The Shortlist vol. 1
3 upgrades that changed how I feel working from home
Welcome to the very first edition of The Shortlist.
If you missed the update: this is the new home of my free biweekly newsletter. It’s now a quick, skimmable note sharing what I’m loving, using, or setting up across work, home, health, and daily life. Think of it as my curated cheat sheet for living with less friction.
Let’s kick things off with something I’m already feeling the impact of…
My annual planning day (aka my personal offsite) isn’t until Jan 19. Pro tip: if your kids are out of school that day and you also have the holiday off, book a sitter and give yourself that full day to set up your year with intention. You deserve it.
But while the big vision day is still ahead, I didn’t wait to start fresh.
During Black Friday, I went all in on revamping my home office. The furniture I’d grabbed in a rush during early COVID when we were all suddenly working from home had hit its limit. After 5 years of daily use, it was worn down, not ergonomic, and honestly, just not made to be lived in the way I live in it.
So I upgraded three things. And already, it feels like a completely new workspace.
Here’s what I changed:
✔️ A real ergonomic chair — not just something pretty. It’s wild how much my body feels the difference.
✔️ A standing desk — I love the flexibility to sit, stand, stretch, and move without interrupting flow.
✔️ An incline walking pad — I’m obsessed. I tell everyone about it. The health benefits of walking uphill vs. flat are incomparable. I don’t use it during meetings, but it’s perfect for starting or ending the day while sifting through Slack.
As always, aesthetics mattered, but functionality came first.
This new setup feels like a vote for the kind of work-from-home-life I want to lead this year. One with movement. With better posture. With design that supports energy all day long. It’s a small shift with big ripple effects.
I’m also loving this massive wall calendar to be able to see my full year at a glance (especially helpful with planning travel).
If you’ve been putting off upgrading your space, consider this your nudge. The tools we use daily shape how we show up.
Standing Desk, Ergonomic Chair, Walking pad + Hokas, Yearly Wall Calendar, Dry Erase Markers, Tear-Off Weekly Planner or Coiled Weekly Planner (if you work hybrid go for coiled), Best Pens, Aesthetic Highlighters, Moleskine, Microphone, Headphones, Clip on light, Phone charger, Camera
ICYMI: I’m not waiting for a book deal
If you missed my last note, I introduced a paid tier of my newsletter to share the writing I originally planned for a book called The Fulfilled State. It’s a 12-part roadmap to redefining success and designing an aligned life.
As a paid member, you’ll also get access to:
My in-depth research on European Summer Camp programs
Deep dives on tools, systems, and how I use AI to save 20+ hours a week
Behind-the-scenes on building MNT from 3 locations to a national brand
Founding Member Rate:
Join by the end of this month for 40% off ($5/mo or $50/yr). Just hit “Subscribe” and select your preference.
New Modern Mom Podcast Spotlight
You’ll learn how to run a personal offsite, ask the right reflection questions, and translate your goals into an actionable 2026 Annual Operating Plan, complete with built-in accountability so it lasts all year, not just in January!
🏔 The personal offsite: Why you must block time now to plan with deep intention.
📝 The 9 questions: A step-by-step internal audit to define true priorities for 2026.
🎯 Vision to execution: My “Pillar System” for turning big vision into a real operating plan with goals, habits and systems.
📆 Make it stick: Schedule non-negotiable Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to stay aligned.
A one-second favor?
❤️ Leave a little love below if you found this valuable
💬 Drop a comment sharing a home office item you can’t live without
📤 Hit ‘Share’ to send this to your group chat
Thanks for joining me on this journey,
Barbara
P.S. This post contains affiliate links including the Amazon Associates Program, so I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!
I'm so curious what's one thing in your office you can't live without?