The OffBeat #30: Pits, Peaks & Plateaus
Ritualizing the work week
In her newsletter back in February, Mollie Chen wrote about her sleep consultant friend’s recommendation for rebooting her kids’ bedtime routines with a “Pit and Peak” practice. At her daughter’s suggestion, they added “Plateau.” Each evening the kids share their Pit (daily low), Peak (daily high), and Plateau (something simultaneously happy and sad). It gives the family a chance to wind down, connect, and acknowledge and move on from their day.
I’m a big fan of ritualizing the work week—The Power of Ritual by Casper Ter Kuile has been on my want-to-read list for a while—and of creating traditions, or “annuals” as my colleague calls occasions you want to memorialize by repeating them yearly, in personal life. Even if they don’t produce immediate tangible results, rituals have always had meaning to humans because they help us connect to each other. There’s also comfort in consistency and predictability in an increasingly volatile world.
Particularly when it comes to leadership, clarity and consistency are of paramount importance. Rituals and routines, predictable frameworks, regular practices: these contribute to a feeling of stability. It’s like saying grace before meals, celebrating Shabbat every weekend, or doing meal prep for the week on Sunday nights. These things press meaning and intention into the folds and creases of everyday life.
Examples of how rituals have shown up in my work and personal life:
A former coworker introduced me to this “Rose — thorn — bud” exercise, similar to Pits, Peaks & Plateaus, that makes for good dinner party conversation
We kick off each of my monthly team all-hands meetings with Random Question Roulette
In the past I’ve bookended my leadership team’s weekly routines with two syncs: Magic Mondays and Failure Fridays
I do monthly, quarterly, and annual goal-setting at work and at home
In a former role my team did annual superlatives each holiday season, silly things like “Best Socks” or “Most Likely To Quote The Office Literally All The Time”
Other rituals I haven’t tried but are on my radar:
A few friends each do pizza and movie night with their partners and kiddos every Friday
Hollywood producer Brian Grazer has “curiosity conversations” every other week with interesting people across industries
Celebrating “Twos-days” (February 22, but you could do any 22nd day of the month)
Do you do something like Pits, Peaks & Plateaus, or the rituals above, with your kids, partner, friends, or work team? Always looking for inspiration.
Have a great week,
Allison