The OffBeat #67: Half Note / Whole Note
Something to read, something to think about, something else
Something to read:
The 8 pathways of human connection
How to make conversation with kids
17 actors, writers, directors and SNL alumni choose their top sketches of all time
Is listening to music at work a good or bad thing?
Craft a life with fewer choices
Something to think about:
“Is reading Faulkner going to make you a better person? Absolutely not, but the whole universe wants you to be optimized, productive, monetized. And sitting around and reading a work of art when it is not your job to do so is a rebellious act that insists I am a human being, actually, and not a cog, not a good little worker, not a cozy girl eating the slop that is fed to me. And developing the parts of myself that are unproductive, ugly, and a drain on resources is a beautiful act of rebellion.” —
Something else:
As the year winds down, I click into “wrap-up” gear, looking back on the past 12 months and laying the groundwork for the next 12. Here’s a look at my annual routine each December, a roundup of practices I’ve honed over the last decade:
Annual personal review
A look back at the year’s key accomplishments and travel experiences (I keep a log doc throughout each year)
A refinement of my Big Picture Goals list based on any personal or professional evolution
A reflection on the previous year, informed by the above two bullet points, in bulleted narrative form, in 3 focus areas: Self, Relationships, and Career
Framework for the following year
A word or phrase to provide north star direction
A set of 2-3 daily practices to commit to
Annual goals derived from the Big Picture Goals list, in 3 focus areas: Self, Relationships, and Career
I set calendar reminders to reflect on progress towards these goals each quarter
A blank doc to track that year’s accomplishments and travel experiences
Annual family photo album
I like ChatBooks
Annual family recap video
My husband compiles video clips from the last year into an epic video yearbook, complete with sound effects and background music
Annual family time capsule
My husband and I answer the same set of questions each year, since 2014 — we’ve since added our dog and our sons; I use a small three-ring binder and add a few pages for each year’s questions and answers
House clean-out
As you can probably tell from this piece alone, I’m a fiendishly organized person; that means our house is pretty uncluttered despite having two young kids and a dog—but the end of the year still provides a nice inflection point to tidy up and make sure everything throughout our space is useful or pleasing or both
The OffBeat #17: Rhythms of Your Year
One of my best bosses liked to talk about the structure of time in terms of rhythm. Thanks for reading The OffBeat. Subscribe for free to receive new posts.
For double the reading recommendations, a.k.a. a Whole Note, including the difference between foundering and floundering, and a piece on how to build your family culture, keep reading.