Rhythms of reflecting (or Why I don’t do planning at New Year anymore)
One of the biggest challenges for me when I started working freelance/self-employed was how to maintain the structures of ‘work’ that help me most, but adapt them to the way I work best. For a long time I expected the frameworks or productivity tools/hacks that I’d used as a student or in the workplace to […]
Noticing the rhythms in your life and choosing your own timetable of reflection
This autumn I made a particular effort to notice how the light was changing in my immediate environment. I watched each day, around noon, to see how and where the sunlight peeked over my roof and into the back garden. I was fascinated to see how different it was from the height of summer when […]
Reimagine 2021 – reflecting, reviewing & planning in uncertain times
Welcome to January! Typically this is my month of reflecting and planning, but this year I’m taking it slowly letting all that happened in 2020 settle. Why not join me as I lead a very low-key and mindful journey into 2021. Along the way I will share the process I go through as one year […]
How I’m reflecting, reviewing & planning in 2021
I’m really excited to share with you my brand new New Year Creative Practice Review course. For the past few years I’ve offered a series of guided reviews which have gradually become more holistic and less specific. Your practice is uniquely yours, so you don’t need me pretending there’s a one size fits all way […]
Planning when planning feels impossible
All this month on the blog I’ve talked about the process I go through at the beginning of each new year, of reflecting on who I am in that moment and the things I value, and of reviewing the events of the previous year in detail so that I know what I want to carry […]
Approaching the end of 2020
We’re fast approaching the end of the year and with it thoughts of the future begin to occupy the quieter moments. But after a monumental year what will reflection and planning for 2021 look like? I can’t speak for anyone else, if you feel that 2020 needs to be forgotten as quickly as possible, I […]
Do it your way – why Reflecting & Planning doesn’t have an end of January expiry date
As it often does, January got away from me a bit this year and I found myself almost at the end of the month without having had time for my year review and plan. Some unexpected work and the winter blues meant that I haven’t been feeling in the right headspace this month for clearing some time to reflect. And that’s ok. Sometimes the right moment doesn’t arrive (for me) well into February and even then I often don’t have the energy to begin my plans properly until March and the return of the light.
As my new online reflect and review course – the Holistic Creative Practice Review – comes to an end this week I’ve been thinking about the journey the people who signed up are on. And, on Sunday, I finally felt ready to do my own review, not only of 2019 but of the previous decade and how I want the next 10 years to look and feel.
Energy review
For the last couple of years I’ve been using the seasonal markers of the equinoxes and the solstices to remind me to review the previous three months. These points of change and balance feel right for noticing how things are going with my creative and personal endeavours. But, I’ve also noticed something else happening when I slow down at these moments of seasonal shift – I become more aware of my own seasons and the rhythm to my year.
This year, on today’s equinox, I’ve decided to look at energy as the thread throughout my work and life. I’m going to review things from that point of view rather than using the usual metrics of accomplishment and activity.
There is nothing wrong with doing a review based on what you did in the past 3 months, 6 months, 9 months… and asking what you still want to do in the months ahead. But, it focuses very much on numbers (quantity of work, frequency), and it can be quite binary (done/not done, successful/not successful). And this can sometimes leave us feeling a bit disheartened if we haven’t done as much as we set out to do, even if we are trying to be kind to ourselves in our analysis! In choosing another way to frame the review, I wonder if the same work can be done, but in a way that embraces the nature of life to be messy and not go to plan, that we are all imperfect and that’s ok.
Today I’m going to share the process that I’m using, based on energy, for a slightly different approach:
The Creative Return – Looking Forwards
September is the time of year for getting back to things (work, school, the routine of our daily lives) after the summer break. The French call this time of year La Rentrée – the return – and it affects everyone, not just workers and students. I like to think of this time of year as the Creative Return – where we can harness this feeling of beginning, to look forward to the rest of the year and prepare, to be ready to meet whatever opportunities or challenges we may come to.
This month, on the blog, I’ll be taking the theme of the Creative Return to focus on 4 elements: Values, the Big Picture, Reflection and Looking Forwards, with the aim of helping you remind yourself of your Why, to feel inspired about your work, to reflect on past successes and to set a course ahead. I’ll be asking you questions that get to the heart of each element and offering places you can gain additional inspiration or chances for reflection. Last week we looked at the Reflection, this week we’ll finish by Looking Forwards:
Rushing not reflecting
I am often in a rush. There are lots of things to do (right now!) and I’m always thinking ‘what’s next?’ It feels like I have a tightly wound spring in my chest which keeps me moving in haste. Sometimes I even catch myself not breathing. I am fairly certain that this low-level anxiety is a contributing factor to me finding it hard to stop, even for a moment or two. Looking after myself, stopping to refresh or to reflect, is frequently the lowest priority activity on my list.
I’m a big advocate for regularly taking time to reflect on how things are going, especially in your creative practice. It can be helpful to pause and not jump straight into the next thing. If we take the time to reflect after each big event or body of work, it’s so much easier to navigate a path forward, one that is responsive to our needs and in line with our values.