Hi Lovely,

I’ll be honest — January is historically a tough month for me.​
I can slip into a bit of seasonal sadness, and over the years I’ve learned to recognize it before it spirals.

Maybe you’ve felt it too:
The post-holiday let-down, the darker mornings, the cold settling in…
Or, in my case, the quiet that hits when the kids head back to university and the house feels a little too still.

Because I know this about myself, I’m intentional about how I enter January.
I give myself the gift of rest.
I slow my pace.
I avoid overcommitting.
I let myself winter.

Last year, I read the book Wintering for the first time, and it completely reframed this season for me. Katherine May talks about how wintering is a natural cycle — a time when nature sleeps, conserves energy, and prepares for renewal.

And if nature needs that…
​why don’t we give ourselves the same permission?

This year, I’ll be re-reading it as a reminder that slowness isn’t failure. It’s preparation.

Which brings me to a story about a designer I supported this year — shortened for this space, but powerful all the same:

One of my coaching clients went through Bring Calm to Chaos to help her get organized and create a workflow that aligned with the way she likes to serve her clients. She didn’t obsess over websites or social media. She went grassroots — local vendor events, a realtor, an architect, trades, and contractor partners.

Nine months later, she realized she needed real support behind the scenes if she wanted to grow.

So she handed me the admin, the invoicing, the procurement, the proposals, the communications — all the work pulling her energy away from design.

This fall?
She landed the biggest project of her career.
And she already has five projects lined up for the new year.

Why?
Because she stopped trying to do it all.

And I wonder…

What if you didn’t try to be the whole engine of your business in 2026?​
What if someone else ran your back office so you could breathe again?

If your January brain could use a break… I’m here.
My Virtual Admin Support Hours for January are open.

Tips, Tools & Takeaways for Designers

3 Tips to Give Your January Brain a Break ✅ List your top 5 recurring admin tasks. Keep it simple — just the tasks you do every single week that do not require your design expertise. ✅ Write down how much time each one takes (realistically). Not the ideal number — the honest number. ✅ Multiply the total weekly hours by 4. That’s how much time you’re losing every month doing tasks someone else could easily take off your plate. For most designers, it adds up to 10–20 hours a week. At a hourly rate of $150 that’s $6,000–$12,000/month in time you never get back.

2 Resources to Check Out 📌 Wintering — Katherine May​ A gentle, beautiful reminder that rest is a season, not a flaw. Gift yourself a Copy 📌 My Virtual Support Packages​ For designers craving calm, clarity, and actual white space in their calendar. 10- and 20-hour blocks available for January. Not sure what you can hand off? Check out this blog post of common tasks designers delegate to me as their VA partner: Read article

1 Question for You 🤔 If you weren’t drowning in admin, what would you finally have space to do in your business or life? Hit reply — I’d genuinely love to hear. Wishing you a soft, intentional start to January 🤍❄️🌊

Want More Support?

What would change in your business if someone else handled the admin, proposals, procurement, and client communication? Let’s find out together. My January support hours are now open. Book a free strategy call with me here.​

Here’s to more ease, balance, and joy in your business and life! 💛

Warmly,​
Marsha