’s still in the early stages. So far we’ve had strawberries and fresh herbs, and I’ve also bought a lemon tree, blueberry plant, raspberry plant, and chilli plant. None of those have fruited yet, but I like the feeling of slowly building a garden that will feed us over time.
As for no phone after 9pm — some nights it works better than others. I’m trying, and I can definitely feel the difference when I do manage it.
🧠 Mental Health
Goals:
- Weekly self-check-in journal practice.
- Monthly mental health day.
- Explore sensory regulation tools for autistic wellbeing.
- Reduce online comparison by curating my digital space.
Progress:
My weekly self-care check-in lasted about two months, which is actually a pretty good start. Over time, though, I realised I was naturally doing a lot of that reflection in my daily journal instead. So rather than seeing this as a failure, I’m choosing to see it as the practice changing shape.
Mental health days are still a work in progress. I’ve managed a few, but I often find myself “half-resting” rather than fully switching off. I’ll stop doing one thing, but then fill the space with another task, another thought, another bit of mental clutter. It has been a gentle reminder that rest is a skill too.
I’ve also been slowly curating my digital space. I’m paying more attention to which online spaces make me feel inspired, connected, and happy — and which ones leave me feeling drained or caught in comparison. I’m learning that I don’t need to stay everywhere just because I once belonged there.
🏡 Home
Goals:
- Complete one decluttering project each month.
- Create a cozy corner just for me.
- Build sustainable home rhythms.
- Expand the garden with herbs, flowers, and native plants.
Progress:
This area has been slowly moving along, even if not always in big dramatic ways.
The idea of one decluttering project each month has helped keep things manageable. It stops me from feeling like I need to overhaul the whole house at once, which never works for me anyway. Small, steady progress feels much more sustainable.
I’ve also been thinking more about how I want our home to feel — not perfect, not magazine-worthy, but lived in, warm, creative, and calm enough for all of us to breathe.
The garden is slowly expanding too. Between herbs, food plants, and the hope of more flowers and natives, it feels like we’re gradually creating a space that is useful, beautiful, and alive.
👨👩👧 Family
Goals:
- Weekly family night with no screens.
- Four Tasmanian day trips or mini adventures.
- Family gratitude jar.
- Family creative project.
Progress:
This has probably been the most neglected area of my goals so far. Not because it doesn’t matter — it absolutely does — but because it’s easy for family time to become something that just happens around the edges of everything else. School, work, sport, appointments, chores, and everyone’s energy levels all fill the calendar so quickly.
For the second half of the year, I want to come back to this in a simpler way. Maybe it doesn’t need to be a perfectly planned weekly family night. Maybe it starts with one screen-free dinner, one board game, one short drive, one shared creative afternoon.
I still love the idea of Tasmanian day trips and mini adventures, especially as a way of reconnecting with where we live. I don’t want this goal to become another pressure point, but I do want to make more space for shared memories.
🌱 Personal Development
Goals:
- Read 12 books (one per month).
- Take a short online course.
- Practice saying no without guilt.
- Reflect quarterly on values and priorities.
Progress:
Reading has continued to be both an escape and a source of inspiration. I’ve been drawn to books that help me slow down, think differently, or feel more connected to creativity, home, and self-understanding. I haven’t followed a perfect “one book per month” rhythm, but I have kept reading, and that matters more to me than the numbers.
I’ve also been reflecting a lot on values, priorities, and what I actually have capacity for. Saying no without guilt is still hard, but it’s becoming one of the most important lessons of the year. I’m learning that boundaries are not unkind. They are often what make it possible to show up with more honesty and care.
🎨 Creative
Goals:
- Two hours per week of creative play.
- Attend or host a creative workshop.
- Progress on a signature project.
Progress:
Creativity has shown up in unexpected ways this year. Sometimes through photography walks. Sometimes through planner journaling. Sometimes through blogging, website work, or simply noticing something beautiful and wanting to record it.
My signature project is the Tasmanian Maker’s Journal website. At the beginning of the year, I had a plan to publish weekly posts, but I’ve realised that pace isn’t sustainable for me right now. So I’m paring it back.
That doesn’t mean the project matters any less. In fact, I think slowing the pace might help me enjoy it more and keep it going for longer. I want Tasmanian Maker’s Journal to be something rooted in curiosity, creativity, and community — not another thing that burns me out.
🔮 Spiritual
Goals:
- Celebrate each Wheel of the Year festival.
- Deepen connection with local land spirits.
- Build a regular altar practice.
Progress:
The Wheel of the Year continues to be a grounding thread through my seasons. Simple rituals for the turning points of the year have helped me pause and notice where I am — not just on the calendar, but in myself.
My altar practice has been gentle and changeable. Sometimes it is simple. Sometimes it is layered. Sometimes it reflects the moon, the season, the garden, or whatever I’m currently holding close.
I’m learning that spiritual practice doesn’t need to be elaborate to be meaningful. Often, it’s the small repeated acts of attention that matter most.
✨ Looking Ahead: The Second Half of 2026
As I look toward the second half of the year, I can see that some goals need adjusting. Some need simplifying. Some need more structure. And some may need to be released altogether.
The biggest lesson so far is that my goals need to support my life, not become another way to measure myself harshly.
For the next six months, I want to focus on:
- keeping movement realistic through winter;
- making rest more intentional;
- creating simple family rituals;
- continuing to grow our garden slowly;
- protecting my creative energy;
- and letting my goals be flexible enough to grow with me.
A mid-year check-in isn’t about proving I’ve done everything right. It’s about coming back to myself, noticing what matters, and choosing the next small steps with care.
And that feels like a good goal in itself.