Start working on 2017 right now

Many people go out and party on New Year’s Eve. They wake up the next day, and start thinking about the year to come.

Personally, I like to get started thinking about the new year early. Here’s why:

• People are generally working less. For some people, the Holidays are very busy at work, but for most people, it’s pretty slow. There’s way less activity on social media. So, there are fewer urgent deadlines, and fewer distractions.
• The Holidays get you centered. For people who are fortunate enough to spend time with family during the Holidays, it can be very centering. This was especially true for me when I was 20-something living in San Francisco. Elements of my self-centered and hedonistic existence would always peel away after the Holidays.
• The New Year is a wave you can ride. Because people are working less, and because there is collective energy around newness, fresh starts, and goals this time of year, The New Year is a wave you can ride. Take advantage of it.
• Insights come slowly. Reconsidering your life’s priorities takes a lot of insight. Insightful thinking works better when you have incubation periods—especially periods of sleep during that incubation period. Take the time to do the “slow work” it takes to steer your ship.

Here are some ways I like to get prepared for the new year:

• Drop goal-oriented work. Something about goal-oriented work—whether it’s delivering a project with a deadline, or doing a sales push for a product, is incompatible with the broad, long-term thinking you need to have a successful new year. If you can put it off until next year, do.
• Think big-picture. If you aren’t focused on little deliverables, you can think broadly. Journal on where you were last year at this time, and what’s changed. You’re not trying to tack down resolutions, you’re just getting a view of the landscape.
• Themes, not resolutions. Resolutions never seem to work. That said, I’ve never really tried them. I’m a bigger fan of themes for the year. How will you shift your values? What will become less important, and what will become more important, in the coming year?
• Stay in on New Year’s Eve. I sound like your father now, but hear me out. Going out on New Year’s Eve sucks, and you know it. Ever notice how every NYE party you go to, people are overcome with FOMO about what other parties they should be at? Maybe you’re lucky, and you have friends who can be in the moment. If not, consider staying in. Imagine riding the wave to plan 2017 on a whiteboard or in a notebook, and maybe having a couple close friends over for a cocktail later in the night.

The new year is a great opportunity to reflect on your course, reconsider your values, and set the groundwork for an even better 2017. Cut through the nonsense, and take full advantage of the true benefits of the most important holiday of the year.

My best theme from 2016 was learning through my heroes on my podcast. Listen to Dan Ariely talk about the science of self-motivation »