Hey there, friends!
A belated happy holidays, y’all! I hope y’all are having a lovely season and that all is well for you and your loved ones!
With the holiday season comes a new year and most people enter a flurry of planning for what they hope comes with it. I’ma be real with y’all: call me a classic Sagittarius/ENFP/Enneagram 7 or put it down to me having severe ADHD, generalized anxiety, and a chaotic childhood, but I’ve never been one for planning. It makes me cagey. Planning makes me feel stuck on one track when I’d much rather embrace a universe full of possibility.
Besides, it always struck me as a little odd that we treat January 1st as “special” when it comes to resetting or turning over new leaves. I mean, technically literally every single day is actually the start of a new year, so why do we have to wait until January 1st to change our lives when we could start any day? *shrugs* I don’t get it. That being said, I will capitalize on “starting a new year” to buy a new planner…that, let’s be real, I’ll probably struggle to use yet again.1
I probably sound like a bit of a downer, but that’s actually not my aim. I just think we’d all be a little happier if we embraced even just a little more uncertainty in our lives. I, for one, think that’s where the magic is. So often we get stuck clinging to routines and planning and tracking and needing to feel “productive” that we forget to actually, ya know, live. If anything, I think January 1st should stand as a reminder that every day is a new beginning, rather than our only opportunity to change things up once every 365 days. Then again, we live in a capitalist society that’s predominantly based on White, Protestant values (including “the Protestant work ethic”) here in America, so I get that it may be easier said than done.2
Anyhoo, those are my rambly thoughts for the start of 2023. I hope y’all are healthy, happy, and safe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got a cup of tea and a good book calling my name. Until next time, friends…
UPDATE: I have, indeed, purchased a new planner, and I’m pleased to say that I’ve actually been using it (knock on wood)!
Speaking of which, if you’re looking for a brilliant lesson on why “laziness” is a capitalist myth, check out this video essay from tiffanyferg.
Hi Lila, great post! I am the same, I get too overwhelmed if I try to 'plan' too much. It ends up having the opposite effect in making me unable to commit to anything at all!
Thank you so much for recommending my Substack - it means a lot : ) Look forward to reading more of your posts and connecting on here: )