Do we all want less noise and clutter in 2026?

Weekly Reads #115 - Things to read, listen to, watch, and think about at the top of the new year.

Happy Friday and happy New Year! I’m popping into your inboxes a bit later than usual. I’ve been fully in “catch-up mode” since Monday. It seems that’s the general vibe across the internet this week: everyone’s finding their sea legs after a long-ish break. One of my personal goals this year is to extend myself more grace - especially around my own editorial calendar - as I think this will make me less stressed and produce better work for you. So…onward!

What did I do during my holiday “break”? (Not really a break for parents of little people, I am learning.) A whole lot of cleaning, organizing, and purging. The third-trimester nesting instinct has arrived with force. Yesterday, I had to stop myself from wiping down every shelf in our garage. I’ve cleared out nearly 20% of my closet, an astonishing amount stuffed into donation bags. I am chucking things left and right, donating, giving away, and trashing. Nothing in sight in our home is currently safe.

proof of life; still v preggo

I feel this more strongly at the start of this new year than ever before: that I need a clutter-free space in order to think more clearly. I think it’s something we could all use: less noise, fewer things, a bit more room to breathe.

Above the paywall today includes a mini-essay (or vent?) about Instagram and AI, thoughts on Wuthering Heights, and some other fun culture recs.

Under the paywall today: Judging a book by its cover, what I’m reading + watching right now, some thoughts on the “skinny apocalypse” and how women’s bodies are under scrutiny again, a few useful and good new-year-energy Substack newsletters I enjoyed this week, and two small (and free) things that have improved my life immensely so far in 2026.