What We Want Less of in 2026

We’re kicking off the new year by talking about something we both love and hate: “resolutions.” Or, more accurately, a list of what we don’t want in our lives in 2026. With bestselling author Glynnis MacNicol, we get into why this week is useful for taking stock, even if you refuse to “manifest” anything, and how writing things down (by hand, in a real planner) can make your brain take it more seriously.

We talk about setting boundaries with toxic people, getting clearer about what projects and workplaces we’re willing to say yes to, and why “less screen time” isn’t really the point—it’s less social media, less surveillance of our own lives, and a better approach to being online: go in with a list, do what you need to do, and leave. We also get into news diets, the complicated reality of stepping away from your phone when you have kids, and the way social media magnifies the sense that everything is on fire, all the time.

Then the conversation turns to something bigger: relational retirement economics—the idea that friendships and community function like long-term savings, and that investing in relationships is often the most practical kind of security.

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