It's NOT business as usual, and that's ok

The holidays bring stress and so many “shoulds.”

I should go to all the holiday events I’ve been invited to.
I should catch up on everything before year end.
I should be spending this time to build a rock-solid plan for the new year.

Here’s my counter-proposal:

Give yourself permission to NOT do these things unless they truly serve you.

(And, if that’s not good enough, I give you permission too.)

It’s ok for it to be business NOT as usual right now.

Catch yourself every time you tell yourself you “should” do something.
Pause.
Challenge it.

Does it actually serve you?

If not, letting go of those faux obligations can feel surprisingly freeing.

The time from now until the end of the year is actually one of my favorite windows for reflection.

For many people, professional demands ease up between Christmas and New Year’s.

There’s a rare stretch of time with fewer meetings, fewer expectations, and more space to think.

I usually do 2 things during that week.

The first is to pick a word of the year, something that I can come back to and quickly assess how I am doing.

One word to bring focus to the year ahead.

My word for 2026 will likely be adventure.

A reminder to move beyond the familiar with curiosity and optimism.
To choose exploration over comfort.
And to stay open to what might be waiting just around the corner.

I won’t lock it in until the year ends.

But it already feels like an anchor.
Something I can return to when everything gets noisy.

If this is a practice that resonates with you, I’d love to hear what word you chose and why.

The other end of year ritual I keep is answering 3 deceptively simple questions.

Looking back on the past year, I make a quick list of:

• What to START doing.
• What to KEEP doing.
• And, most importantly, what to STOP doing.

It works best if you’re brutally honest and allow the list to span all areas of your life.

If these two planning tips work for you, great.

If they don’t, and you spend some of your down time to binge watch a new show, that’s cool too.

Most of all, I hope you give yourself permission to take a break, regain your footing, and enter the new year with a calm confidence that you’re on the right path.

Give yourself the grace to rest.

Sometimes it takes space and silence to recharge for what’s coming next.

Note: If you want a more extensive end of year exercise, try my free Career Planning Framework