Paused or On Hold?

As I take time to review the past year, and set goals for the coming year, I am struck by the thought:

have I paused, or am I just on hold?

The symbol for both looks the same, but they are very different things.

To pause and notice is a key part of making positive shift happen. But being on hold just means being stuck nowhere for awhile, unable to move forward with potential projects. To be on hold is not a good feeling.

The pandemic has been a big part of putting things on hold this year. With so many facing loss, unemployment, and stress like has never been experienced before, it didn’t seem to be the right time for talking about happiness. For that reason (and for one other to be discussed below) I have not been present here at the daily planit. But as I review the building blocks of positive shift, I’ve come to realize something. When we are going through hard times, these practices of positive psychology are coping strategies that help. We need more than ever to exercise, meditate, relate (although it may look a little different), and have a purpose. So in 2021, I intend to spend more time here.

What will you give your soul attention to in 2021?

The second reason I have been absent during 2020 is that I turned my sole attention to my passion of literacy. When I recently saw the phrase “soul attention,” it struck me: Flow often requires your sole attention; Focus requires your soul attention on what you value. This has been so for me in 2020 as I built the Phonics Pow website and populated it with fun tools to unlock the power of reading. It has completely consumed my thoughts and my time. I will continue my work there in 2021, but hope now to also attend to things here at the daily planit.

The Keep It Super Simple Annual Review

I always like to take stock of my life in an annual review. To keep it super simple, see Plans for an Annual Review. During the year I add notes on a monthly calendar printed from Google during my weekly review, I make notes about progress on projects, trips taken, books I’ve read, and movies I’ve watched. These I save for the year. At the end of the year, I review the calendars and select top favorites, adding goals accomplished and choosing a few goals for the upcoming year.

I also use a simple Net Worth Worksheet to review finances.

The steps to perform an Annual Review are still good to follow, and more detailed forms are available there too. I’m hopeful that the year ahead may be a better one for everyone.

About dailyplanit

I seek to create order from the chaos of complex information. Join me at the Daily PlanIt to gain insights, inspiration, and information to increase skills for a better life. I unlock the power of teaching reading with phonics in the pursuit of literacy at www.phonicspow.com. In my spare time I explore books and movies, often choosing titles available on both screen and page.