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Dear Reader,

Here we are – in that “in between” time. Thanksgiving has passed and the year-end holidays are on the horizon. If you don’t pay attention, it will go by in a blink. And yet, it’s a whole month of the year!

For many years, Thanksgiving has felt like the weekend I wish all my weekends could be. I would wake up Saturday and Sunday thinking, “Woo hoo! Another day!!” And then I’d go back to the office on Monday morning and one of two things would happen. There would be a hard core push to the end of the year: events and gatherings, big meetings, travel, deliveries and grant reports due before the end of the year. Or, it would be weeks of procrastination, where every meeting would end with “Ok, so we’ll talk again in January.”

Neither one is a great approach. One leaves you completely spent, burnt out, and exhausted. The other wastes a whole lot of time and just pushes everything to a later date. I prefer something in between.

Here’s what I think could work better:

• Recognize that time is limited and your energy is a precious commodity.
• Acknowledge that there is often more going on than usual.
• Be kind to yourself, but also remember how good it feels to get some things done. To start the year with some items ticked off the list.
• Choose a few things to finish that will set you up for a good start to the new year. But don’t try to do everything.

This year I’ve broken this period down into 3 periods: a planning week, a working week, and a 2026 strategy week. This week I will plan what I want to accomplish in December. Next week I will execute on those goals. And the following week I will work solely on strategy for 2026. I doubt it will be perfect, but it feels good to have a plan for this short sprint of time.

How do you approach December?

Wait a minute, did I forget to tell you?

I have some news to share. My TEDx talk went live earlier than expected! One of the things on my planning list for this week is how best to share it widely, but in the meantime, I want to share it with you as a faithful newsletter reader! Please take a few minutes to give it a listen, and let me know what you think. Give it a like or a comment on the YouTube page to help out the algorithm (please!). Share it with someone who needs to hear this message. And keep an eye out for a whole series of related events I am planning for the coming weeks/months.

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Wishing you a peaceful and purpose-filled week,

Beth

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