Episode 63 - You Have 2 Weeks Left to Enjoy December: Why I'm Not Hustling Into 2026

Dec 16

Written By Lucy Clarke

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Welcome to Episode 63 of the Time for Living Podcast!

TRANSCRIPT

show notes

Everywhere you look right now, the message is clear: use December to prep for January. Plan your launches. Set up your systems. Get ahead. But what if the most strategic thing you could do right now is close your laptop and actually be present for the next two weeks?

This episode is for mom entrepreneurs who are feeling the pressure to hustle through the holidays while simultaneously trying to create magical family moments. If you're torn between business prep and being fully present with your kids, this conversation will give you the permission you didn't know you needed.

In this episode, you'll discover:

Why choosing presence over January prep isn't lazy—it's actually the most aligned choice you can make as a mom entrepreneur
The real cost of trying to plan your Q1 strategy while your kids are literally asking you to bake cookies with them
What to do if you haven't done your January planning yet (hint: now might not be the time)
How to handle the guilt when you see other business owners posting about their 2026 launches
Why "done is better than perfect" matters more in December than any other month
The difference between intentional reflection and frantic preparation

ready to take action

If you need support letting go of the hustle, visit timeforliving.co to explore how we can work together on building a business that actually supports your family life.

Let’s Connect:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timeforlivingco/

• Email: hello@timeforliving.co

Final Thought:

This December, with your kids at these exact ages, won't come back, January will still be there waiting for you.

TRANSCRIPT - You Have 2 Weeks Left to Enjoy December: Why I'm Not Hustling Into 2026

INTRODUCTION

Okay, I need to tell you something that might sound completely contradictory coming from a productivity podcast host.

I'm not hustling into 2026.

I'm not mapping out Q1, I'm not planning my January content calendar, I'm not setting up goal-tracking systems or building out my course launch strategy.

And here's the thing—everywhere you look right now, that's exactly what you're being told to do. Start strong. Plan ahead. Get a head start. Use December to prep so you can hit the ground running in January.

But you know what? You have two weeks left. Two weeks until Christmas. Two weeks of December with your kids at exactly the ages they are right now. Two weeks of this specific holiday season that will never come back.

And I'm choosing to be here for it.

I'm Lucy, and this is Time For Living—the podcast for mom entrepreneurs who are building businesses around family life, not despite it. And today, we're talking about why presence matters more than preparation, especially right now.

THE PRESSURE YOU'RE FEELING

So let's name what's happening right now, because I know you're feeling it.

You're being told—either explicitly by the Instagram ads and email newsletters flooding your inbox, or implicitly by that voice in your head—that successful people are using December to get ahead. They're planning. They're strategizing. They're setting themselves up for their best year yet.

Maybe you're seeing other business owners in your feed posting about their 2026 launches, their new offers, their quarterly planning sessions. And there's this subtle message underneath it all: if you're not doing this too, you're falling behind.

And meanwhile, you're trying to create magical family experiences. You're shopping for gifts, planning celebrations, maybe hosting family or traveling to see relatives. You're managing school parties and holiday concerts and special traditions. You're dealing with kids who are amped up on sugar and excitement and way too much screen time because school schedules are completely off.

And on top of all that, you're supposed to keep your business momentum going AND prep for January?

It's too much. And here's what I want you to know: it's okay that it's too much.

You're not failing because you can't do it all. The expectation itself is unreasonable.

Because here's what nobody's telling you—you cannot be fully present for your family while simultaneously planning your Q1 business strategy. Your brain literally cannot do both well at the same time. One will suffer. And I'm guessing the one that's suffering is the one you'll regret more later.

THE COUNTER-NARRATIVE: PRESENCE AS STRATEGY

Now, I want to be really clear about something because I know how your brain works. I know that the second I say "don't hustle into 2026," part of you panics and thinks, "But does that mean I'm giving up? Does that mean I'm not serious about my business? Does that mean I'm choosing to stay small?"

No. That's not what this means at all.

Choosing to be present in December isn't quitting. It's not laziness. It's not lack of ambition.

Let me tell you what I'm doing. I'm taking actual time off. These episodes? They're prerecorded. Because I'm traveling to the UK to spend time with family. And you know what I keep thinking about? Getting to see my mom and dad wake up with my son on Christmas morning.

That's what I'm choosing. Not because my business doesn't matter. Not because I don't have big goals for 2026. But because my core value—the thing that matters more than anything else—is family.

And here's the truth that hustle culture doesn't want you to know: Being present for what matters most isn't at odds with building a successful business. It's actually the whole point.

Think about why you started this business in the first place. I'm willing to bet it wasn't so you could spend December stressed out and distracted, planning for January while your kids are literally right in front of you asking you to watch them do something or help them bake cookies or just be there.

You probably started this business because you wanted more time with your family. More flexibility. More presence. More ability to actually show up for the moments that matter.

Your business should fund your life, not consume it.

WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY TRADING

Let me tell you what I actually did. I did my January planning in November. It's not perfect. It's actually pretty scrappy. But it's done.

And you know what I'm not doing right now? I'm not tweaking it. I'm not refining it. I'm not adding more to it. I'm not going back in and optimizing or perfecting or making it better.

Because here's what I know about myself—if I open that plan right now, I will tinker with it. I will second-guess it. I will convince myself it needs more work. And suddenly, I'm spending December in my business plan instead of with my family.

Done is better than perfect, especially in December.

But let's get really honest about what happens when you don't make that choice. When you do try to refine your plan or create your plan or prep for January during these two weeks.

You're sitting on the couch with your kids watching a holiday movie, but you're on your phone tweaking your content calendar. You're physically there, but you're not actually there. And your kids can tell. They always can tell.

You're at the school holiday concert, but you're mentally running through your January launch timeline. You see your kid on stage, but you're not fully experiencing it because half your brain is three weeks in the future.

You're baking cookies or decorating the tree or driving around looking at Christmas lights, and you're doing it, you're checking the boxes, but there's this layer of distraction. This mental tab that's always open, always running, always pulling you toward January.

And here's what breaks my heart about this—you can't get these moments back.

Your kid will never be seven years old at Christmas again. Or five. Or twelve. Whatever age they are right now, this is it. This is the only December 2025 you get with them at this exact stage of life.

For me? I'm choosing to see my mom and dad wake up with my son on Christmas morning. I'm choosing to be fully there for that, not half-there with part of my brain in Q1.

January will still be there. Your goals will still be there. Your business will still be there.

But this? This specific December? It's not coming back.

Now, maybe you did your planning already too. Maybe you've got January sketched out, even if it's rough. If that's you, same message: step away from it. Don't refine it. Don't perfect it. It's done for now.

But maybe you haven't done any planning yet. Maybe you're sitting here thinking, "Oh no, I should have planned in November like Lucy, now I'm behind."

Here's what I want to say to you: if you haven't planned yet, now might not be the time.

THE MYTH OF "DOING IT ALL"

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. "But Lucy, I can do both. I can be present AND prep for January. I can create magical family moments AND keep my business momentum going. I just need to be more organized, more efficient, more disciplined."

And I want to gently push back on that because I think that's the lie we've been sold.

The lie is that if you just optimize enough, if you just get your systems tight enough, if you just wake up early enough or stay up late enough, you can do it all without anything suffering.

But the truth is, attention is finite. Presence requires actual mental space. And you can't manufacture more capacity just by trying harder.

When you're trying to create magical family experiences while also planning celebrations while also shopping for gifts while also organizing events while also keeping up business momentum while ALSO doing your January planning—something gives. Something always gives.

And usually, it's your actual presence. It's your ability to be fully in the moment you're in. It's the quality of your attention with your family.

You end up looking perfect on the outside—decorated house, thoughtful gifts, business still running—but feeling completely fractured on the inside. Doing everything but enjoying nothing. Checking boxes but missing moments.

You're at the holiday concert, but you're not really watching. You're baking cookies, but you're distracted. You're opening presents on Christmas morning, but part of you is already thinking about January 2nd.

Is that really what you want?

Because I don't think it is. I think what you actually want is to stop hustling through the holidays and just be with your family.

And here's the thing—if you haven't done your planning yet, trying to do it now in the middle of all this? You're not setting yourself up for success.

You know what happens when you try to plan your business during December chaos? You make decisions based on stress, not strategy. You create plans you won't actually follow because they don't account for your real life.

January planning done in December desperation rarely serves you well.

Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do is wait until you have the actual mental space to think clearly. You can figure out January in January. You can literally sit down on January 2nd or 3rd and sketch out your plan then. It might be rough. It might be scrappy. But it'll be made with a clear head, not a stressed-out one.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO CHOOSE PRESENCE

So what does it actually look like to choose presence over prep? What does it mean to not hustle into 2026?

For me, it means I've prerecorded these episodes so I can completely unplug when I'm with family in the UK. It means I'm not checking Slack or answering client emails or working on course content. It means my laptop stays closed.

It means I get to be fully there when my son wakes up on Christmas morning. I get to watch my parents' faces when they see him. I get to be in that moment without my phone buzzing or my brain spinning about business tasks.

And it means I'm not touching my January plan. Even though I know I could make it better. Even though I see ways to refine it. I'm leaving it alone.

Because my plan doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be good enough. And it already is.

But here's what it doesn't mean—it doesn't mean my business stops existing. It doesn't mean I'm throwing away my goals or giving up on growth or deciding that ambition doesn't matter anymore.

It means I'm making a conscious choice about where my attention goes during these specific two weeks.

For you, it might look different depending on where you are.

If you've already done some planning: Step away from it. Don't refine it. Don't tweak it. Don't add "just one more thing." It's good enough for now. Be at the cookie decorating. Be at the tree lighting. Be at the school concert. Actually be there.

If you haven't done any planning yet: Give yourself permission to wait. You're not behind. You're not failing. You're just choosing to do your planning when you actually have the mental space for it—and that's not right now in the middle of December chaos. Be with your kids. Enjoy the holiday movie. Drive around looking at lights without mentally drafting your January content calendar.

Maybe you're not taking full time off like I am. Maybe you're still working, but you're protecting certain moments. Maybe you're saying no to the planning stuff but yes to maintaining your current business operations.

The point isn't that there's one right way to do this. The point is that you get to choose. And your choice matters.

You don't have to hustle into 2026 just because everyone else is. You don't have to sacrifice December because of January preparation. And you definitely don't have to create a perfect plan in the worst possible environment for clear thinking.

REFLECTION HELPS YOU BE PRESENT

Now, here's something important—choosing presence doesn't mean you can't reflect. In fact, I think reflection actually helps you be more present.

Next week, on December 23rd, I'm going to share the three questions I'm asking myself before 2026. Not aggressive goal-setting questions. Not "how can I 10x my business" questions. But gentle, reflective questions that help me understand what I want to carry forward and what I want to leave behind.

Because there's a difference between hustling into the future and thoughtfully considering what you want the future to hold. There's a difference between frantic preparation and intentional reflection.

Reflection can actually deepen your presence. It can help you appreciate where you are right now. It can help you notice what's working and what's not without immediately jumping into fix-it mode. It creates space to be grateful for this moment instead of constantly reaching for the next one.

So we'll do that together next week. But right now? Right now, we're just going to be here. In December. With our families. With our kids. With whatever this season holds.

SUMMARY

Here's what I want you to take away from this episode.

You have permission to be here now. You have permission to let January wait. You have permission to choose presence over preparation.

This doesn't make you less ambitious. This doesn't make you less serious about your business. This doesn't mean you're not going to have an incredible 2026.

It means you understand that your business is supposed to support your life, not consume it. It means you know that some things matter more than getting ahead. It means you're willing to trust that you'll figure out January when January gets here.

Because here's what I know for sure: you will never regret being fully present for Christmas morning with your kids. But you might regret missing it because you were planning Q1.

So whatever you're holding—whatever business task or January prep or future planning you're clutching—I'm giving you permission to put it down for the next two weeks.

Be here. Be with your family. Be in this December.