I know exactly what 2010 is going to look like for me. It will consist of day after glorious day that is bigger and bolder than last year’s—not so much as to shock my sense of continuity, but enough to hold the promise of giving me the freshness and space I need to truly fulfill my potential as the year unfolds. How do I know this? Because I went to three different big box and stationary stores before I found the perfect 2010 planner for me. This was the one that gave me a generous inch more for each day of the week. I feel, in brief, like the richest woman in the world.
While many folks have taken their calendar function online, I stand firmly in the midst of the majority of Boomers who prefer to grasp their year firmly in the non-virtual world. I admit, too, that there is a certain smugness to the process of selecting and setting up my new planner as I relish the knowledge that short of leaving it on a plane, train or taxi, I will not be in danger of losing all my great plans, contacts and holidays due to electrical storm, surge or bug.
Having found my prize, I hurried home with it to partake of one of my favorite acts of the year—one that many find to be a routine and boring chore, but that I find to be a deeply satisfying act of renewal. In brief, I retrieved what I needed from the old planner, and readied the new for its 2010 launch.
The transformation from chore to act of renewal was something I’ve acquired over time, tip by tip. Here are five suggestions for those of us who prefer to hold our futures in our hands:
1. Think boldly—but don’t compromise, either. Had I taken “the best available” planner at the first store, I would have had to live with just “good enough” for a whole year. This is not a decision to be taken lightly!
2. Build strong bones, multiple ways. Of course you will be transferring over any of your 2010 dates and plans. In addition to my obligations to others, I take this opportunity to pencil in the good things I plan to do for myself. In my case, it’s a long walk three mornings a week and t’ai chi on Thursdays. I write them in for the whole year. If you can’t think of anything that you do routinely that is both good for you, and that you look forward to, use the holidays to explore the possibilities, then commit.
3. Flip through the entire past year, both honoring and releasing all those things that you did, participated in and/or endured that you no longer have to do. For instance, 2009 was my year for a routine colonoscopy. There are multiple entries dealing with pre-exams, health insurance paperwork, doctor’s appointments, follow-up and so on. Over and done.
4. Now go through 2009 one last time and look for people, resources and things to remember that you may have overlooked. Somewhere in late summer, I had written down the email address of a long-lost high school friend who had reached out. Taking the time to transfer it to 2010, I’m pretty sure I won’t be misplacing her contact information again.
5. Before you file 2009 away, find a space somewhere prominent between the covers to write yourself a thank you note for the great work you did this year: all the groundwork you’ve laid, blessings celebrated, losses mourned. Then right on the first page of 2010, write your intention for the year—something worthy of the extra inch a day you’ve given yourself.
And then look out 2010! We are ready to roll!
