New year, no hustle – just tiny, practical tweaks to make freelancing feel calmer and more sustainable. In this episode I share three simple questions to help you experiment (not overhaul): what will you start or stop, what will you do less of, and what will you do more of? Grab a pen, try one small change this month, and see what shifts.
Listen to the podcast episode below, watch it on [Youtube], or scroll down for the summary!
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Prefer to read it? Here are the main points!
This episode marks the first one of 2026, which feels a little mind-blowing when you stop and think about it. The podcast has been running for nearly nine years now. It’s never been about being the biggest or loudest space on the internet. It’s always been a cosy corner where we can talk about freelancing without the pressure to hustle, set enormous goals, or pretend we should all be charging into January at full speed.
So that’s the tone for this episode. No “new year, new you”. No six-figure targets. Just a gentle easing in.
Before we get to the questions, Emma shares a little personal reflection. Two long-held goals were finally completed at the end of last year. One was finishing her ILM Level 7 coaching diploma, something that felt especially meaningful after years of believing she wasn’t “academic enough”, particularly following a late ADHD diagnosis. The other was finishing the first draft of her book, The Freelance Lifestyle, which has been quietly in the background for a long time and is now close to being released.
Both achievements challenged old beliefs about sustained focus and capability, and both were only possible with the right tools, support, and self-understanding in place.
With that context in mind, this episode focuses on three simple questions you might want to ask yourself as the year begins.
1. What are you going to start or stop doing?
This is not about big transformations. It could be something very small and very practical.
Starting might look like taking a daily vitamin, getting outside for a short walk, or setting a gentle evening routine. Stopping might be something that quietly annoys you, like scrolling late at night or reaching for something out of habit rather than need.
Emma shares one of her own examples from last year: completely stopping fizzy drinks. It was small, specific, and made a noticeable difference. That’s the kind of change this question is about.
The key here is to treat it as an experiment rather than a pass or fail test. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, you’ve learned something and can try something else.
2. What are you going to do less of?
This is slightly different from stopping altogether. Doing less of something invites awareness rather than restriction.
It might be reducing screen time by fifteen minutes a day. Spending less time scrolling a particular app. Saying yes a little less often. Checking emails less late at night.
Emma shares her own decision to spend less time on Facebook’s main news feed by deleting the app and only accessing groups when needed. It’s a small change, but one that creates space and reduces mental noise.
Doing less of something doesn’t have to be dramatic to be effective.
3. What are you going to do more of?
This question often becomes clearer once you’ve answered the second one. If you do less scrolling, what does that free up time for?
Reading more. Cooking more real food. Getting outside. Resting properly. Connecting with people you enjoy.
Emma talks about making tiny improvements rather than trying to become a completely different person. For her, that might mean adding one extra vegetable a day rather than overhauling everything at once.
Again, this is about experimentation, not perfection.
Bringing It All Together
To recap, the three questions are:
What are you going to start or stop doing?
What are you going to do less of?
What are you going to do more of?
You don’t need to answer all of them. You don’t need to answer them perfectly. Even choosing one small experiment is enough.
If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave comments directly on the episode, which Emma loves reading. Otherwise, you’re always welcome to continue the conversation in the Facebook group or over on Discord.
There’s also a gentle January challenge running in the Discord group, where Emma is sharing what she’s trying each week to attract new clients, from networking and referrals to SEO and speaking opportunities. It’s open, informal, and designed to share ideas rather than pressure anyone to do everything at once.
New podcast episodes are coming up soon, including a conversation with Talia about money advice that is simple, powerful, and annoyingly effective, plus more updates on the book launch later in the month.
For now, take things slowly. Be kind to yourself. And remember, you don’t need to become someone new this year. Sometimes small tweaks are more than enough.
Affiliate link: In Good Company, as mentioned in this episode (who Emma completed her diploma with) and their podcast: The Coaching Crowd
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