Year-End Reflection: What Systems Saved My Sanity This Year
Author's note: This blog is filled with affiliate links to get you major discounts. Full transparency: I will receive a small commission when you purchase. So without further ado, bring on the deals and the systems!
At the end of the year, there's a kind of pause. We look back on the past year, replay the good times, note the bad moments, and try to understand the bigger picture of our lives.
For me, the year-end reflection isn’t about perfection or performing some elaborate annual review. It’s about slowing down long enough to notice what actually supported my mental health, my professional life, my personal growth, and the systems that quietly held me together when things felt heavy.
If the last year taught me anything, it’s that small changes can have the most significant impact. And for a business owner like me — juggling content, clients, admin, creativity, and everyday life — systems became the north star that guided me through the chaos.
So as the year ending nudges us toward a fresh start, I wanted to share the systems that saved my sanity… and might just save yours too.
Productivity & Daily Flow
Sunsama
When I say Sunsama changed my life, I’m not exaggerating. This tool helped me shift from scattered “get everything done” energy into a calm, intentional rhythm that supported my mental health all year long.
Sunsama gave me:
Gentle monthly reviews that didn’t feel like homework
A simple reflection process that worked even when I didn’t have much time
A plan of action every day based on meaningful goals — not guilt
A sustainable routine rooted
Space for personal growth without pressure
It helped me step back and see the bigger picture of your life (and mine), notice interesting opportunities, and break big ideas into specific actions I could actually follow through on.
If you’ve been craving a system that supports both present moment clarity and future goals, Sunsama is a great place to start. This planner app lets you connect all your inboxes, software, and calendars in one place so you can see the full picture of your day and week. You can set what you're focused on and when you want to be offline. It's the main tool that really makes me feel like a CEO!
Get your first month free using my affiliate link.
Brick
Brick is a newer addition to my productivity pack, but it's already worked wonders fairly quickly. This small magnet sticks to your fridge and blocks distracting apps on your phone, effectively turning your phone into a brick.
It keeps our phone as the tool that it's meant to be, rather than the addictive distraction it's become. Since using the brick, I look at my phone in a totally different light, and I no longer grab it for a quick dopamine hit or distraction during the workday.
If your screen time is high and you want to change that in the new year, I highly recommend grabbing a Brick.
With my affiliate link, you can get 10% off your first order.
Lead & Client Management
Running a business is one thing. Running the behind-the-scenes of a business is another. These two tools became my sanity-saver duo.
HoneyBook
This year, HoneyBook helped me:
Streamline proposals, invoices, and contracts
Get out of admin overwhelm so I can do more good things with my time
Create a feedback loop with clients on a regular basis
Reduce the mental load of remembering everything
Support my professional development with systems that actually stick
Every business owner deserves a tool that keeps them organized without draining their energy. HoneyBook gave me a clean slate every week — even when life felt full. I love how it integrates with Asana, Flodesk, Squarespace, and QuickBooks, bringing my entire backend into one seamless machine.
With my affiliate link, you can get 40% off your first year! Hurry, this deal ends December 31, 2025.
Flodesk
Flodesk helped me nurture relationships through:
Newsletters, email challenges, and events
Sharing ideas, insights, and gifs!
Launching offers during busy seasons
Creating connection even when I was overwhelmed
It supported my authenticity, my pace, and my desire to build relationships without hustle. And in a year where I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try new things, Flodesk was the perfect way to share the journey.
If you're on the hunt for a new email marketing platform to kick-start a side hustle or connect with friends, I highly recommend Flodesk! With my affiliate link, you'll get 50% off your first year.
Content Creation & SEO
RankIQ
This year, my capacity for content creation was inconsistent. Some months, I had energy for everything. Other months… I barely had the bandwidth for an email.
RankIQ filled that gap beautifully by helping me:
Draft blog posts faster
Choose topics that people were actually searching for
Pull valuable insights from data I didn’t have to dig for
Make small changes to my writing that had a big effect
Approach SEO like a human, not a robot
It even helped me turn my good life buckets—content, creativity, storytelling—into systems I could maintain regularly. If writing feels heavy or unclear, this tool brings you back to ease and clarity.
With my affiliate link, you can try it for 50% off! Which is quite the steal for SEO marketing.
Finances & Business Structure
This is the category no one wants to talk about, but every entrepreneur desperately needs: financial systems.
Collective
Collective gave me:
A clean slate in my bookkeeping
Guidance on taxes, payroll, and decisions that used to paralyze me
Support with my annual reflection and end-of-year review
A team of humans who didn’t make me feel silly for asking questions
It helped me see that accounting wasn’t something to fear — it was something to understand. With my affiliate link, you'll get your first month free!
Gusto
Gusto took the stress out of payroll and:
Freed me from math-induced anxiety
Helped me manage payments on a regular basis
Supported my next step planning for the next year
Gave me a system I can trust every single month
It turned something that used to drain my energy into something that now supports it. With my affiliate link, you'll get $100 off!
Systems Make Life Feel Lighter
Systems aren’t just about efficiency — they’re about mental health, emotional clarity, and reclaiming your life. As we step toward January 1st and the upcoming year, we all get a moment — a breath — to decide what the first step will be.
Maybe your next path includes new goals. Maybe it includes new skills. Maybe it includes a new language for how you talk to yourself. Maybe it includes letting go of a bad habit or starting fresh with a cup of tea and a bullet journal.
Whatever it is, this is the perfect time to reflect, reset, and choose what matters most.
If you’re looking for tools that make your days calmer and your business more breathable, these are the systems that carried me through the whole year.
Affiliate links for all my favorite tools and systems can be found here.
And if you want help bringing ease, clarity, or new systems into your home or business next year, I’m right here — cheering you on with slow, steady, Savvy Sloth energy.
