GUEST POST from Mike Shipulski
I don’t like resolutions, but I do like looking back to assess how spent my time differently over the previous year. Below is a short exercise that could help you get ready for 2024.
Below are some questions intended to help you assess how you spent your time differently in 2023. Take fifteen seconds, or so, to think through each one.
Did you spend more time with your family or less?
Did you spend more time helping yourself or others?
Instead of commuting, what did you do with your time?
Did you work more hours or fewer?
Did you spend more time on your mental/spiritual health or less?
Did you take more vacation days or fewer?
Instead of eating out, what did you do with that time?
Did you exercise more or less?
What did you do with your time freed by reduced business travel do more?
Did you participate in more meetings or fewer?
Did you sleep more or less?
Grab a pen and paper (or print out the text below) and let’s go through the rest of the exercise.
What are the top three questions that caused the strongest emotional response? (Write them down.) For those three questions, think through three scenarios:
A) 2024 is just like 2023.
B) 2024 amplifies the changes you experienced in 2023.
C) 2024 is just like 2022.
For each scenario, write down how you’d allocate your time differently in 2024.
The question that caused the strongest emotional response:
_________________________________________________________________________
With regard to the question above, how would you allocate your time differently in 2024?
Scenario A (same as 2023) ____________________________________________________
Scenario B (amplified changes) _________________________________________________
Scenario C (same as 2022) ____________________________________________________
The question that caused the second strongest emotional response:
________________________________________________________________________
With regard to the question above, how would you allocate your time differently in 2021?
Scenario A (same as 2020) ___________________________________________________
Scenario B (amplified changes) ________________________________________________
Scenario C (same as 2019) ____________________________________________________
The question that caused the third strongest emotional response:
________________________________________________________________________
With regard to the question above, how would you allocate your time differently in 2021?
Scenario A (same as 2020) __________________________________________________
Scenario B (amplified changes) _______________________________________________
Scenario C (same as 2019) ___________________________________________________
My list of questions likely missed important questions for you. You may want to go back and ask yourself other questions and see if your emotional response is strong enough to displace the top three you identified above.
This little exercise doesn’t generate resolutions, nor will it tell you how to allocate your time in 2021. But, I hope it helps you more skillfully navigate the uncertainty that 2021 is certain to bring.
Happy New Year. And thanks for reading.
Image credit: Pixabay
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