The first business day of 2026 was a Friday, making it a no-brainer to trade one PTO day for four days off. Tomorrow, though, I’ll get back in the saddle to commence my fifth year of work—all of which have been at Morgan Stanley.
I typically don’t have “Sunday scaries,” as I quite like my job and the opportunities it can provide professionally, intellectually, and financially if I do well. However, today feels different.
Tomorrow is not only the start of a new work week; it’s also the start of a new year. The successes and accomplishments of 2025 are left behind, and the scale is reset. New goals are written, strategies are introduced, and plans are cast. This is an exciting time where energy is high and friction is minimal. The obstacle of “let’s pick this up next year” is removed; it’s go time.
While this time of year is electric, I don’t want the hubbub to overshadow the changes I want to make. Over my break, I reflected on how I wanted my day to day to improve. Some of those improvements are hyper-specific to my role, such as reorganizing the settlements team by region so each member can specialize in a given footprint, which often has similar deal types, players, and regulations. Other improvements are general and could apply to most roles.
For instance, I often play the role of “overseer” whereby I monitor my more junior colleagues, anticipate where they could make mistakes, and step in at the last moment to prevent issues. This is mentally taxing, as I have my own workload, and I spread myself thin. Also, it robs them of making mistakes and learning from them. This year, I want to rid myself of this habit and trust my teammates. Assisting someone on a high-priority, complex item is one thing; it’s another thing to constantly monitor lower-risk functions.
I’m feeling these “scaries” today because I want to make lasting change to my work habits. I don’t want to fall back into bad behaviors that were unsustainable for me last year. Tomorrow is the day I set the tone for the year, and I want it to go well. I will start ridding myself of destructive habits while implementing the habits I want.
Logically, I know change can be made at any point in the year, yet there is something powerful about the first of the year. Perhaps, since everyone else is setting new goals and desiring to change, the first of the year provides the space to make changes yourself.
Best of luck in 2026.
KHC