By Penny Power – Business Author & Human-Centred Speaker
This week’s Pondering is a moment of reflection and I encourage you to do this. By sharing my mindset as I started this January, I thought it might encourage you to think about your mindset and how it has developed this year. Reflecting on the version of me that began 2025, it was like reflecting on a different person. I want to share the two tiny changes I made.
In January, I was overwhelmed.
Truly.
Anxious. Frantic. Wired from the minute I opened my eyes.
So I asked myself three simple questions:
Is my overwhelm valid, am I trying to do too much?
Am I mentally fit for the year ahead?
What do I need to do to feel calmer?
Turns out, the answer wasn’t just about doing less, it was about doing things differently, starting on the inside.
I’ve always been what Google apparently calls a precrastinator. (Yes, it’s a real word!) The opposite of a procrastinator, someone who does everything immediately… not out of peace, but out of self induced pressure.
Even as a child, I’d start my Summer Term school projects the day they were assigned. My poor mum had to physically prise my blazer off before homework began when I came in from school in term time! I hated the feeling of anything hanging over me.
I’m driven, responsive, and diligent, but I’ve come to realise that my constant doing was taking its toll on my peace of mind and the quality of my focus. I knew that I had a practical need and also an emotional shift.
I knew I needed better systems, for my workflow and for my wellbeing.
So,
I ditched scattered Trello boards apart from Projects
I ditched paper notes and moved everything to Asana.
I maintained my empty Inbox desire. Emails that weren’t urgent? Snooze them.
If a task takes more than 2 minutes, into Asana it goes.
But that was only half the puzzle.
I still woke up feeling overwhelmed. I knew I needed a way to calm my morning mind, the high cortisol that I wake with, sadly meditation never worked for me. I’m that person who sits with one eye open, trying not to write a list mid-breath.
Then one morning, on a BIP100 Zoom, Jeremy Campbell shared a routine that changed me.
He said: “I get up, make a cup of tea, and sit in a special chair to read for one hour before the day begins, before any tasks hit my eyes!” That was it.
I loved this, no tech, no pressure. Just him, the page, and peace.
I’ve done this every day since. It’s now my most sacred ritual. And I’ve read 15 books, all gentle novels this year, in the morning. More than I’ve read in years.
This new rhythm has changed how I feel. I still work hard. I still serve at full throttle. But now, I start my day grounded. And it shows in the version of me I bring to my clients, to BIP100, and to my family, especially Thomas who has to wake with me!
So this week, I simply want to ask:
How are you preparing yourself — emotionally, mentally, practically — to be your best self in 2026?
What systems do you need to support your peace?
And what tiny morning habit could change everything?
Remember, personal development isn’t a luxury. It’s the greatest gift we give to those we love and serve.
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