It’s the last month of a long, exhausting year, and maybe you, like me, want nothing more than to declare: “Let’s circle back in the New Year” to all of your pending obligations.
For me, these last few weeks mark my year-end desire to say “Let’s do this later,” even if I still must work. This is not my preferred season for starting new projects. This “Circle back in the New Year” spirit isn’t just about putting things off, it’s an acknowledgment that a tumultuous year has passed, and the need to reflect on and recover from it.
“December is often an overwhelming month with personal and professional demands piling up,” said Shannon Garcia, a psychotherapist at States of Wellness Counseling based in Illinois and Wisconsin. “Saying, ‘Let’s circle back’ acknowledges the reality of our limited capacity and shifts the focus to a time when we imagine we’ll have more energy, clarity and resources.”
It also reflects a healthy and human need we all have for rest, said Cynthia Pong, founder of Embrace Change, a career coaching and training firm.
“Even when we can’t completely pause our work lives at the end of the calendar year, this seasonal instinct to slow down and reset is worth honoring in smaller ways,” Pong said.
Here’s how, according to experts:
Set “micro-boundaries” when it comes to your schedule and work.
Many of us do not have complete control over our schedule this month, but there is still a way to find pockets of rest. Pong recommends setting “micro-boundaries” and blocking off specific days in December in advance for focused work instead of meetings, “or scheduling certain timeframes for maintenance tasks instead of new projects.”
In this way, you can have autonomy over how your work gets done, even if you cannot fully control what must get done.
Revamp your workspace so you start fresh in the New Year.
And if you cannot completely log off right now, try reframing the end of the year “as a time for preparation rather than completion,” Garcia suggested.
“Use this time to tie up loose ends, declutter your workspace and set the stage for January. These actions can create the same sense of renewal and progress that the ‘circle back’ energy provides,” Garcia explained.
Make a list of your wins from this year and reflect how you can set yourself up for continued success.
Sometimes, it can feel demoralising to think of everything you did not do this year. But “circling back in the new year” energy also means granting yourself a symbolic clean slate and honouring your successes.
Instead of feeling bad about the long-term goals you did not finish, take the time this month to celebrate your “bite-sized wins,” Garcia said.
This also includes setting yourself up now for future success. “Break larger projects into smaller milestones you can achieve now, so you’re entering January with momentum rather than pressure,” Garcia suggested.
Be clear about when you do plan to “circle back.”
There are practical tips, too, for embracing this spirit. The logistics for actually telling people you want to circle back means being clear about your calendar availability.
Anna Dearmon Kornick, a time management coach, said if you don’t specify a date of when you actually want to circle back, then you are “are kicking the can down the road.” In other words, state a date of when you want to have that meeting in the new year.
“Be clear when your ‘don’t bug me dates’ are,” advised Tessa West, a professor of psychology at New York University and author of “Job Therapy: Finding Work That Works for You.”
“Yesterday, I was surprised to see an opening in someone’s Calendly for a time on Christmas. Yep, Christmas,” West said.
West also says to not assume which days someone might be free: “Remember, not everyone has the same ones ― some of us prefer to work during the week of Christmas and take off the following week especially if we don’t celebrate Christmas, or the opposite.”
Prioritise what excites you.
To me, the spirit of “circling back in the new year” is all about granting yourself the permission to say no. No to new meetings. No to new projects. No to unnecessary emails. So that you can say yes to more of what actually energises and excites you in the new year.
And even if you cannot fully say “no” to all your responsibilities, you can still give yourself breaks. “By giving yourself permission to slow down, you can preserve that sense of renewal while still being productive,” Garcia said.