Ditch Resolutions: Tiny, Seasonal Goals for Physician Moms in 2026
Jan 06, 2026
Begin Again: The Fool’s Journey & Sustainable Goals for 2025 (for Physician Moms)
Hello sweet souls, and welcome back after the holidays. We made it through Thanksgiving, solstice, and the winter celebrations. With a new year arriving, let’s talk about a gentler, more effective way to set goals—one that won’t torch your nervous system by February. Think of this as a warm beverage for your mind and a permission slip for new beginnings.
Why Big Resolutions Burn Us Out
Traditional resolutions ask you to reinvent everything at once. That spike of motivation is real—but so is the crash. Sustainable change happens when tiny behaviors meet seasonal pacing: winter for groundwork and rest, spring for gentle expansion, summer for consistency, and fall for reflection and pruning. No “overnight success”—just honest, stackable steps.
Meet the Fool: Your Beginner’s Heart
In tarot, the Fool is the first card: beginner energy, curiosity, courage to step without the full map. In medicine and motherhood we’re trained to over-prepare; in personal change, that reflex can stall us. You don’t have to be ready to begin. You begin, and you become ready on the way. As a mantra: my worth is inherent; my productivity is a strategy, not my identity.
Story: Tammy’s Balcony
A hospitalist and solo mom I’ll call Tammy believed rest was a prize you earned after doing everything. She never arrived. We tried fifteen minutes on the balcony each night—tea in hand, phone and guilt inside. By night four, she noticed the sunset. By week two, she charted faster and snapped less at home. Rest didn’t cost productivity; it created it. She taped a sentence to her fridge: my worth is inherent; my productivity is a strategy, not my identity.
Five Fool’s-Journey Practices You Can Start Today
Become the fool and start imperfectly
Give yourself permission to begin before you feel ready. Shrink the first step to five minutes or less. Open a document and type five sentences. Do one set of air squats and a 20-second plank. Clear a single drawer. Starting tiny builds trust with yourself.
Bundle new with old
Pair a new habit with something you already do or love. Floss while reading with biodegradable flossers on the nightstand. During a charting block, sign five notes, then stand, roll your shoulders, and take three slow exhales. In the pickup line, do a two-minute body scan and think of one thing you appreciate about each kid. If the pairing feels clunky after three days, change the anchor, not the goal.
Focus on during, not before
You don’t become flexible before yoga—you become flexible by doing yoga. Choose “during” metrics you can control: five minutes on the mat; move ten dollars to the emergency fund every Friday; add one CV bullet at Tuesday lunch. Competence grows from repetition.
Get excited on purpose
Let desire help you. Picture a near-win you can feel: jogging a mile without stopping, opening a tidy pantry on a school morning, pressing submit on CME or a grant. Feel the lighter chest and quiet grin, then take the smallest next step while that feeling is fresh.
Pack lightly and mute the critic
When the inner committee starts yelling, label it as a thought, not a fact. Use a quick P.A.C.K. reset: permission to try small, anchor in your breath or feet, choose one tiny step for three minutes, kind exit with “done is good—tomorrow is another brick.” If five minutes still spikes stress, go to ninety seconds. Consistency builds capacity.
Nervous System First, Goals Second
Your body keeps the score on sustainability. Stabilize before you optimize.
Doorway breathing
Touch the doorframe, inhale slowly, longer exhale, whisper “here.” Enter as the person you want to be, not the pace you were in.
Triple B check
Brain, belly, bladder. Am I clear enough to be kind? Do I need fuel or water? Do I need a quick bio break before the next patient, call, or conversation?
The ninety-second thankful pause
One long exhale, name two ordinary things going right, choose the single next best action. Use it at the garage door, charting station, or bedside.
A Seasonal Map for 2025
Winter (Jan–Mar): groundwork and gentle reps. Choose one or two tiny habits and protect sleep like a clinical priority.
Spring (Apr–Jun): nudge and extend. Add ten to twenty percent to volume or complexity—one more set, one more weekly mile, one more Friday money move.
Summer (Jul–Sep): consistency over novelty. Expect boredom; that’s mastery’s middle. Use buddy texts or shared streaks for accountability.
Fall (Oct–Dec): harvest and prune. Keep what works, retire what doesn’t, celebrate measurable wins, write a short “lessons learned” note to yourself.
Medicine Meets Motherhood: Micro-Stories
The charting sprint
Replacing doom-scrolling with a five-minute note sprint plus a long exhale reduced leftovers and cortisol. Not glamorous, deeply effective.
The pantry door
Instead of “organize the whole house,” I picked one door for fifteen minutes on Sundays. Eight weeks later: a system that actually works—and weekly proof I keep promises to myself.
The bedtime walk
A six-minute post-dinner loop with a kiddo, no phones, just one rose and one thorn. It didn’t fix everything, but it softened the night for both of us.
Boundaries That Protect January
Try these sentences: I’m saying a small yes this month, not a big one—February is better. I’m practicing beginner goals in January, so I’m protecting my time. Thank you for understanding. A boundary is kindness with a backbone.
A 3-Minute Reset You Can Use Any Time
Breathe in for four, hold for four, out for six. Relax your jaw, shoulders, and belly. Say, I’m allowed to begin small. Picture one tiny action you’ll take today; feel the after-glow of having done it. Take one more slow exhale. Done.
Optional 7-Day Beginner Sprint
Choose one goal. Day one: five minutes. Day two: repeat and text a buddy “brick two laid.” Day three: add one minute if it feels good. Day four: if resistance spikes, cut time in half and show up anyway. Day five: visualize the near-win for thirty seconds before you start. Day six: bundle it to coffee, commute, or charting. Day seven: write three sentences—what worked, what felt heavy, what to tweak next.
Expert Whispers to Carry Into 2025
Osler’s equanimity is a steady mind in service of compassionate care. Growth mindset means we become by doing. And the year’s mantra bears repeating: my worth is inherent; my productivity is a strategy, not my identity.
Closing
As you step into 2025, think like the Fool: pack lightly, look where you want to go, and take the next true step. No cape required—just a beginner’s heart and tiny, repeated choices. Work less, feel more, and let your goals fit your life, not the other way around.
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