2023 is in the books. Done.
January of 2024 is in the books. Done. 1/12 of the year.
The first two weeks of February are done.
Am I the only one feeling panic yet?
The new year has slammed the pedal to the metal – full speed ahead.
But…to what destination?
Sometimes people attack the day based on what is screaming loudest in their ear.
No plan, no logic.
As if life were a firearms training course, we sometimes decide what to shoot at only in the moment it leaps into our field of view.
A whole life can be managed that way.
Years can be managed that way, without reflection, without intention. It is (I hope) a shuddering thought because time only goes in one direction.
Human beings: It’s never too late!
God: Cute.
So much significance is placed on the last day of December and the first day of January.
As if planning the 12-month period beginning February 15th with reflection and intention would get somebody arrested.
Have you taken a moment to look back on 2023, or did you careen into 2024, one hand on the wheel of a fire engine, the other holding the hose?
If ever there were a year that demanded a moment of reflection, it’s 2023.
You’re allowed to contemplate 2023 now, even though it’s not December of that year, or January of this one.
Need permission? Here:
Put pen to paper. Today. Set a timer for 15 minutes and just write. What went well in 2023? What are you grateful for? What could have gone better (or waaaay better)?
Just reflect.
When your timer goes off, put your pages away. Don’t read what you wrote. After at least 24 hours, pull out your pages and look for opportunities. Again, set your timer for 15 minutes and just write. What are the highest leverage (and very few) changes you can make in the next twelve months? What should you keep right on doing?
Create intention. Keep it simple. Do it today. You have my permission.
Too busy? I don’t think so. Even you have to go to the bathroom at some point. For once in your life, go to a bathroom that is farthest from your work space, where nobody can find you. Bring one 3×5 index card and a pen. Put your phone on airplane mode. Reflect on 2023.
Write what went well on one side of the index card, what did not go so well on the other. On your walk back to your work space, create intentions in your imagination for the next twelve months. Then write them down when you get to your desk.
I know, I know, bathroom time is Netflix time. Just this once, make it reflection time. The Queen’s Gambit will be there on the next trip.
The only way we know if work is meaningful is if it is in service of a worthy outcome. Reflection and intention-setting help us define the field of potentially worthy outcomes. That is why they are critical habits of leadership. Without them, we risk racing at full speed away from our greatest contribution.
The calendar is a useful tool. But it’s an arbitrary one. You have my permission to make today Day 1.
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