The year is quickly winding down and before we know it, we will be getting endless reminders that the New Year is here and we’ll be deep into 2022. However, we still have 5 weeks left of 2021. I’ve spent the last few days reflecting and reviewing this year and visualising what I want for 2022, how I want to feel, what I want to experience and so on.

It felt good to see it all written down and not just in my head! I am far from done though, I’ve scheduled a whole weekend to reflect & review and another weekend to ‘plan, set intentions and create a vision board.

5 weeks is a good chunk of time to really make the final weeks count. It’s easy to write off the remainder of the year because of the holidays (and the endless parties and obligations that come with that), or because it’s cold and you’d rather snuggle up on the couch with a good book and cup of tea (I am guilty of this), or because you finally have decided to spend more time outdoors (even though it’s cold!) and enjoy seeing the gorgeousness of nature (like me and I must admit; I am so much happier and feel so much more alive when I am out and about!)

What can you do in 5 weeks? A lot! Here are 5 things – one for each week – that you can do to wrap up 2021:

1. Take a {REAL} day off

This time of year is often about giving and spending time with others. It is a wonderful time of year, but don’t forget to spend some quality time alone to recharge.  If your plans are anything like mine, 2022 is going to be a busy year so take a day off just for yourself.

2. Cross off lingering to-do’s and decide what can be ditched

Is there an item on your to-do list that has been lingering for weeks or even months? Does that thing still matter? This is the perfect time to finally take care of it.  Don’t let it follow you into the New Year. This is something I’ve been working on, on a regular basis. Trello has really helped me being organised and simplify my life. What tasks, projects, or obligations can you ditch next year?

3. Reflect with honesty

What worked this year? What didn’t go quite so well? This is a great time to go back and review the whole year – month-by-month. We often look forward without truly reflecting on what worked and didn’t work in the past. Whatever it may be, take note and include it in your plans for 2022.

4. Celebrate your achievements (from tiny to big)

We all have our plans, our to-do lists and our vision boards, but we often forget to take a moment and celebrate the wins of the last year.  It’s important to recognise all the work you’ve done thus far and how far you’ve already come. I’ve dedicated a notebook to this and then created a Yearly Gratitude Journal.

Next… Buy yourself some gorgeous flowers, pop open a bottle of champagne with a friend or take yourself on a weekend away. However, you like to celebrate – make sure you take some time to do so.

5. Pull out last years plans and notes

Let’s take a look at what your plans were this time last year.  Were there any projects or ideas that were planned but you didn’t get to this year?  Why?  Did your priorities or direction change? Were you scared?  Also, go through your notebooks, calendars, Evernote – wherever you keep your notes and review some of the ideas you jotted down.  There might be some gems to include for next year.

Let’s start the New Year not only excited about everything you plan to accomplish but also have reflected in the past year. It’s easy to plan for the following year without taking a good look at the present year.  Make sure you wrap up 2021 with intention so that your 2022 will start with a bang!

Get your planner/notebook out, pour yourself a drink and take yourself off somewhere quiet and peaceful. Light a candle, put some relaxing music on and sit somewhere comfy. You want to create an inspiring space for yourself as you begin to reflect on the past year.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What have been the highlights of this year?
• What have you achieved?
• What did you want to achieve, but didn’t? Why didn’t you achieve them?
• What were your biggest frustrations and challenges?
• What were the biggest lessons you learned?
  Make a list of all the wonderful people that helped you this year. The
  people that were there for you, the people who inspired you, the people
  who supported you, the people who made you happy. Ultimately, the
  people who you’re grateful for… Now, reach out to them and send them a
  ‘Thank You’ card/letter/email (whatever that works for you)
• What had the biggest positive impact on your life in 2021?
• What do you want to leave behind in 2021? Bad habits, toxic relationships
  – what is holding you back from achieving your dreams in 2022?

Yearly Gratitude Journal

With life’s busyness, we tend to forget to appreciate the simple pleasures of daily life. This is why I created the ‘Monthly Round-up’ – which after great feedback from my clients and readers I turned into this ‘Yearly Gratitude Journal’.

This ‘Yearly Gratitude Journal’ will help remember the simple joys, highlights & achievements for each day throughout the year.

Simply write down the highlight(s) of your day at the end of the day for 365 days and on the 31st of December, you will have a planner full of things/moments/events etc you’ve been grateful for, for the year that just passed.

This workbook also includes a section for the ‘Mid-Year Review’ and ‘End of Year Review’.

This planner has 38 pages with a mid-year review and end of year review. Comes in pdf format so you can easily print it out!

Feel free to sign up to my Sunday Morning Letters HERE! It's like having a cup of tea and a chat with me on Sunday mornings - a strong dose of inspiration and encouragement to help you Curate & Live a Well-Designed Life; Consciously, Intentionally & Wholeheartedly. I want you to live your life fully - each day, less on autopilot and more on purpose - living a life of meaning ♡