A new year calls for new intentions: I love a fresh start! Here is the word of the year for 2024, along with the vulnerable apocalypse for Why I chose it and the tools I use to make it happen.
How to choose a word of the year
My “words of the year” were all born from some source of pain. Last year’s word was curiosity, and I chose it because I felt like I was living life (both professionally and personally) with blinders on, completely in my head. In order for my team and I to expand our understanding of what was possible, we had to be curious. And in many ways, the word has served us well in 2023. I still like that word and recommend that we go with it with courage. Be curious enough to try something new and brave enough to take the path less traveled. The question you need to ask yourself is: “what is the biggest problem I am trying to solve this year?”. In other words, where did you feel the most pain last year? We want a friend 😉
The word of the year for 2024: Simplify
After much thought and journaling, I have chosen my word for the coming year: “Simplify.” Here’s the deal.
My business coach Simon noticed something in me over the last couple of years and called me. “Tori, you have a habit of equating value with volume.” Ouch. And he’s right. As a productivity junkie, somehow over the years I’ve learned to equate busy with value. If I were to be real with you and peel back the layers of the onion a little more, it all stems from my fear of failure. My (flawed) logic: if I pack enough and do more things, I’m less likely to fail. The consequences of this mindset have led to something akin to burnout, leaving me feeling more scattered and diluted than ever. It turns out you can do anything, but not everything, and there’s no cookie-cutter hero for just being busy 24/7. Honestly, I’m tired of feeling like I’m being chased by a pack of lions. Oh my god, I’m basically sharing a journal entry?!
How do you want to live your life?
One of my favorite quotes is “how we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives” (Annie Dillard). I think about this all the time. It’s the reason I quit my stable 9-5 job years ago to do what I do today.
In a world that often pulls us in countless directions, there is so much power in simplifying our lives to give us room to focus on what matters. But living this way means saying a hard no to anything and everything that can drain your energy and focus and being very stingy with your yeses. And as a “yes girl”, this is HARD for me!
Start by putting first things first. Spend an hour or two writing down the most important things you want to accomplish this year and schedule them. These will be your rocks in your “jar”. That way nothing will get in the way of the vacation you want to take, the book you want to write, your Friday nights, or… (fill in the blank).
3 ways to simplify your life
Unless you’re superhuman, it’s not enough to rely on willpower or intuition when making changes. Therefore, I wanted to share the tools I use to stack the paper in my favor and ensure that I am favorable in late 2024 for a good job. Why not join in?!
1. Declutter: Less is more
I could have sworn I was pregnant (I’m not, for the record). I am in tears, organizing and either selling or giving away anything I don’t need. In the paraphrased words of William Morris: if it is not beautiful or useful, it is clutter. Although it’s harder to do, I’m also trying to declutter my mind by slowing down and doing less but doing better (wish me luck).
Tools for stripping and simplifying:
- Individual habitsby James Clear (10/10 read)
- Switch to simplification: Megan has a number of paid and free resources (great to follow on Instagram)
- Deal with ONE item at a time. I get overwhelmed easily and this helped me. When was the last time you used this item? This blog it was a great read if you are overwhelmed with where to start!
2. Decision Fatigue: He’s stealing from you!
I had the opportunity to fly business class and sat next to someone who turned out to be quite successful in his career. I asked him for his best advice and he said to save your energy for big important decisions and put the rest on autopilot. As someone who is paralyzed by a restaurant menu, I realized how many choices or options can cause unnecessary stress. What to make for dinner every night, what to wear… the list goes on. Decision fatigue is the mental and emotional burden that comes with too many choices. Where can you cut this decision fatigue in your life?
Tools to minimize decision fatigue:
- Meal plan. Few things are as stressful as constantly figuring out what to eat each day. Put ‘what’s for dinner’ on autopilot with a meal plan – a shameless plug here, but we happen to have the best, Fraîche table, designed by yours truly, does all the work for you, from meal planning to grocery list creation. You don’t have to do it all by yourself, superwoman.
- Get decision rules: For example, you have a rule that you order the healthiest thing on the menu every time at a restaurant, you hang out your laundry the night before… you get the idea.
- Get more sleep. Even the smallest decisions are overwhelming when you’re sleep-deprived. Speaking from experience here.
- Keep a routine. Structure your day to minimize the extra decisions you have to make. When you wake up, when you exercise and when you eat dinner can be set in advance.
3. Take care of YOU!
YOU are the most important project you will ever work on. Repeat after me: self-care is not selfish! I’m done burning the candle at both ends, are you? I plan to slow down and incorporate more self-care into my daily routine: going to bed early, reading and writing more, working out in the morning (no bargaining with myself), and fueling my body with food that feels good.
Top tools for self-care:
- Stock up on healthier foods: Give yourself the gift of a kitchen with healthier options to make it easier to eat well. Our nutrition plan is filled with better-for-you make-ahead recipes from energy bites (you must try Chocolate Chunk or Lemon Poppyseed) to nutritious salads and endless smoothies.
- Don’t negotiate with yourself. Don’t you feel like doing something? This is normal. Establish a routine, start something and give yourself 10 minutes: chances are you’ll be done. The book Individual habits it’s full of helpful tips here.
- Join a book club! I wanted to read more, so I created a Bookie Club (book & cookie club). Come with me! It really helped me read more, which I like.
- Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction. Do something, not nothing and be proud of yourself. Be kind to yourself: would you say this to your best friend? You deserve to feel great.
