If your social timelines look anything like mine, then you are bombarded with messages to “finish the year strong” and “make the fourth quarter your best of the year.” The productivity gurus have spoken and they want you to believe that the grind doesn’t stop, and that your value is calculated by your output. Contrary to popular belief, our brain and body cannot be producing all the time.
Before you get in your head about what you haven’t accomplished this year, you can choose to look at things from a different perspective.
Take Stock of Your Accomplishments
Take a moment to think about what you have accomplished this year, both big and small. Did you gain a new certification to better your career, run a 5k marathon, or maybe you perfected your sleep hygiene to get a proper rest. This is the time to create your own definition of success and establish what matters most to you.
What may look like an accomplishment for someone else may not exactly be a fit for you ― and that’s okay.
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Prioritize Gratitude
Believe it or not, we are still navigating the impact COVID-19 had on our lives. Our new normal does not look like anything we’ve ever experienced, and we must remember to be kind to ourselves. To combat negative thoughts, prioritize gratitude and focus on what’s good in our lives, like being employed during a period of massive layoffs or having health insurance that covers your family. Gratitude allows us to instantly change our mood for the better.
Reaffirm Your Values
Another way to celebrate the year is by reaffirming your core values. Rather than focusing on productivity as it pertains to accomplishing goals, build stronger ties to accomplishing things based on what you value. These values could be character traits such as integrity, loyalty, honesty or kindness. When our values become clear, they become our center to help guide us through every decision.
Make a New List
Finally, make a bucket list of to-do’s. The goal is to do activities for pleasure or education with no ties to financial gain, just fun. Research shows that carving out time for creativity, such as writing in a journal, sketching or playing an instrument just to unwind, can help lower stress and give people a sense of purpose. Now is the time for you to enjoy the fruits of your labor and create memories with friends and family.
We need time to explore and discover new things without the guilt of trying to hit a certain milestone. The grind culture will continue to be fueled by a lack of self-care and built on fear that we’re not doing enough. We can quiet that noise by engaging in new stimulating activities. Give yourself permission to exist in the present moment and take everything in. We only get one life, and we should live it to the fullest.
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