The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

A few years ago, I came across a video of Ed Mylett referring to this time of year as “Separation Season.” Meaning, it was the time of year when most people are shutting it down, overindulging, and not thinking very much about this past year’s successes and wins or what they hope to accomplish next year. His coaching was that we ramp up our workouts, our goal-setting, and our focus right now to separate from the people who are pretty checked out. 

I wrote about this idea and received lots of responses from people who really liked and embraced the idea. One person decided to run an unsupported marathon on December 26th. 

I’ve also heard from people who do use this time of year to take their foot off the gas, to sleep late, to read a novel, scroll social media, and not do a whole lot of productive things. 

I get it. We’ve all worked extremely hard this year, so spending time recharging the battery makes a ton of sense. 

It’s one of the truly amazing things about this time of year. You get to choose who to be and how to be during this time. 

One thing I’ve learned, however, is to think about Jan 2nd when deciding how to use this time. Not December 25th or December 31st, but January 2nd. Because I’ve seen so many people (I’ve been one at times) who limp into the new year, exhausted, bloated, annoyed with themselves, and totally unfocused because they chilled out too much. These people are begging for more time off, not so they can party more, but so they can spend at least a few days getting their stuff together before starting the new year. These people didn’t recharge but instead, they totally depleted themselves. It sometimes takes these folks a good week or two to orient themselves to the start of the new year. 

They don’t hit the ground running looking to build new habits, looking to maximize their time and impact, and looking to take on the world. Instead, like the person driving out of a dark tunnel, they enter the new year squinting from the glare, their hands up in front of their faces, looking to spend more time in the shadows. 

Use this time wisely. Don’t mistake extreme lethargy for recharging. They’re different. 

In my opinion, this is the most wonderful time of the year. But not for the reason most people think it is. It’s because, if done well, we can set the tone for the entire year ahead in these last two weeks.  

Or not. It’s our choice. 

Happy Holidays. What do you choose?