Keeping the Momentum and Finishing Strong

The end of the year seems like it should be a time of rest and reflection. Instead, the final few weeks of 2022 feel as busy as they are anxious. It’s not unusual to feel a bit pressured to finish every project on time and get everything wrapped up before the New Year arrives. 

Whether you’re an anxiety-prone perfectionist or just feel the pressure from all your external expectations, keeping this momentum through the last stretch of the year can be challenging. 

Rather than spend your energy fighting the stress and distractions that come with ending a year and beginning a new one, embrace these last few days instead by going with the flow — meaning let go of any unnecessary planning, spending time with friends and family instead of organizing parties, and making room for some unstructured playtime in your schedule. 

Here are some ways you can keep the momentum strong so that your year closes strong too:

 Organize, don’t plan

Using a calendar or a planning app to keep track of your appointments, meetings and deadlines is a great way to stay on top of your day-to-day schedule. 

On the other hand, when trying to keep track of the big picture — like the planning of a major project or the discussion of an important topic with a colleague — a calendar or app can end up making things way more complicated than they need to be. 

Instead of feeling overwhelmed and stressed out by the big questions and decisions that can affect you and your work, try forgoing the need for detailed planning altogether. Instead of scheduling meetings or creating project timelines, try keeping track of your progress by writing down what is happening in your life at any given moment. 

Doing this will help you see what’s going on in your life and make room for what’s happening instead of being overwhelmed by everything you should be doing at once.

Unplug and play: Get some unplugged time for yourself

Taking breaks from social media, email, and other types of digital communication can be especially helpful if you tend to get sucked into a constant cycle of feeling pressured with your work. 

That’s why it’s important to make time for some unplugged play time. Whether you take a walk outside, spend time reading a book, or engage in some structured team-building exercises, unplugging from technology can help you make room for some self-reflection and self-care. 

It can also help you make better connections with people outside your digital sphere. When you take time away from social media and the usual ways of keeping in touch with friends and family, you can better see how much you actually enjoy these activities. 

This can help you see the value in doing these things, not just as a means of obligation, but as something that you genuinely want to do.

Exercise of the mind: Try an activity you’ve been wanting to try

Whether you’ve been meaning to try out a new hobby or you’ve been trying to find the time and energy to try out an activity you’ve been wanting to do for a while, now is the time. This doesn’t mean you have to cram all your to-do’s onto the schedule. 

 Instead, focus on the one thing you can do that is important to you — whether that’s something you’ve been wanting to try that requires a bit more time or effort, like learning a new skill or participating in a team-building activity — and make it happen. 

Taking the time to focus on something you want to do, even if it’s not a high priority in the grand scheme of things, can help you see its value even more. Doing this can help you make room for what you want to do even more.

 Set a New Year’s goal: Carefully consider what it is you want to accomplish

There’s nothing wrong with setting a goal for the year — as long as you’re careful with the type of goal you set. Setting a goal that’s too broad can lead you to be overwhelmed with the idea of what it is you want to accomplish. Setting a goal that’s too specific can make it seem as though you have to achieve it right away, which can be overwhelming. 

Instead of setting a goal that’s too broad or too specific, set a goal that’s just right. This means that your goal should be something that you can realistically achieve in the next twelve months — but not something that you feel like you need to get done right away. 

This goal should also be something that you’ve thought about doing for a while, but that you haven’t yet made room for.

Wrapping up the year strong

The end of the year is a time to reflect. It’s a time to ask yourself why you do what you do and what you want to accomplish in the year to come. It’s a time to see where you’ve been, and it can also be a time to see where you’re going. 

With this in mind, don’t let the end of the year be spent battling anxiety and stress. Instead, take a moment, close your eyes, and breathe in. Let go of any expectations or plans you have, and see what happens. 

With the holidays behind you, and the New Year just around the corner, it’s a great time to reflect on your year so far. Doing so can help you keep the momentum and finish strong — as long as you remember to keep things in perspective.

XOXO,

The Content Queens