My Year End Routine
As we come into the holiday season, I’m sure we all have our own rituals and ideas for our own end of year. For business owners, it can be a time of acute stress that comes with the end of a reporting period or tun of the calendar. It might be hard to look back with any sort of grace, especially if there are goals or challenges that were unmet. I started to think about my own habits for the year end, and as a business owner, I’m sharing some ideas for myself about how I manage the added stress and angst that seem to come with the new year.
Reflect
Going back to the theme of gratitude, it’s awfully easy to focus on the things that didn’t go well over the course of the year. Our failures make a much more indelible mark on our brains than our successes, and it takes work to go back and remember them. But, reflecting on the accomplishments, no matter how small, can help rewire our brain for gratitude and positivity, and act as a springboard for the next year’s goals and successes.Looking back at my own year, here are some things I was able to accomplish:
- We fulfilled our dream of relocation, and moved into our new home, which itself was a three year project
- I started my own consulting firm
- I started a part time job of becoming a teacher
- I played over 50 rounds of golf, and dropped my handicap by 5 strokes
- I watched my oldest daughter graduate from college
And yes, there were a lot of things that I wanted to accomplish this year that didn’t happen. But, rather than get hung up on that, it’s perfectly ok, and even healthy to focus on the successes of the year for a while.
Declutter – Physically, Mentally and Spiritually
When I was working full time, I used to make it a tradition to go to the office the day after Thanksgiving. It was quiet, there were almost no distractions, and it gave me the chance to actually tend to my environment in a way that was helpful. Over the course of the year, my desk and files would become littered with stuff that I’d collected – stuff that I thought would be useful. I established a rule for that day – if I hadn’t looked at our touched that thing for six months, then I’d throw it away. We sometimes hoard things (in my case, it was reference material, or interesting pieces of marketing collateral) thinking it will be helpful, but in reality, it just served to add to the chaos. We take for granted our physical environment, and that sometimes has a significant, but unseen impact on our ability to reach the next level. Before doing any real goal setting or planning, perhaps try to do a quick year end purge – it will help see what is really important, and maybe create some space for your creativity.
In addition to the physical environment, it’s also a great time to take stock of your personal habits. Maybe you’ve had a goal that has spanned multiple years that you just haven’t been able to knock out. Full disclosure: I’ve been trying to lose that last 10 pounds since 2017. Maybe it’s time to take an honest look at your habits, systems, or other aspects of your life that are in the way. There are no breakthroughs when trying the same thing over and over again. Challenge yourself – find one thing that is getting in the way of your goals and just stop doing it. Sometimes this can be scary. Try it and see what happens.
Goal setting for the next year
Once you’ve jettisoned the physical and personal things, then it’s time to plan for the next year. A lot of ink has been spilled about goal setting, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably enough of a go-getter where anything I tell you will be superfluous. However, I have found that the #1 thing you can do is to be 100% focused on your intention. If traditional goal setting hasn’t borne fruit for you, perhaps come at it from a different angle. Begin with the end in mind, and be true to your values and intention when thinking about your next steps for the coming year.
Self care – Set boundaries
Finally, and I cannot emphasize this enough, give yourself some grace. Another confession: I’m not a super huge fan of the holiday season. The commercialism wears at me pretty quickly, especially since Christmas ads now start somewhere around mid October. That’s on me, and every year I spend quite a bit of effort reflecting on and living up to my own intention to make the holidays great for my loved ones (who are incurable Christmas superfans). The holidays can be an extraordinarily stressful time, and we often do a good job of suppressing the real angst that come with the holidays because we are told that it’s the ‘Most Joyful Time Of The Year’TM. (BS – I much prefer the 4th of July). I LOVE a lot of the activities and celebrations of the holidays, but once I discovered that it’s really ok to decline an invitation every now and then, and focus on some self care when needed, it made my experience of the holidays much improved. I do a better job at prioritizing the things that are meaningful to me and my family, and it’s worked out for the better in recent years.
The end of the year can be a remarkable time of reflection, and also one of joy, anxiety, sadness or a multitude of other emotions and feelings. Taking stock of successes, clearing the physical and mental clutter, setting intentions, and taking care of myself are the things that help me thrive in the season and launch into a new, successful year. What are the things you do to make your year end truly one of celebration?