Let’s face it, 2022 is over bar the shouting. As the end of the year approaches, we are all scrambling to complete deadlines while the countdown towards the much-anticipated holiday break is accelerating. This last-minute scramble can be very stressful and if not managed well can way on your mind when you should be relaxing over the holidays. There will always be a long to do list and you will always end up with some goals not achieved. What is important is to cognitively focus on ending the year on a high note. Here are a couple of helpful tips to help you achieve this:
- Look back and reflect: What were the highlights of the year? What where the low points? What have you learned from this year? These are good reflective questions and although, I am a great one for maintaining forward momentum, reflection is a very powerful tool for personal development. So, set aside some time and write down your reflections on the past year. Focus on the achievements you are proud of. Write down what you would have done differently in the cases where you had negative experiences. By reflecting we can put the year in perspective, celebrate the good events and convert the negative into learnings.
- Knock off the important and urgent tasks on your 2022 to do list: With limited time left before you go on leave, apply basic time management skills. Look at your to do list and decide what should be your priority for the weeks remaining. These would be the important and urgent tasks. Get them done anything else can wait for the new year.
- Define the important but not urgent tasks for early 2023. We all have more time available at the beginning of a year, so spend some time now, to extract from your reflections, what are important but not urgent tasks (the ones you always mention in the context of “if I only had the time”). While your 2023 diary is still relatively uncommitted, make the time. Block time out in your diary now.
- Set your 2023 personal goals: Why wait for New Year’s Eve? Define three to five personal goals for 2023. Write them down and stick them up in your office. You need to see them on day 1 of the next working year.
- Make peace with the past: We always will have regrets as we reflect on the past, mistakes made and situations you could have handled better. Now is the time to get closure and forgive yourself, you cannot change the past so rather commit to learning from your mistakes and approach the next year with a positive mindset.
- Declutter your office space: Do a thorough cleanout of your office space, recycle the documents that inevitably piled up on your desk. Get rid of the 2022 calendar, the outdated memos and meeting documents. Ask yourself if you will ever use an item again. If the answer is no, get rid of them. A good spring clean is energizing, so why stop at the office, tackle your home. If you have not used an item in the last year donate it to charity.
FPD Staff writer