It may be a trite topic but who among us doesn’t feel at least a little inclined to start over, have another go, make a fresh list of TO DOs at the start of the new year?
Three years ago, I wrote a blog post about endings and letting things go at the close of the year. The two themes go together: endings and beginnings, closing and opening, death and renewal, pushing away and drawing in. Life is a constant zig zag and flow, a state of flux that is best left unblocked by the past and kept open for the future.
The new year is a man-made construct. In our regulated society, it’s a significant mark of the rollover of time. Historically, the start of each season was important, which makes sense since seasons affected human lives much more dramatically. But now, with our ability to move across the globe, to trade, to create warmth and cold, it is time that is most meaningful to the majority of us.
I am one of those people with a new list of TO DOs. I started it a little early because of a significant ending – the completion of draft seven of the novel I’m working on. There were so many things I was putting off until the writing was done that the list was long and haphazard. I’m glad I got started on it before the close of 2024 because now the list is manageable. I can plan and organise and satisfyingly tick things off. Even if your list is huge, I recommend leaving it somewhere obvious so you can see it and be reminded of what you would like to achieve; I don’t mean obsess, nor do I mean follow it to the exclusion of all other opportunities. But if it’s there, you can make conscious choices and it’s more likely things will get done.
Some people don’t like to plan. They’re spontaneous, perhaps reactionists. Perhaps they’re fatalists or spiritual or just really chilled and present. There’s something to be said for that; life can only be lived in the present moment, after all. If we carry too much of the past it influences the present and future. If we spend too much time projecting into the future, we miss what’s going on now.
But devoting some time to planning and organising gives us the opportunity to achieve things we want, to have purpose, to experience more of what life has to offer. Our society is time-driven and if we don’t pay attention to it, it passes unlived. If we want to maximise our enjoyment of life, a little planning can help.
Once my list is written and my visualisations are done, I am well on my way to letting life flow and much more likely to get where I want to go. Presence and spontaneity and surprise and wonder are, to me, the result of good planning and the actioning of a good new year list of TO Dos. The close of one year and the start of another is simply a good opportunity to make a fresh start. So far, listing intentions has served me well.
How about you? Are you a new year planner or a cruiser regarding the new year as just another day?
Carla Simmons Writer 
I wrote my list today. I kept it short and manageable. There are other psychological achievements that won’t make it onto my written list, but I know they’re there. I want to think of a word or phrase that encompasses my mindset for the year. I’m toying with “progress”.
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