MADISON, Wis. -- As he begins his final year in office, Gov. Jim Doyle sat down to reflect on 2009 and look ahead to 2010.

The governor was careful not to sound like a lame duck. He said 2009 was a difficult year and that there is much work to be done in 2010.

Doyle said not having a campaign to worry about helps, but he admitted that the decision not to run for a third term was not easy.

"I regretted the second I said the words. I regretted it the next morning. It's not to say it wasn't the right decision. I knew that I was going to regret it, but I really concluded that the political system works best when office holders don't just say, 'I'm here and I can stay here,'" Doyle said.

The governor said his plans for when he leaves office are on the backburner for now.

"(I'm putting) that off for when it really should be done, a year from now, because we got a year ahead of us -- Wisconsin's economy, the country's economy -- it's still in a difficult time. We've got a lot of really hard work to do to make sure we're looking out for people who've lost their jobs and helping them get back on their feet," Doyle said.

The 64-year-old governor is set to officially leave office in January 2011.