Episode 002

TRANSCRIPT

Happy day my friend. I’m the talking head named Crystal, founder and creator of myLife Planners. The Canadian version is found at mylifeplanners.ca

Cue joyful music interlude… yeah, on my bucket list of never-ending projects to create.

So let’s get started.

My youngest kid turned 18 yesterday. Our home is filled with people adulting at various stages now. And as I ponder what topic to dig into, the one that seems loud and clear is how to fail well.

I’ve been getting the question lately, “So how was your Christmas holiday?” and I’m not one to lie, so my answer sounds along the lines of “Meh, lovely time with my family, it was mostly just the four of us, quiet and not eventful. But otherwise my expectations of sitting back and enjoying it, I failed at.

This is my 50th year of breathing, and as we all have lives that are works in progress, I have gained insights that I work into my life going forward. One of them was to ideally block off the month of December since it never really seems like a productive month. Most clients are gearing down for the year, and with the chaos the season can bring, I have assumed it is a good time of year to take a sabbatical-style break.

Cue in the needs of clients, the unpredictable nature of the holiday season, and simply feeling burned out after working a solid eight months. My ability to finish strong felt hindered by a lack of focus and creative energy.

So today, I want to dive into the rabbit hole topic of what planning for wonder means. I’m starting with myself because that is really the only perspective I have an insight into.

I was recently a guest on another podcast, “Kickass Career Conversations,” and one of the hosts, Kim Romain, shared how she chooses to break up the ‘new start’ into quarterly sessions instead of one big one during the cultural New Year norm.

I loved this. In fact, everything about it ties into the vision of myLife Planners. Life throws us curve balls randomly and never really within an expected schedule. Every minute of every day is an opportunity to start fresh. So why do we put so much pressure on the one time of year to be better?

So, expanding on this idea of goal setting more frequently, why don’t I look forward and break up a long sabbatical into shorter and more frequent breaks? Actual breaks with a strategy around rest and rejuvenation?

It’s too easy to get caught up in our work lives' day-to-day demands, expectations, and requests. Unless we schedule breaks, vacations, and all the joys we love about breathing, they too easily get pushed back.

Planning for wonder is where things end as well as begin. It’s a time to reflect on what we have been working on and experiencing and what we missed out on and need going forward. It’s pivotal, it’s this time and space we need to check in with ourselves so we can look forward on the path we are currently on to decide if we need to take a detour, trade in for a different mode of transportation, or keep pushing forward. Setting goals is not a destination, it’s more of setting up literal goal posts to get to and determine the next direction.

I believe the world would be a better place if people felt they had control to choose what they do daily.

So, like Kim’s quarterly goal-setting strategy, I am going to plan out a quarterly rest break plan. Not only will that entail scheduling the time, but also creating an outline and making specific plans for that time. Setting up the who, what, when, where, and how I will be spending my time.

I want to emphasize that I am speaking as a self-employed consultant and entrepreneur whose time isn’t determined by a salary or employer. But that isn’t to say they can’t also make similar plans. If you have a set number of vacation days, start there. Be intentional with when and what you use the time for. How can you spread out the time throughout the year in a way that works for you and your world? And most importantly, strategize your rest time. Even if it’s simply to dig into that pile of books sitting on your bedside table or do that thing you keep thinking about doing. For me, living so close to the rocky mountains, it’s getting out and forest bathing while wandering the trails.

The important thing is to commit to yourself. Prioritize your own need for rest, and maybe you need to test out a few different plans to see what works and be flexible as needed.