2022 in numbers highlights just how much this year has been about constant change. Four Chancellors. Three Prime Ministers. Two Monarchs… Partridge in a Pear Tree season is therefore a perfect time for reflecting on the last year and realigning aspects of your life, ready for 2023.

For many of us, the festive break is the only time of the year when we switch off from work mode and can focus on ourselves, our family and the things that matter to us, knowing that our emails are going to be quieter as our clients are also taking some time out.

Whether you find the time just once during the week, or manage it once a day, it is important to find some time to be reflective during the festive season. To help you make the most of that time, I have provided five ideas on making it a productive and meaningful period where you can focus on your well-being and recovery.

 

1. Take time to reflect with some questions to support you

Personal reflection is an essential part of personal growth. Find yourself a quiet part of the house, in a cafe or outside in the garden or a local park and ask yourself some important questions designed to reflect on 2022.

 

You can download my End of Year Reflection Questions at the

end of this article to support your reflection

 

These questions will make you think about what you have accomplished this year, what has challenged you and what you have learned about yourself and others around you. They will also make you consider whether or not your priorities have changed and what you need to do to create the opportunities that you want in 2023.

It is important that you don’t just focus on career-based answers though as personal goals, ambitions and challenges play a key part of the decision you make for your career. The intrinsic link between home life and work life means some of my clients find it beneficial to answer these questions together with their spouses/partner.

 

2. Declutter physically and mentally

I recently had the pleasure of listening to author Marie Kondo talk about her philosophy of ‘putting things in order’ and the Japanese concept of “kurashi” or “way of life”.

I tend to look at decluttering as a way of putting different aspects of life in order. Physically decluttering the place where you work or live can be calming and satisfying, but it also helps you draw a line under 2022. I am in the process of reorganising my office and have found the elation of creating more space to be motivating and to make a difference to my thinking. So much so that I have diarised putting aside time once a month to tidy and reorganise so that my office is a thinking space for creativity.

 

3. Set your plans for the year ahead

Think about the different roles within your life and map a plan for each of them. This could be as a leader, a colleague, a trustee of a charity, a parent or a partner. A good exercise is to think about one small thing you would like to change in a few different aspects of your life. Each plan should support another.

I also always find it helpful to put times in my diary for important moments throughout the year. For example, I block out dates for holidays, even if I don’t have a destination booked yet. Simply having it there gives me something to look forward to, as well as encourages me to keep the time free.

 

4. Do something meaningful for you and others

This time of year is all about giving. This year, especially, there are going to be people relying on the kindness and charity of others to help them find the smallest of merriness over Christmas. As a family, we have hosted a tea for Help The Aged every Christmas for many years. It is something I always looked forward to as it gives me great pleasure to hear the stories and listen to the wisdom of those with rich experiences of a long life.   It is something I had taken for granted over the years, but have really missed it since COVID has stopped it being possible.

Think of an activity that brings you joy and meaning.  A former client gets great pleasure from photography and has a favourite oak tree that grabbed his attention when out on a walk. He has kept going back to that tree at the beginning of each new season and created a set of striking images of this majestic tree in spring, autumn, winter and summer, and shared them with many others to enjoy.

 

5. Reconnect with those who are important to you

Too often I hear from busy executives that their biggest regrets are not finding enough time to spend with friends and family. The festive break is the ideal time to try to resolve this.

Reach out to friends, no matter how long it has been and how guilty you may feel. We all need strong support networks around us in order to thrive and that means having conversations with people important to us.

 

Reflective Questions

 This simple reflective exercise will help you focus your mind for the year ahead and bring some clarity to what you want to achieve and what is going to make you happy. As well as going through this exercise yourself, it can be beneficial to do it with your team too.

If you would like to explore the questions and your answers further, then a Vision Intensive programme in the New Year may be something worth you exploring – I’d be happy to talk you through how it works to see if it is right for you. Contact me on oona@potentialplus-int.com

Click here to download your copy of the ‘End of Year Reflection Questions’ sheet

 

Have a wonderful Christmas, Happy New Year and enjoy this reflective time.

 

 Oona