Think about reviewing 2020
There’s no obligations to set goals for the year or to review your progress on them. However, it is a pleasing ritual marking how you have grown and what matters to you over time. If you didn’t do any of the things you planned you’ve likely learnt that they weren’t really that important. So consider putting aside a little time to look back over 2020 and think about what you want to get done in 2021.
If December doesn’t work for you then put aside an hour or two in January to think about what you’d like your life to hold in the next year. And don’t make grand plans for an entire year. Think more about what small changes you’d like to make over the next three months. It’ll be delightfully satisfying to have another session in the Spring. To realise that you are eating more fruit and finding time to read. Small victories are what add up to life.
Start an advent gratitude practice
Committing to a habit seems terrifying. Morning exercise, for example, is saying that you will face getting out of bed into the chilly air. And that you will not then slump in an armchair. And that you will do this every single day. However doing something for a shorter period of time, say 24 days seems manageable. So how about writing at least one word each day between the start of December and Christmas of something you are glad to have had in your life. And if you enjoy it then maybe it will become a personal ritual for the time of year.
Do something to mark the 12 days of Christmas
Traditionally Christmas starts on 25 December and runs through to 6 January. Isn’t it just ready-made to carry out a project or set a new habit in place? Come up with a plan for what you will do on each of the 12 days. Perhaps it will be a thorough review and goal setting process? Or you’ll commit to reading a chapter of a book each day savouring every word. You could do a declutter challenge or write letters to 12 people. Try 12 different pens or walk to 12 post boxes. Think of it as a way to bridge from Christmas to January without getting caught up in either the fuss of the new year or the gloom that the end of the holiday season brings.