Valuable Tools for the New Year

A planner, a devo journal, a prayer journal, pens & markers

Starting out into a New Year is much like starting out on a long journey. We may have limited space as we travel, and we try to take along what is most important, the things that we could not do without. 

I've been using these quieter days and weeks after the holidays to prepare for this journey into the New Year. We had some wonderful and full weeks prepping for the holidays, and then the greatly treasured days with family home. I am holding these memories close, and thanking God for a precious, wonderful Christmas season with most of our family home.

(in)Courage Devotional Bible, my devo journal, verse cards

For me, my journey all starts with a focus of spending time with Jesus, reading His Words, taking notes of what He is teaching me. Writing out my prayers and desires, pausing and listening. Every year I learn in deeper ways than before, how essential this is. I think it becomes even more essential with each passing year, for each year there are more and more voices that call for our attention. And we need to purposefully immerse our hearts and our minds in the source of Truth, Love, and Wisdom.

My main reading plan this year is to continue reading chronologically through the Bible. I use The Chronological Life Application Study Bible (click here), sometimes reading from this Chronological Bible itself, sometimes following along in my (in)Courage Devotional Bible (click here) as I listen to the chapter being read on my Dwell App (click here), and mostly reading the passage directly from my (in)Courage Devo Bible where I often add notes in the margins. 

And then, of course, taking time to write out my thanks, my prayers, what I have learned in my devo journal. For me, it is the writing down, that helps me connect my heart deeply to what I read and learn. 

My planner for 2026

My planner is also an essential tool for me, a tool to keep me focused, and on the right course. It holds so many things, and helps me out so that I don't have to try to hold it all in my memory. What would I do without a planner? It keeps me going in the right direction, with the priorities that are important to me. All coming from time in the Word, listening to His promptings and desires, and using the giftings He has given me. 

Some of the sections in my planner: a calendar for each month, a page for each day, home care and cleaning charts, a menu page for each week, a record of books read, an exercise/health record, and on and on. This year I am using a new type of notebook, click here. I love that I can freely move pages around, and also add additional pages where I want them. I have used purchased planners already set up, but in recent years have made my own pages directly tailored to my own use. And as you get a glimpse of in the photo above, I love post-it-notes. I especially love using some vintage colored post-it-notes, that I also cut down to various sizes that work good for me. (Click here and here to see the ones I use.)

Here are a few photos of some of the pages I have created for my planner. Sharing these in case they would be helpful or encouraging to you, with your own creations. 

Left: a monthly page/post-it notes to write in important priorities
Right: a weekly page, writing some of the monthly priorities into the current week

Left: a sample of the daily page/adding a post-it note of things that need to be done,
and then often filling in what I actually did at the end of the day
Right: a weekly menu chart/post-it notes for possible recipes to use

These are my most valuable tools to have with me as I journey into this New Year. What are your most valuable tools? I hope to connect here as I travel along this journey through 2026 by posting here a bit more often than I have in the past few years. And I'd love to hear about your journey, as well.