those of us with a lot of decades already behind us. But all of us have a finite amount of time on this earth. Things that we may have put off or mostly ignored seem more pressing and urgent now. What accomplishment or opportunity that used to seem far, far away, is now more urgent? Another question to ask yourself is, “what is possible and actually necessary that seemed out of reach last year or last decade? Someone has said that “life is what happens while you are making other plans.” Take some time to revise your plans and priorities to seize the moment and make your mark on the world while you have the opportunity.

2) Take stock of your network. And by “network” I mean that unique mix of friends, neighbors, coworkers, family members, and teammates. Where do you need to deepen a relationship? Where can you learn from each other, support someone, introduce someone, re-think your opinion of someone? It’s a connected world, and just because someone has moved out of town or sits in front of a screen in another time zone, you can still form an alliance or take that person more seriously. Last week I asked a group gathered around a table, “Who is on your ‘personal board of directors?’ It was amazing to hear about the go-to persons in the lives of that group.

3) Essentialism and Minimalism may be worth a shot. Minimalism has to do with learning to thrive with fewer “things” and distractions in our lives. My friend Jake Melton has published a succinct little book entitled Minimalize to Maximize Your Happiness: Cut the Crap. He starts with the home and covers a lot of ground, including your workplace and team space. You can also view his presentation on YouTube here. I learned the term essentialism a few years back from Greg McKeown’s groundbreaking book, Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Greg’s premise is that we delude ourselves by thinking we can “do it all.” We let people assign us more tasks, and we consider it a badge of honor to be “crazy-busy.” In contrast, we should have a default answer of “no” to offers of engagement in things that are good, worthwhile, and even honorable. Why? Because we cannot afford to add something to our short list of (two or three) essential activities, responsibilities, or deliverables to which we are committed. Think about it…

In closing, I will mention that I have been able to conclude a couple of my “essential” items, but now must face the challenge of prioritizing and clarifying my list of Essentials for 2020. That process is unfinished here in the 3rd week of the new year, and it’s time to make the final cut!