I love to do a little bit of reflection at year’s end (or, in this case, the year’s beginning), but I don’t make it complicated. Around my house we’ve been using the same two questions for going on two decades to help us take stock of the year gone by.
They are:
- What worked for me last year?
- What didn’t?
Today I’m sharing a few of the things (from significant to shallow) that worked for me in 2024. Regular readers may know this was a hard year for me, beginning with my mom dying suddenly in January. When I sat down to assemble a “what’s working” list I didn’t know how much I’d be able to come up with, but as you can see my list is long, and while some of these entries are unquestionably shallow others are significant. (And honestly, isn’t a solid morning routine with coffee and good books significant in a hard year?)
I can’t help but notice that some of the deep things that have worked for me in this hard season are still very much in process, and not quite articulate-able (is that a word?). Maybe I’ll be able to write about those in the future. But for now, I’m happy to share what I can.
(Same as last year and many years gone by: I’ll share my list of what didn’t work in the newsletter. Sign up here if you’re not on the list.)
I’ve been blogging about these year-end reflections since 2013. Some things have changed little over the years, while some of my long-ago changes are now thoroughly incorporated into my life, like 2013’s “taking a photography class” and “setting up designated office space for myself.” There’s no going back! Sometimes the things that work are specific to the season, but more often they get folded into my routine way of being in the world. Perhaps this is why the What Worked for Me archives remain entertaining and interesting reading: check out my recent-ish lists from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.)
I hope you enjoy perusing my list, and that it gets you thinking about your own. You know we’d love to hear your own reflections in comments.
Routine-related
Tiny first coffee: Instead of hitting the coffeepot first thing, I’ve been starting my days with a teeny shot of espresso courtesy of our hand-me-down Nespresso machine, a thoughtful gift from a friend who was upgrading. (I’m fond of the decaf Ristretto.)
Morning reading: I take that tiny cup of coffee to my favorite reading chair and sit with my stack of daily readers, then spend 10-20 minutes in the kind of slow-paced, reflective nonfiction that lends itself to being read a few pages at a time.
Dinner. Dinner more often falls under the “perpetual struggle” category instead of “what’s working,” but this year weeknight dinners went more smoothly than they have in years. We’re often eating on the early end before everyone heads out to their various activities, but it seems Will and I have finally assembled a nice collection of “easy weeknight” recipes that we like and can get on the table fast. The Paprika app is really helping us here, as it has cut way down on the number of conversations Will and I used to have along the lines of “which website has that chicken recipe we liked?” Plus with two college kids away we’re usually cooking with four and not six, and while I dearly miss the kids, dinner for four comes together faster. (Parents of college kids and adult children may laugh when I say it took me forever to realize this was a changed variable.)
Evening candles: This season Will and I have made a habit of lighting a candle in the living room every night. Currently we’re burning hard-to-source Scandinavian candles he hunted down for me for Christmas, but my favorites are collected here.)
Family togetherness
Visiting our college student in Germany. My eldest spent his 2024 spring semester abroad, and during spring break all of us save our college sophomore went to pay him a visit. It was deeply good to see him in his new surroundings, to hang out together in his university town, and to all pop up to Copenhagen for an adventurous long weekend.
Traveling with our kids individually. This past fall Will and I took one of our teenagers to Florida, and another for a quick trip to Atlanta. It was so good to spend extended time with our individual children; in recent years that has been hard to come by in our busy family of six. And it’s not that we were necessarily doing anything exciting—sure, I got to take our high school senior to Nashville for a concert and that was a blast … but that Atlanta trip was for a funeral and it was still good to have two-on-one time with our daughter.
The beach. After a rough spring and summer we had a completely lovely week at the beach, at the place that we’ve made ours, also the place where we had spent so much good time with my now-deceased parents, and our family time away was quiet and restful and needed.
Silly stuff
Roller coasters and theme parks. I never saw this one coming! When we went to Copenhagen in March, Will bought us tickets for Tivoli Gardens, the amusement park that inspired Walt Disney to design his American theme parks. Would you believe that none of my kids—aged 14, 16, and 21 at the time—had ever ridden a roller coaster before that trip? We had a wonderful time abroad, but then several kids brought their newfound love of roller coasters back home and that’s seeped into our lives in surprising ways. I love it.
Skincare. I think this is likely just about getting old—as in, I’m now I’m old enough that strangers compliment me for my skin in a way they never would if they thought I was thirty. But this year strangers are complimenting me for my skin all the time. I don’t do anything fancy, just a good cleanser and moisturizer, a serum or two from the ones I have stockpiled from beauty advent calendars, plus I do love this inexpensive liquid filter from Target. Whatever I’m doing, it seems to be working.
Good air. Several members of my household notoriously struggle with dry, itchy skin in the winter, and—I’m embarrassed to admit it’s taken this long—we finally bought a humidifier and it’s making all the difference. Is this related to “skincare” above? Definitely maybe. My houseplants are also happy! This one is similar to the model we’re using, though I got ours at Costco.
Readerly things
Family dramas. 2024 was a wonderful year for the emotionally resonant literary fiction I love, which means I read an exceptional number of really great books last year.
Spotify audiobooks. I have complicated feelings about this, and am attending to industry news on what Spotify’s entry into the audiobook space means for readers, authors, and publishers. Here’s what I’ve noticed in my own reading life: I have two separate audiobook subscriptions (Libro.fm being my favorite), I regularly use Libby and Hoopla, and yet I can see that Spotify audiobooks worked for me in 2024. I typically turn to Spotify to try brand new audiobooks I’m not entirely sure I want to read but I’d like to take for a test drive, that I can access immediately without spending a precious credit or waiting for my library hold to come in. (Like the new Ina Garten, which ended up being a 2024 favorite.)
Printing things. With the exception of my books, my work exists primarily in the digital space—and this past year it has been wonderful to put actually printed stuff in our readers’ hands. In 2024, we experimented with making a physical hold-in-your-hand, delivered-by-snail-mail booklet for our Fall Book Preview, and then in December we printed physical copies of our larger Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club Yearbook and popped them in the mail to any Book Clubber who wanted one. There’s much to love about digital media but there’s something to be said for holding a real book(let), and it’s been a joy to make that option available this year. (We’re also offering this option for our coming Spring Book Preview: orders are about to close so if you want one, order yours here!)
I’d love to hear what worked for YOU in 2024, and what didn’t, and why. Tell us all about it in comments.
P.S. I’ll be sharing what DIDN’T work for me in 2024 in the newsletter this weekend. Click here to make sure you’re on the list.
23 comments
Similar morning routine for me: Get up, shower, start the coffee, feed the cat. While the coffee’s brewing I either wash any dishes from the night before or put away dishes. The rule is I can’t sit down until the coffee’s done. Then pour the coffee and sit down with my “brain needed” books — as say, nonfiction that’s best read a few pages at a time. This past year that’s included my Bible, Paul Mason’s “How to Stop Fascism,” CS Lewis’ “The Weight of Glory,” “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott and a bunch of other good ones! Still working on a way to add writing to this morning routine.
Your cat lets you shower before you feed him/her?!
LOL, mine would never.
I was going to say the same thing! 🙂
I haven’t made my list yet. And, I know that the print versions of Fall Book Preview, and the Modern Mrs Darcy Yearbook will be on that list! Soo much fun and such lovely booklets. Thanks for adding to the MMD toolbox.
What worked for me this year:
– My daily crossword puzzle and games from the NYT app. Just a great way to get my brain going in the morning.
– Starting a skincare routine. I was always notorious for not taking care of my skin, but after a round of Accutane, I’ve become hyper-aware of my skincare.
– Weekend/local trips. My family is typically all about big vacations, but this year we did a lot of weekend trips, typically within easy driving distance, and it was a lot of fun and not super-expensive.
– The Goodbudget app. I’ve been trying to get my budget/spending under control, and I struggle doing it myself with Excel or Google Sheets. Goodbudget has really made it so much easier, and my bank account is the happiest it’s been in a long time.
– Keeping Christmas simple. Christmas is our favorite time of year and we tend to go overboard with non-stop events and get-togethers and activities starting in November, so we’re usually burnt out before Christmas even arrives. This year we only did a choice few events and get-togethers, and we had an awesome holiday season without ending the year tired and overwhelmed.
I’m currently making my own lists of what worked and what didn’t (inspired by Anne’s list here) and the Goodbudget app is on my list of what worked too! 🙂 I’ve really struggled to find a budget app that works for us. (The popular YNAB budget app nearly left me in tears and feeling like I needed second college degree.) But Goodbudget has been great and the simple system I needed!
I do the NYT games in the morning as well. It helps get my brain fired up for the day!
I really enjoy these year-end reflection posts, Anne. I love how you balance both the big and small things that have brought comfort and growth, especially in a year with so much personal hardship. I’ve been leaning into a similar rhythm lately—starting my mornings with a reading ritual and small cup of coffee while my kids are still sleeping. This is usually the time I spend reading my Bible. It’s become such a grounding way to begin the day.
I also really appreciate the idea of revisiting what worked over multiple years. It’s a reminder that growth isn’t always about dramatic change but often about refining what’s already working. I’ve been writing a lot lately about the importance of rhythms and routines, especially for moms who often feel stretched thin. Reflecting on what works and what doesn’t feels like a gentle but powerful way to create more space for joy and intention in everyday life.
Thank you for always sharing so thoughtfully—it’s inspiring and such a helpful nudge to do my own reflection!
I would love to hear more about your morning daily readers. The idea of reading a few pages of something reflective before I start my day sounds lovely.
Me too! I need some bite sized non-fiction to motivate and inspire.
My husband and I have been using the Paprika app for several years (maybe a decade?) and I use the desktop version occasionally, but it’s the real workhorse of my ipad, which I can prop up in the kitchen while preparing a meal. My oldest is now in her first college apartment and uses our account to access the recipes that she loves before having to call/text us for the recipe. While I miss the handwritten recipe cards from my mom and grandmothers, the app has eliminated a lot of hassle when trying to find that one recipe. Bonus – when someone asks for a recipe, I can email it to them right then.
“my favorite reading chair”
Soooo, I just rearranged three rooms in my house so I, too, could have a Favorite Reading Chair. Thank you ever so much. Reading The Swimmers, feet up, candle lit.
one of my all-time favorite books!!!!! So moving
Not the point of this post but I’d love to hear more about why you love The Swimmers. I read it last year and I just didn’t “get” it. I felt like the first half of the book had no point and then it just changed course. Of course I know everyone has different tastes and many people love this book and have it one of their favorites of 2024 and overall so would love to hear more about what worked for you.
As a family who has always balanced theme parks with our (re: my) museum/art/history habits on trips, I am shook that your kids had never ridden a roller coaster! We have frequently used them as leverage – yes, you can ride those coasters after we’ve gone to this art exhibit 🙂 Hands down fav of our journeys is to Cedar Point outside Cleveland – roller coasters abound! And, for the record, the Cleveland Museum of Art is a gem!
I agree about the Cleveland Museum of Art! My husband grew up in and near Cleveland, yet doesn’t remember ever going until we visited recently, after the Botanical Gardens.
Thank you for sharing what’s working for you, Anne. And warm thoughts from the heart for making it through a difficult year. It was not sudden, but I lost my Mom in February. It is becoming easier to find memories comforting, especially after getting through the first Christmas since. I hope that is true for you and your family.
No list to share – I just wanted to send Anne a gentle hug for navigating the first year of grief and finding those moments of joy for your soul.
Very strangely, this is the second time Tivoli Gardens has come up for me today, after reading about it in Number the Stars this morning in homeschool with my son!
(And for roller coasters, we’re rather fond of Kings Island which might even be closer to you than it is to us (3 hours). Diamondback is my all-time favorite.)
I read through your list of 20 books set in the Arctic or other cold places, and then noticed that comments were closed. I have to suggest Lous L’amour’s Last of the Breed. It’s about a US Air Force Major who is shot down over Siberia. He is L’amour’s strong rugged hero set in modern times. He calls on the skills inherited from his Native American forebears to escape from the Russians and make his way back to America.
We had a big change this year because we had our first baby! So there have been a lot of changes and reflections on what has worked re feeding, sleeping etc but some things that I have noticed that are more general are:
Reading on my kindle in the dark while the baby sleeps – I’ve read so much more on my kindle than before though I am missing the time I used to have to read physical books.
Getting out for a walk every day – I never did this as a habit before and taking the baby out in the pram or carrier for a bit of fresh air really makes me feel happier and more awake. I’m noticing that often if I’m a bit moany it’s partly because I haven’t been outside all day.
Powdered oat milk from Overherd – my mum friend put me onto this. Saves me chucking out half finished cartons that have gone off so this is saving us money.
Frozen sliced onions and spinach – my husband is not a fan when he is cooking but I love them – saves a job and makes food prep a lot quicker and we throw out less food.
How did you decide which place would be yours as far as beach vacations go? So many options on the gulf and SC/GA!
We didn’t decide on purpose! Maybe we should have, but our experience was we suddenly realized after many years, “oh, this is our place.”
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