It's Planning New Year!

I know I’ve said it before, but it’s still true: I think September is the best time to plan your year. The week after Labor Day (in the U.S.) is a great opportunity to evaluate the past year and look ahead. You can check out my previous post for a more detailed explanation, but here’s the TL;DR:

• Summer’s over. School has started, and it’s time to get back on track.
• Planning holiday travel is expensive; getting things on my calendar now gives you a head start.
• Now’s the time to renew my commitment to health and fitness. I’ve just gotten through summer, and I don’t want to get off track with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas approaching.
• August is self-evaluation month at work, when we write a one-pager about all the cool things we accomplished over the year. I’ve made September my self-evaluation month outside of work; it’s when I set my yearly goals.
• January SUCKS. Most people who start their new year in January fail at their plans and goals. January is a great time to get re-energized for the year ahead, but let’s face it — you’re not thinking straight in January. You have post-holiday brain. January goals tend to fall into two categories: either way too lofty due to excitement or way too small due to a holiday hangover.

So get out there and plan your year! Planning will be different for me this year - I’ve stopped using Omnifocus after 15 years and moved to Reminders and Notion 😱 - I’ll have more to say on that in a couple days.