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On Wednesdays, we’ll reflect: See below for some some of what I’ve learned from the week to inspire reflection, a well-being soundbite, and a view of my wish list / recs / things I’m currently obsessing over. 🙂
Quick reminder: With the holidays approaching, I’ll be leaning in to spending time with family and friends and moving to a shorter version of The Root 9 through year-end. I’ll be sharing Motivation on Mondays, What I Learned This Week on Wednesdays, and Food For Thought on Fridays. I’m going to take some of that time back from preparing a shorter newsletter to think about next year, including what is in store for The Root 9 and how I am thinking about evolving it as we approach its anniversary in February 🙂 And, in the spirit of The Root 9, being more present during the holidays, closing the year out strong, and recharging. I hope you are able to do the same ❤️
W.I.L.T.W (What I Learned This Week)
Freedom in Resolution Setting
On our plane ride back from Chicago, I felt the heavy wave of the overwhelm that tends to surface as the new year looms I wrote about earlier this week. I had a long list of things on my mind as the new year started, but the thought of starting January 1st with a completely full plate felt counterproductive. As we looked at my list we realized that trying to juggle everything at once would force me to prioritize quantity over quality, leading to a version of my goals where I gave each one a lower amount of effort than I would want.
Dylan and I began talking through the list, the timing of things, and landed on a new way of looking at the annual calendar: dividing the year into six distinct "seasons," each lasting two months. Instead of a year-long marathon, I’d allocate only one or two items to a two-month seasonal sprint. The idea is that at the end of that particular season, I’ll either be in a great flow and can transition to a new priority or the goal will have evolved and there will be a natural transition point to re-evaluate. It allows you to approach the "next chapter" of a task with concentrated energy it deserves.
This ‘six-month’ structure isn’t that fixed…just what worked for what I had top of mind. It can be modified for what works best for you, like:
four seasons of three months
one six-month season followed by a series of shorter two-month seasons
There are a dozen different formats you can play with based on what your specific goals require. I wanted to share this today in case you are feeling anxious about being ‘behind’ before the year has even begun. If you aren't ready to tackle everything on January 1st, maybe that’s a good moment to reframe and give yourself grace. Perhaps you only need to focus on what you are doing through February 1st? Then, you can give yourself the mental space to “create" resolutions for future seasons as you go (if you so choose to).
Resolution setting does not have to be an annual event, and we don’t need to confine our growth to a single day just because the date on our phones and document will change at midnight.
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