We’re a couple days over one quarter of the way into the year, so I sat down and worked on a template for planning around my yearly theme.
Part of a yearly theme is not to plan too hard. There’s a reason it’s not a yearly goal or, so help me, new years resolution. But I thought having some sort of light framework for checkin and intention setting would be useful, so that’s what I’m working towards.
Here’s what I’ve got.
1. What Does This Theme Mean to Me Right Now?
- Right now, today, I'm focusing on "do we have enough" in the sense of food to carry us through the uncertain times ahead. Even if shortages are not a concern, I think prices are likely to skyrocket, and the more I can insulate us from that the better off we'll be.
- When I originally wrote this theme I was thinking about "enough" in the sense of things I often had too much of. I have too many things to do. I eat too much. I spend too much money. I buy too many things.
- I think "enough" can be seen from both sides, or a right-sizing of things. Neither too little nor too much, broadly, across all categories in my life.
2. What Am I Exploring with This Theme?
- How do I know that I have enough?
- How do I add a circuit-breaker to that part of me that gets excited and jumps at opportunities to consider whether I already have enough?
- How do I release things when I have too much?
3. What Does “more aligned” Vs. “less aligned” Look Like?
More aligned with the theme:
- Depth over breadth.
- Saying no.
- Thoughtful consumption.
Less aligned with the theme:
- Buying things just to have.
- Trying to do everything.
- Avoiding hard trade-offs.
4. How Might This Theme Show up in Different Areas of Life?
Work
- Delegating more, actioning less.
- Having energy and focus to spare.
Relationships
- More, deeper connections with highly-aligned people.
Health
- "Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation." - Benjamin Franklin
- Enough rest. More than I think I need. Rest before it becomes obvious I needed to.
- Build sustainable systems.
Time
- Live by the schedule so that free time can be truly free.
- Waste no time. Leisure is a valid activity, and should be engaged with by design.
- Anything that wants to pay me for my time, or worse, that I pay for with my time, should be considered anathema.
Environment
- Bring nothing home that has no place to live.
- Find the things which no longer spark joy and let them go.
5. Integration Reminders
- What would enough look like this week?
- Where am I doing enough to move my goals forward?
- Where am I doing too much in unhelpful ways?
- What could I let go?