Quick Tip
Want to finish 2024 feeling calm, organized, and proud of yourself?
Try this end of the year ritual. It has 3 steps:
- Clear Space
- Close Loops
- Celebrate Wins
I do this every year. Simple yet powerful.
Clear Space
Free up space, in whatever way
you need most. A few options:
- Unsubscribe from email lists you no longer want.
- Cancel subscriptions you haven't used in an eternity.
- Clear clutter out of your surroundings. Sell. Donate. Discard.
- Do a calendar purge and remove appointments that don't add anything meaningful to your life.
- If you are self-employed, look at your menu of offerings. Strip it down. Rather than doing a dozen things fairly well, do one
or two things with excellence.
Close Loops
- Make a list of unresolved conversations. For instance, the client who wants to hire you but hasn't officially committed, or anything else that feels like a loose end flapping in the breeze.
- Follow up with each person. Invite them to make a
decision.
- Close the loop so that both of you can move on with your lives.
Sample message:
Hi [name],
I hope your holiday season is off to a great start.
During our last conversation, we talked about [project / package / offer / collaboration / etc]. Would you still like to proceed?
If so, great!
If things have changed and you're no longer interested, no problem.
Either way, let me know, so that I can plan accordingly.
If possible, let me know your decision by [date] because I'm starting my winter break soon. Thank you.
PS. Because you're working on [goal] right now, I think you'll love this: [link to an article, podcast, book, music playlist, or something else that this person will appreciate]
Celebrate Wins
- Make a list of wins from the last year.
- Big wins. Tiny wins. Professional wins. Personal wins. Financial wins. Results you secured for your clients. Important decisions you made. Anything you are proud of.
- Read the list. Remember who you are and what you've done.
Extra credit: next to each win, write down someone who helped make this victory possible. Send a thank you
note to each person.
This year, one of my favorite wins was [describe the victory]. You played such a big role in making this happen. Thank you for adding [incredible quality] to my life.
