My year in review
- irisjonsthovel
- Dec 30, 2025
- 8 min read
My 2025 felt slow-moving in a way that contrasted pretty sharply with the year before. While 2024 was focused and dedicated, this year the pendulum swung back toward rebalancing.
Today, I come to you with a pretty dense overview of my year in review. I wrote more than I intended (sorry), but it feels like a very accurate portrait of my brain lately and all the small and big things rolling around in there.
Earlier this week, I looked back at my goals for 2025 and concluded that I hadn’t accomplished anything at all this year. Which, of course, isn’t true. But you know that feeling. Once it pops up, it tends to stick around until you actually sit down and question it properly. So that’s what I did. I wanted to get to the bottom of it (my fatal flaw).
I decided to look at each month individually and see where my time actually went, because it felt like it had somehow disappeared down the drain. Thankfully, at the start of the year, I was more optimistic. But when spring rolled around, I already felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of goals I had set for myself.
So, if you’re in the mood for a bit of reflection, here’s a look at how my time actually unfolded this year - what I spent it on, and where my focus ended up instead of where I thought it would go. Which might feel familiar if your plans also took a few unexpected turns.
January: scheming out plans for the year
Alta: I started strong with big plans for Alta and worked on a large client project throughout the winter. For the year ahead, my ambitions included podcast appearances, masterclasses, workshops, inspirational talks, more consistent social media, journalist outreach, and B2B collaborations. I also wanted to redesign my Teenage course so it could live on my own website instead of being tied to schools.
Pilates: My Pilates instructor training started mid-January, with the goal of becoming a certified instructor by the end of July. This goal felt quite ambitious and was not sure it I could do it.
Art & Design: I set the goal to create a small painting collection of 6 artworks and exhibit it in some way.
Norwegian: I wanted to reach B2 level by studying around four hours a week.
Exercise: Making it a daily routine of moving every day for about an hour, high or low intensity.
Community: Together with a friend, I planned to build Creative Mornings Oslo after having applied for being a host and being invited for an interview.
Inspiration: I wanted to build up a better reading routine by reading or listening to at least two books per month. Also, I wanted to have fun outside of the home more by visiting concerts, comedy nights, and museums.
So, looking back, what came out of these intentions? How did I do?
February
My client work for Alta was on track. I wrote an Alta newsletter, spent time in the Pilates studio, skied and skated outdoors, started the first painting of my planned collection, and listened to audiobooks while painting. I even went to a comedy night (Atsuko Okatsuka!). In most categories I was doing pretty well.
March
I went to the Netherlands for a full-day Alta workshop, and finishing that large client project with satisfaction. I visited some museums back home en went roller skating. Then, back in Norway I enjoyed the final ski days, and a trip to Hamar for the World Cup ice skating event. Again, a good month across the board.
April
I finished my first painting and loved it. Shared it online and immediately got my first art commission! Spring arrived early, so I started home workouts on the terrace. My focus shifted away from Alta and more toward art, design, and Pilates training. I read Blue Sisters and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and got excited about reading again! It felt strange to step away from Alta a bit to have more time for Pilates, but overall it felt like a good month.
May
May started with an ‘art-date’ to a museum. The weather was superb and pulled me outside for long hikes. Most of my time was split between working on my commission painting and studying muscles daily for my Pilates exam. I also squeezed in a graphic design project for a very smart friend. Alta was stewing in the background and my time clearly belonged to Pilates and art.
June
June was all about discipline. I blocked out three full weeks to study for my Pilates exam. My focus was sharp, my routine solid, and I felt very determined. Alongside that, I designed a book with my brothers for my parents’ 50th anniversary and continued working on my commission painting. Alta was still on the back burner, although I wrote a newsletter. It was a very focused month and I enjoyed working hard.
July
I finished and shipped my 1st commission ever to Denmark this month! I also traveled to the Netherlands to hang out with friends and family, and in museums. Back in Norway I started teaching Pilates part-time and for Alta I wrote a newsletter about my second-half-of-the-year ideas. July was a clear transition month and got a little bit of everything.
August
A wonderful vacation month in which I went on a personal art retreat in the mountains, a multi-day hike in Jotunheimen and a city trip to Stockholm. Absolute joy. Barely worked, aside from a few Pilates classes.
September
September felt like a real season reset. I spent load of hours on Pilates teaching and class creation. I went to two concerts, which reminded me how inspiring live music is. My art retreat had left me with so many ideas, that as soon as I came back home I started painting number three and did many experiments. I also wrote an Alta newsletter about fall reflections and my dream of owning a dog. But, there was still a lack of motivation & head space for my Teenage course redesign. It became very obvious to me that this last part of the year asked for another focus than that.
October
I became a dog parent to Ziggy! I continued teaching and programming a lot of Pilates classes and kicked-off the Alta 1:1 Unstuck Sessions with some wonderful clients again. I remember this month being very busy and focused with work and the puppy. So the time I had left for other things, I worked on my art. It was a rich month, on all levels.
November
At the start November had a similar rhythm to October. Then I went on a 1.5-week trip to the Netherlands for family, friends, and early Sinterklaas. I also finished my third painting and received a second art commission from it. How fortunate!
December
December marked the end of my 1:1 Alta Unstuck Sessions and I spent two weeks alone with the puppy. Because I was very focused on being the best dog parent possible I was low on energy and motivation for anything else. Of course pilates teaching continued, and my art commission kept me creatively afloat. And, lest but not least, I sat down for my end-of-the-year reflection and pouring it into this newsletter.
Looking at it like this, I can see that I did do quite a lot. Just not everything at once. I completely dropped the ball on Norwegian and Creative Mornings though. This year was heavily centred around starting my Pilates trajectory, and that took more energy and headspace than I expected. As a result, Alta, my envisioned art collection and reading fell somewhat to the side.
For next year, I want to level things out a bit. Reignite my motivation for Alta and art, without overwhelming myself again.
What really helped put things into perspective were the actual numbers though. And let’s just say: January-me had very different expectations than December-me delivered.
Here’s the reality check:
Books fully read: 4 — plus 6 I started with great enthusiasm. On Audiobooks I did a total of 7 days and 2 hours of listening. Book goals? 24…
Art Works created: 3 big ones, one small one. Goal? 6
Concerts/Comedy nights/Museums visited: 3 / 2 / 6. Goal? Not specified, but ideally once a month, totalling 36.
Instagram posts: 22. Goal? Twice a week, totalling 104.
LinkedIn posts: 5. Goal? Every fortnight, totalling 26.
Newsletters: 9. Goal? Minimum of 12.
Norwegian (Duolingo): every single day, totalling 54 hours — still nowhere near B2 level (which was the goal)
And then there’s the outlier!
Exercise tracked with Garmin watch: 456 activities, 435 hours total.
That’s more than an hour of movement per day, all year long. Goal: 365 hours. It’s pretty clear what’s most important to me!
So yes, the stats are humbling. But they also prove I got some things done, which is better than nothing in my opinion! I was clearly just a little too optimistic in January.
What I want to do differently
Looking back, this year was too open-ended for where I am right now in life. After five years of working for myself, my self-motivation needs more structure to stay alive. I need clearer goals, better tracking, and something external to keep me engaged. I’m thinking actual submission deadlines for my art work to work towards and a more structured week in terms of dedicated hours.
I noticed that when one area of my life required a lot of focus (Pilates, hello), everything else quietly stalled. Not because I didn’t care, but because I just didn’t know how to hold multiple priorities at once without burning myself out
So what I want next year is not more. I want clearer containers. I want to feel momentum again, especially with Alta and my art, without turning my life into a constant productivity experiment. Well, how to do that?
I was inspired by someone who shared an Excel recap of his year (yes, I was inspired by an Excel sheet ;-). Despite its tragic lack of sexiness, I do love Excel's core value: structure. I mean, I love structuring thoughts. My overactive brain thrives on it.
So instead of setting a long list of goals, this is the experiment I want to try next year:
My anchors: Choose three anchors for the year (for example: Work (Alta & Pilates), Art, Fun (Health & Creativity)
Decide what's good enough: Decide what a good enough year looks like for each one
Choose seasonal focus: Allow one seasonal focus at a time, instead of everything at once
Track in Excel: Track effort (hours, sessions, showing up) in an Excel sheet
Monthly round-up: Do a simple monthly round-up to see where my time went
My priorities: List priorities for the month ahead, but keep it to a minimum
Aiming all year round for less pressure & guilt, and more continuity. At least, that’s the idea.
The fun list
Alright, enough serious reflecting - here’s the fun list with my favourite things from the year:
Most stunning view: Snowy January sunset
Best Feel-good movie: Little Women
Most inspiring artwork: Agnes Cleve, ‘Nakenstudie’
Best moment: Sending off my first commissioned artwork
Most valuable lesson: Don’t be too serious about the process, have more fun. Go lightly!
Best confidence booster workout: 40-minute Full Body Spartacus
Power workout song: Physical, Dua Lipa
Best gift: The Dutch Museum Card
Best spur-of-the-moment decision: Bringing Ziggy home with us!
Thank you so much for making it all the way to the end. I hope you feel inspired to do your own positive reflection of 2025 and have fun with it! I wish you a wonderful close to the year, full of laughter, good music, great company, and excellent food.
See you in 2026.
Warmly,
Iris
Starting the new year with intention ♡
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