At the beginning of 2026, I set out to focus on quarterly goals instead of annual resolutions. Who knows what I’ll be doing in October, but I know I’m much more likely to focus on a couple things for 12 weeks. 

I found that to be so true over the past three months. 

God has blown me away with His faithfulness and goodness as I’ve worked to be more faithful—in my heart and with my actions. Using my time wisely, reframing my mind with Heaven-sized dreams, and taking care of myself in refreshing ways. 

I have seen massive growth in myself this quarter, both internally and in my circumstances. I can’t share all of those details yet, but what I’m obsessed talking about is the how. The rhythms, habits, routines, practical things that made growth and progress possible. I’ve been a big routine and personal growth girl for as long as I can remember, and this essay is for my fellow calendar junkies, visionaries, dreamers, doers, and chronic paper-planner-buyers. 

If Q1 of 2026 taught me anything, it’s that anything is possible. I’ve organized my learnings and habits into a couple categories for my own processing and now here for you. Let me know what resonates the most and what you have to add to these lists. I’m a forever student! 

Without further ado, my learnings from Q1:

Mindset 

This is first because it’s been the foundation of so much change. What I believe, what I repeat to myself, what I dwell on becomes my reality. 

Starting last fall, the Holy Spirit has been giving me a MasterClass on mindset. As I started taking inventory and listening to His nudges, I noticed so many negative thoughts and so much self-sabotage. I’ve worked really hard to uproot it. I’ve flipped my thoughts from, “I could never do that,” to “I could figure that out,” or “Why not me?” Opening my mind to possibilities and wonder has truly changed the trajectory of my work, business, goals, relationships, and internal landscape. Hope abounds! 

Here are a few specific mindset shifts and practices that have really helped me:

— I reframe tiredness. For so long, when I would get really tired, it would be coupled with a hopeless feeling that I wasn’t capable or able to get through my responsibilities (let alone the fun or creative things I wanted to do, too). Life would feel bleak whenever exhaustion showed up. I realized that tiredness itself isn’t emotional; it’s simply an event, a noticing. When I’m wiped out from the week by Wednesday or Thursday (as I have been most of my life, and most adults I know are), I’ve learned to reframe it : I’m probably going to be tired by this point in the week no matter what, so I might as well work through it as best I can instead of wallowing or starting to feel like I’ll never get to sleep again for the rest of my life and everything will be hard. Dramatic, I know, but this is how it felt in my head!

— I intentionally tell myself what I want to believe about myself and/or who I want to be, and the feelings follow. I am loved. I am someone who moves my body. I am a writer. I am a marketing agency founder. I am a loving wife. Once I think it, the actions often follow. But it starts in my mind.

— Game changer: being cognizant of when I’m experiencing a strong emotion or loud thought and labeling it as just that—a strong emotion or loud thought. Not who I am. Not my personality. Not what has a final say over my day or the trajectory of my week.

— Just because a moment or day is hard doesn’t mean the next moment or day is going to be hard. I have a lot more autonomy over this than I ever acknowledged in the past. If I think and act hopelessly, then things will feel much harder than they probably need to be. 

Time Management

I had a pretty big wakeup call at the end of 2025 that if I am going to accomplish all that I feel called to and want to do, then I need to make some major shifts in how I approach the time I’m given each day. I sobered up to the reality that I was wasting a lot of time. I wanted to do, create, and accomplish so many things and felt like I had no time. But really… I spent a lot of time whining about wanting to do the thing instead of actually doing it. Sigh. This is my confession that I was playing the victim card—hard core. 

As my mindset changed, I decided that I did, indeed, have time, and if I repurposed it, maybe just maybe God would meet me in that faithfulness and I could take baby steps toward my goals. 

I’ve been blown away by the power of those small changes over time. I listened to this interview with James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) and Mel Robbins at the beginning of the year, and it instantly changed my intentions and habits. I can’t recommend it enough. 

Here are some of the things that have shifted and helped me:

— I consistently woke up at 6 a.m. Before this, I was inconsistent at best and never really knew when my day was going to start. I realized I wasted a lot of available time before work. No more!

— In order to do that, I started charging my phone in our bathroom so it forces me to jump out of bed and turn it off (I have been known to be a bit of a chronic snoozer… this helps).

— I prep our coffee pot each night as a big way to love future Anna Rose and remove any friction with that 6 a.m. wakeup call. 

— Reading for ten minutes before bed three times a week has allowed me to read four books so far this year (even in my fullest season ever), and it’s all because of the slow, steady drip of turning the page. 

— Getting dressed in a real outfit and fully ready with hair and makeup did a lot for my mental health, professional life, and general productivity for the day. I have so much to say about this and will be sharing more of what I’ve learned and gleaned from this habit, but wow! It made a difference. 

— Last November I started using Hannah Brencher’s weekly planning system and it has been the best strategy to organize my life and goals. I go into each week with priorities, a plan, and the confidence that I’m not dropping the ball on ordering bridal shower gifts, sending birthday cards, or any of the other life admin tasks that seem to pile up all at once. 

— Consistent movement has changed the game. I used to think I was too tired to work out frequently, but now I’m thinking maybe I was tired because I wasn’t working out. Lol. It energizes me, shakes things up, and keeps everything flowing. We were made to move! I shoot for four walks a week and at least two strength training workouts. This has shifted so much—my mindset, my energy, my time management, my physical health. 

— I spend significantly less time scrolling than I did three months ago. I came to a place where I lovingly told myself, “I just don’t have the luxury of being able to sit and scroll if I want to accomplish things in my short windows outside of work.” So, to the best of my ability, I’ve given up mindless scrolling. 

— Washing our sheets and towels on Thursday mornings took a floating task that didn’t have a designated time and gave my brain a break from figuring out when it would happen.

— I schedule when I’m going to wash my hair. I once heard Jess Connolly say that if washing your hair sneaks up on you and stresses you out (raising my hand here), something’s not right. So I plan it, and it’s much less dreadful and so much more peaceful. 

— Ordering groceries online gives me back 45 minutes each week. Which sounds small, but with limited time and big goals, that’s a mountain of time I can work with. I pick them up from Sprouts on Friday or Saturday. 

— I chop all the veggies for our weeks on Sundays to cut down on food waste and make throwing dinners together throughout the week soooo much easier. This has been huge! Making dinner is less of an ordeal when I can just throw the veggies in the oven or on the stove. 

— I’ve also really leaned into the power of 15 minutes—believing that I can make progress on just about anything 15 minutes at a time. I’ve seen so much fruit come from this practice, and I can’t wait to continue with it. 

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Okay, that’s all for now. You’re going to laugh, because I edited this article down multiple times. I have so many more thoughts and habits and small tweaks to share that really changed my life, and I can assure you I’ll be publishing them soon. But for now, I’d love to know—what sticks out to you? What’s worked for you in the past or is working for you now? I can’t wait to hear. 

Cheering you on as we step into Q2!

xo AR

Post Scripts 

— My March intentions—

— This is my new favorite dress… the colors are even richer in person and it fits like a glove. Would be a great choice if you have to travel for a wedding or event—folds up small and doesn’t wrinkle. 

— I just gifted this to my bestie as she adjusts to life with a newborn. Mama’s gotta sleep! And this is a sleep mask and weighted eye mask combined. The best.

— This would be a great birthday gift for any friend that loves to cook!