Your 2026 Blueprint: How to Audit Your 2025 Time, Energy, and Community for a Life That Aligns for 2026

Show Notes: Your 2026 Blueprint: How to Audit Your 2025 Time, Energy, and Community for a Life That Aligns for 2026

Episode Summary

As we approach 2026, many of us find ourselves at year-end feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and disconnected from our goals—despite our best intentions. In this transformative episode, Amy Mewborn walks you through a powerful three-part audit system designed to reveal where your time, energy, and money actually went in 2025, and why that matters for creating real alignment in 2026.

Through the lens of Jim Rohn's principle that "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with," Amy introduces a comprehensive blueprint for auditing your current reality and intentionally redesigning your life. Rather than focusing on working harder in 2026, this episode challenges you to examine whether you're working on the right things with the right people. The core message: clarity and alignment matter far more than hustle.

Key Topics Discussed

The Time Audit: Where Did Your Hours Go?

• Tracking a typical work week to identify major time blocks honestly
• Distinguishing between high-yield activities (work that moves the needle) and low-yield activities (scrolling, TV, worry)
• Understanding that where you spent your time is where your life actually went
• Recognizing "invisible drift" as the culprit behind feeling off-track by year-end

The Energy Audit: Understanding Your Physiological Cost

• The concept of Energy Deposits (activities that fuel you: quality sleep, protein-rich meals, sunlight, meaningful work)
• Energy Withdrawals (activities that drain you: chronic stress, people-pleasing, toxic consumption)
• The connection between constant sympathetic "fight or flight" activation and metabolic dysfunction, hormone chaos (Smith 2023, Endocrine Journal)
• How living in an unrecovered state directly impacts your capacity to achieve 2026 goals

The Money Audit: Aligning Spending With Values

• Reviewing 3-5 months of bank and credit card statements with radical honesty
• Identifying the gap between stated priorities and actual spending patterns
• Cutting inefficient processes and unnecessary expenses that detract from your goals
• Recognizing that your current state reflects past habits, not past intentions

The Jim Rohn Principle: You Are the Average of Your Five People

• How behavioral contagion works—the people closest to you influence your thoughts, behaviors, and mindset
• Emotional Contagion: Anxiety, pessimism, and negativity are highly contagious; overexposure to negative social media content leads to more negative posts
• Health and Lifestyle Contagion: Your social circle sets the "normal" standard for work ethic, complaints, and what's possible to achieve
• Research showing that individuals are more likely to gain weight if their friends do—and the same principle applies to healthy habits

The Three C's of Your Circle: Who Should Be in Your Inner Five?

• Challengers: People who refuse to let you settle and elevate your ambition
• Calmers: People who regulate your nervous system and offer non-judgmental support
• Cheerleaders: People who celebrate your wins without envy and believe in your potential

Designing Your 2026: The Blueprint for Alignment

The Big 3 Non-Negotiables

1. The Energy Anchor: Protein and Sleep

   • 30+ grams of high-quality protein at first meal stabilizes blood sugar and reduces cortisol spikes (Leidy 2013, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
   • At least 7 hours of consistent sleep—when rested, your capacity for creativity and focused work multiplies

2. The Calm Ritual: Morning Light and Breath

   • Morning light exposure immediately upon waking regulates circadian rhythm and cortisol curve (Takahashi 2019, Chronobiology International)
   • Three minutes of diaphragmatic breathing (4-count inhale, 6-count exhale) activates the parasympathetic system
   • Replaces the low-yield habit of scrolling first thing in the morning

3. The Anti-Hustle Boundary: The Power of No

   • Protect your time and energy from draining, low-yield activities
   • The courage to say no to good opportunities that don't align with your true priorities

White Space: The Resource That Makes Work Possible

• Commit to scheduling 1-2 hours every week for true quiet, contemplation, and inspiration
• This is not about productivity—it's where intuition speaks, clarity lands, and innovation is born
• Reframe: Space is not something you earn after the work is done; space is what makes the work possible

The Pruning Principle: Curating Your Community

• You don't owe anyone an explanation for managing your energy
• Set healthy boundaries by spending less time with "Withdrawals" and more time with "Deposits"
• This is not cutting off relationships; it's enabling you to show up as a better friend, partner, and leader

The Generosity of Self

• Taking care of your health, time, and money first is the most generous thing you can do for those you love
• You cannot pour from a depleted cup
• Honoring your own needs models a sustainable blueprint for success rooted in wholeness, not hustle

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Notable Moments & Client Story

Lisa's Transformation: Amy shares the story of a coaching client named Lisa who ended 2025 exhausted, realizing her energy was spent on obligations and people that didn't align with her core values. Her time and money audit revealed she was spending more hours on social media and worrying about others' opinions than on her own health or business development. The clarity was immediate: she was "pushing the gas pedal in a car that was pointed in the wrong direction." This became her catalyst for change.

Amy's Personal Wake-Up Call: Amy reveals her own turning point when she realized she was saying yes to every speaking engagement and high-profile collaboration—even when her heart wasn't in them. By prioritizing alignment over accolades, she reclaimed the time and energy needed to launch The Living Simpler Podcast.

Key Insight: "You cannot reach a new destination using an old map."

Powerful Reframe: "Space is not something you earn after the work is done; space is what makes the work possible."

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Five Actionable Steps for 2026

Step 1: The 7-Day Time and Energy Audit

Track every 30-minute block for one week with radical honesty. Score your energy during each activity on a scale of 1-10 and identify whether it's an Energy Deposit or Withdrawal. This objective blueprint will guide all future changes.

Step 2: The Core 5 Commitment

Write down the five people you spent the most time with in 2025. Commit to investing 10% more time with "Deposits" and 10% less time with "Withdrawals" this month. No conversation necessary—simply adjust your availability.

Step 3: The Morning Micro-Ritual

Implement one simple, non-negotiable morning habit for 21 days: 5 minutes of morning light exposure, 3 minutes of 4-6 breathing, or a protein-first breakfast (30+ grams). Consistency matters more than intensity.

Step 4: The Pruning Principle for Your Money

Identify three low-value money leaks from the last three months (unused subscriptions, low-value food purchases, impulse buys). Cut one this week and redirect that money toward a high-value Energy Deposit.

Step 5: Schedule White Space

Block 60 minutes on your calendar this week for true "White Space"—time for reflection, prayer, or simply being quiet. Protect this time fiercely.

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Scientific References & Citations

• Smith, 2023 | Endocrine Journal – Research on chronic stress, sympathetic activation, and metabolic dysfunction
• Leidy, 2013 | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – Studies on protein intake, blood sugar stabilization, and cortisol regulation
• Takahashi, 2019 | Chronobiology International – Research on morning light exposure, circadian rhythm regulation, and cortisol curves

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Coming Soon: The Living Simpler App

Amy announces the upcoming debut of The Living Simpler App, a powerful new tool designed to make the audit and planning process seamless. The app includes custom energy and time trackers, habit-stacking templates, and guided regulation practices to help you make 2026 your best year ever. Subscribe to ensure you don't miss this game-changing episode.

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Call to Action

You are not broken—you're simply a woman running on an outdated system. This blueprint is your new map. Start simply, start now.

Subscribe to The Living Simpler Podcast to stay connected for deeper dives into this blueprint in coming weeks, and to be notified when the Living Simpler App launches.

Your best version of 2026 is waiting in the space you create today.

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Resources & Links

🌿 Free Living Simpler Health Resources: https://living-simpler.com/resources

📱 Follow Amy on Instagram: @amymewborn

🛍️ Shop Amy's Top Wellness Picks: https://www.amazon.com/shop/amymewborn

💚 Shop Amy's Fave Shaklee Products: https://us.shaklee.com/en_US/amymewborn/storefront

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Keep living simpler. Keep living well. ✨