How I Protect My Year Before Anyone Else Gets Their Hands on It
The week where nothing is real and everything is possible.
Hello from the Gertrude Stein of Substack (me, self-anointed). I know I told you that you wouldn’t hear from me until well into the new year, but here we are.
My house is such a mess. We’re in that liminal space between Christmas and New Year’s where the tree is still up, but the ornaments are packed up in boxes on the floor. Most of the presents are open and put away, but there were a few stragglers at the back we forgot to ship off. Cardboard boxes are in the entry needing to be broken down. A half-finished game of Scrabble ironically sits on the coffee table next to a to-do list and a day planner. The couch cushions are all smushed down by the dogs.
But it’s such a happy cyclone, isn’t it? I’m usually so caught up in tidying, optimizing, organizing that simply sitting in the mess never happens. But I’m doing exactly that this week, and I’m loving it. My hair is probably a day past needing to be washed, it’s 2pm and I’m still in my pajamas, and I had leftover cold roast beef for breakfast. It’s lawless wasteland week, and airport rules apply.
For me, this week is so important for the calibration of the year ahead. The first law of physics is that no two things can occupy the same space at the same time. So I need this empty mental space. It allows new things to float in.
The particular beauty of what floats in right now is the purity. This is the time to claim space in your year for the things that matter to you before other people’s interests creep in. It’s why so many of us make resolutions and manifesations right now. If you don’t map your life out and decide ahead of time who and what gets your time and attention, trust me, other people will.
During Christmas week, I asked y’all what you thought was “In” and “Out” for 2026. A lot of you came back with answers that resembled personal goals and intentions more than trend predictions. I’m going to share some of mine with you, too. Maybe we can help keep each other accountable in the new year.
I am going to become more serious about my Pilates practice again — at Nofar Method and TERA (shoutout Georgia Wood Murphy). I used to be very dedicated, and with the tumult of the past few years my sessions have become erratic. I also used to love Tracy Anderson and want to get back into her workouts, especially now that I live in a city with an in-person studio and don’t have to stream. If you’ve ever been to one of her classes, either in Tribeca or the Hamptons, you know that half the fun is seeing what other women wear. The Tracy drip is on its own level. Enjoying getting dressed for workouts is part of what gets me out of the door, and long gone are the days of matchy-matchy two-piece legging sets in eerie shades of griege. Today, you’ll see leggings, sure, but they’re the base layer — and layers are the key word here. Leggings (or tights) are pulled up above the belly button so that they peek out above the waistline of your basketball shorts and accessorized by Joah Brown leg warmers and Nike Air Max Portals. Or they have baggy Negative sweatpants pulled up over. Maybe there’s a onesie (perhaps with thumb holes) as the foundation, but over it is a contrasting leotard followed by an oversized t-shirt you found at The Vintage Twin or H&M. Oh, and the jewelry stays on.
Pulling back from Instagram even more. Keeping it 100, I have never been all that great at it to begin with. I just don’t like it there. To me, the vibes are bad on IG. But this year I am fully letting myself off that hook once and for all. I have friends who are INCREDIBLE at Instagram, but it’s just not the language I speak. I’m done showing up there out of obligation and not fun. I feel like someone bad at math trying to make a career in Statistics. I’m going to make my Instagram profile private as of Jan 1, and I don’t really care if that costs me money or brand deals. If you want access to me, visit me here on Substack. The right people, the people who get it, know that nobody is moving towards IG right now. Everyone’s figuring out ways to get away from it — either via alternative networks, Bricking their smartphones, or going analog. I’m never going to be the daily talk to camera girl, I’m just better here, in words. And that’s where my energy belongs. I’ve managed to build an incredible business without being at the mercy of a TikTok or Instagram algorithm, and I’m not going to start now. My wedding in July will not have a hashtag, there won’t even be phones allowed. Nothing is less fun than living life through A PHONE SCREEN. The greatest luxuries are privacy and presence!!! (To my guests: let the photographer do her job, you focus on your outfit and having fun.)
Overall less screen time, including TV. We took the TV out of our living room and put it in storage earlier this year, and that turned out to be a great decision, both aesthetically and mentally. I still watch stuff in the bedroom, but a lot less of it. After dinner, we play Uno or Scrabble or have wine and talk and snuggle with our dogs rather than switch on the news and get all strung out. It’s been really nice.
I’m going to do a lot less qualifying and hedging. Less disclaimers, less “let me preface this with something woke to show you I’m woke”, less “I’m sorry, is that ok?”. When you try to be everything to everyone, you become nothing to nobody. So if I’m not your cup of tea, if I trigger or offend you, that’s okay. I am here, reminding you that the Internet does not exist for the sole purpose of your own confirmation bias. And guess what? You’re in possession of free will. Use it and mute anyone who irks you.
I am saying “no” to more brand deals and “yes” to only the things that are a full-body hell yea. When Substack was starting out, nobody who is full-time on this platform was in any position to turn things down, because we were fighting just to get anyone to pay attention to us over here. But those days are over. Brands are here in droves, marketers get it now, and I don’t have to beat the drum so hard or beg for a slice of the almighty budget by gently explaining what Substack even is. I can be pickier now, and that’s a win for everyone.
In that spirit, I’m taking the business of The Love List more seriously than ever.
More vintage, and more vintage with provenance. I’m going to be searching for vintage Tiffany’s from the 80s and 90s, cufflinks (sick ones) for tux shirts, chic cigarette cases, good Chanel reflective of what Blazy’s doing, estate jewelry (emeralds!), brooches, leg warmers, and Old Celine. P.S., Did you know The Real Real gives creators a 1% commission rate on ShopMy? So the girls on here sharing vintage are doing it from their heart.
Continuing to have great skin, a good personality, and a strong accessory game.
Going out. I’m not crippled by anxiety anymore. Thanks, Prozac! It’s time to party! Invite me to your events, I’m coming. But also, more museum and gallery exhibits and time spent simply wandering around. And I think more people are going to entertain in their homes than ever before.
But also staying in when I need to and not letting the FOMO get me.
Ironically, I’m also getting even more serious about my sleep. Sleep, in case you missed it, is trending. Let’s all share our sleep routines! tariro makoni did a great job of this a few weeks ago, and according to my data, tons of you listened to Lara Worthington when she swore by her Eight Sleep on her guest edit the other week. Whether you sleep on a Hastens or a Helix, I want to know what’s working for you. I’ll compile it in a newsletter later this year. Leave a comment or jump into chat:
I BEG YOU to do a full edition of fits for the gym and workout classes. I’m so bored of tights. Just the endless sea of them. This brief peek into the Tracy Anderson world gave me so much hope and excitement and I want MORE! Please!
Jess hearing you talk about IG gave me so much relief!! As you said; it’s just not the language I speak. Neither is TikTok or YouTube but SS feels like home.