Week 7: The Antidote to End-of-Year Panic
Gifts need wrapping. Bills need paying. Projects need finishing. The loose ends are lingering. Every evening is booked with cheer that suddenly seems less cheery in the jumble of joy. It feels like there is a timer counting down in the background that sounds something like Christmas music mashed up with a ticking time bomb.
When we’re in time scarcity mode, our brain’s threat response activates. We lose access to our prefrontal cortex, the part that is responsible for strategic thinking, long-term planning, and discernment. Studies show time pressure literally narrows our field of vision, and we can’t see the big picture.
Everything feels urgent and it becomes impossible for busy brains to strategically prioritize what really matters.
We start operating in pure reaction mode. Someone emails? Respond immediately. Someone invites us? Say yes before thinking. A project appears? Add it to the list. The social obligation surfaces? Cram it in.
But here’s what research also shows: Connecting to our future selves, envisioning where we’re headed in 3 years, actually improves decision-making for the present moment. When we can see the bigger picture, our brain gets better at distinguishing what matters from what’s just expectation.
My mantra lately has been, What needs to get done most will get done. And I believe it, because I know where I’m going.
This week, while everyone’s trying to wrap everything up by year’s end, let’s do something different.
Let’s zoom out and look three three years ahead, to get clear on where we’re going so we can trust what needs our attention now.
A quick aside
Why Three Years? And not one year or five?
One year is too close, because we tend to plan based on current constraints rather than genuine desires. We make incremental adjustments instead of transformational moves.
Five years is too abstract. Our brains can’t connect to it concretely enough to guide current decisions.
Three years is the sweet spot.
Your Weekly Reflection
Carve out 30 minutes for yourself. Put in earplugs, silence your phone, close the door, hide in the bathroom, whatever it takes to get yourself some peace and quiet. Use a journal to capture your answers, or simply close your eyes and let your mind wander. Spend some time reflecting on the following questions.
What do you expect will be different in your life in three years? What age will you be? Will your kids or parents be in a different phase?
What would your perfect day look like in three years? Get as specific as you can. What time would you wake up? What would make you bound out of bed? How would you spend your day? Who would you spend time with? What would the setting be like?
Reflect on your answers to the first two questions. What scared you about them? What excited you about them? What needs your attention this week to move you closer to the you that you’re becoming?
Reminding ourselves of what matters most is the antidote to end-of-year panic. Not because it makes December less busy, but because it helps us see what’s worth our energy and what’s just noise.
When you know where you’re going, “what needs to get done will get done” becomes trust. Trust in yourself to prioritize. Trust in your ability to discern. Trust that you’ll figure it out.
Over the past six weeks, we’ve
Week 1: Foundations
Week 2: Authenticity Mapping
Week 3: Energy Inventory
Week 5: Values That Matter
Week 6: Deep Desires
Next week, our final stop in this strategic planning journey, as we look at what might get in the way of this 3-year vision and what could make it surprisingly easier.
Your fellow overwhelmed, anxious, midlife woman who wants to do big, brave things,
Aransas
P.S. Retreat attendees and clients: your detailed Week 7 worksheet is coming.
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