How to avoid new-year decision-making overwhelm
Find clarity in subtraction, and return to the essence of who you are
Every January, it happens. You face the creativity of your year ahead with a thrill of anticipation, as if contemplating the fresh page of a notebook or a blank canvas. When you scan the visa ahead of you, you see all the shiny possibilities—the activities and creative projects—that could decorate the landscape of your life in the next twelve months.
That fresh page or canvas feels exhilarating, doesn’t it? But it can also be daunting. Out of all those potential ideas or projects, how do you possibly choose what to focus on?
Add to that the cultural expectations at this time of year to ‘level up’, reset, make resolutions and simply be better, work smarter or harder, and things feel even more pressurised.
As a professional who has always juggled multiple things—an academic career and/or coaching business with multiple collaborations and creative projects—I feel that same pressure, especially in January.
One way to respond is not to act at all: to try to hold all the possibilities in your mind at once, thinking that eventually you’ll attend to all of them. The result? Paralysis. You end up spinning your wheels and drowning in the overwhelm.
Or, like me, your way of handling this pressure might be to attempt try to overcome it through ‘efforting.’ You double down on the specifics. You try to nail too many tasks with elaborate lists and planning systems. You get lost in the detail, assuming this detail will give you an element of control on your time. In fact, it just leads to living what Oliver Burkeman (in his book Four Thousand Weeks) describes as ‘a provisional life’:
A life spent focused on achieving security with respect to time, when in fact such security is unattainable, can only ever end up feeling provisional—as if the point of your having been born still lies in the future, just over the horizon, and your life in all its fullness can begin as soon as you’ve put it … ‘into proper working order.’
Neither of these ways—spinning your wheels, or ‘efforting’—feels easeful. Neither leaves you feeling particularly sane.
Here’s what I’ve learned after what feels like too many years of getting to grips with decision making and productivity.
There’s immense power in subtraction.
Come back to your priorities: your vision, your mission, your purpose. In the spirit of that goddess of domestic decluttering, Marie Kondo, get rid of anything that doesn’t ‘spark joy’ (i.e. align with your values, mission or purpose). If you need help with identifying that mission or purpose, seek out a friend or trusted advisor who can help you get clarity.
Take it back to essence.
I’ve developed a practice, each year, of choosing 3 words to act as an anchor or compass for the year ahead. Tuning into the essence of these words—their resonance, their nuances, their potency—is a simple way to set intentions for the coming year. A way that recognises the essence of what you want to create, and who you want to be, rather than getting caught in the weeds of the detail. From there, I can discern what I need in the way of action plans that will help me bring that essence to fruition in a tangible way.
Sharing this process in a group can also be fun, supportive and meaningful. Because I’m so committed to the effectiveness of this process, I’ve offered, for the past few years, a free gathering on Zoom, in which we choose and share words together. This year’s gathering is Wednesday 8 January at 7pm-8.30pm UK time. If you’re curious about this way to approach intention-setting, there is still space for you to join us. Send me a reply to this email, let me know you’re interested and I’ll send further details. It’s shaping up to be a wonderful, purposeful, international group.
This year, I’m also excited to be taking part in the ‘Sacred Planning Rituals 30 day challenge’ offered by
of Sacred Business Flow. I’m looking forward to clarifying my vision, which will act as a roadmap for daily action and deep, intentional work. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for guidance in this area, I highly recommend you take a look at this offering. Phil and Carolina are magicians at what they do!
As the new year begins, when we contemplate all the things we could and want to be doing, here’s the assumption we often: that clinging to ‘strategy’ will magically create the time we need to do everything; that it offers the security of holding tight to all the possibilities so as (we think) to be able to do all of them. When, in fact, we need the simplicity of intention, vision and essence—coupled with only the necessary systems or lists or processes.
As a result, we shed what doesn’t serve us—and find a more easeful way to move through the new year.
Love, Rachel
What’s next?
If there’s something you’re longing to create (a writing project, an artistic creation or new venture) but need more courage and guidance, I’m here to support you expand the power of your self-expression.
Here’s how I can help:
Make an appointment for a virtual coffee (free). I hold 3-4 slots every month for a 20 minute chat so we can get to know each other. Perfect if you’re curious about meeting people and making new connections.
Book a 30-minute connection call (free). This is for anyone—whether you have an idea you want to brainstorm, an issue that’s holding you back, or just want to know about me and/or my work. Think of it as a micro-dose of powerful connection that might help point you in the right direction!
Read my manifesto for creative courage (free). Learn about the core principles of my creativity and follow in serial form the story of how I came to found Wordplay Coaching.
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