[#productivity + #wellbeing] Well folks, January was a tough year, but we made it through. (Hat tip #nivenpostma for the joke). No but really: the first weekend of February 2023 just flew by(!) - how was January for you?
I love productivity, but I increasingly believe that while ‘feeling well’ isn’t a prerequisite for being productive (how many of you push through and deliver on your goals while feeling awful inside?), a good sense of wellbeing certainly boosts efficiency.
After years of diving deep into the work of #MichaelHyatt and #DarrenHardy among many other productivity legends, one of the best things I learned from all of them was to do a personal annual review.
In more recent years, I noticed my annual plan began to resemble an Individual Education Plan (IEP).🤓 I also noticed that I began to weave more in to address my wellbeing, e.g. cherry bakewells (see P.S.), finances, hobbies... etc.
I have come to see my IEP as something I use to guide my learning and growth for the months to come. The process has taken me years to get into a smooth flow, which I share with you below.
Do you also do any of this at some point during the year?
Here are my steps:
1️⃣ I tidy up (both a digital & physical declutter)
2️⃣ I make peace with the past year (I acknowledge it, then consciously let it go)
3️⃣ I acknowledge where I am now and the skills I have (I do a status check)
4️⃣ I reconnect with *who* I am now. I reflect on my four core elements and define what matters most to me.
5️⃣ I consider the future. I get clear on how much is *actually* enough for me - including money wise.
6️⃣ I gather up my intentions. I get specific about what I want to do with the time I'm gifted.
7️⃣ I make space for those intentions. I look practically at when, where and how I will actually do what I'm saying I want to. (IEP action plan right here!)
8️⃣ I make it easy for my loved ones. I organise & signpost my files, belongings, and even passwords to help them know what to do if something was to happen to me.
It is such a light, refreshing, freeing feeling, having all the major areas of yourself and your life in order.
And I always feel that when I am in good working order - inside out - I am better able to support and help when things are amiss.
For me, this is my practical approach to wellbeing. A series of steps, borne in part from my mind grappling with a deceptively simple sounding question.
It is one that has been posed by many, including Gandalf himself:
"All we have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to us."
🎶 One of my faves: https://lnkd.in/dW_-mhRS
P.S. Pic 2 = A Cherry Bakewell. AKA my metaphor for a simple, joyful, energy lifting activity. It is also a delightful little cake with different layers, which I have enjoyed eating since I was a little girl. Specifically, the Kipling ones, which are, I am grateful to say, available in the UAE. Spinneys, for anyone local.🧁
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