The Pause aka Dead Week

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve

Hello friends,

I came across an interesting article in the Atlantic yesterday: All Hail Dead Week, the Best Week of the Year by Helena Fitzgerald. She says the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is:

“the closest thing we have in our society to some kind of a communal pause. Nothing is ever as quiet as it is during those few days, cities emptied out and small towns sleepier than usual, people drifting around not interested in accomplishing anything. There is a collective sense that, for these few days, we are not going to do any more than we must.“

With lighter schedules, Dead Week is the perfect time to pause, reflect and let go of 2022. Inspired by the article, I pulled out my journal for my annual ritual to mind map the year.

You may have learned this technique in one of my workshops or even back in college. A mind map is a diagram that visually represents the whole. It is created around a single concept, drawn as a circled word in the center of a blank page, to which associated thoughts, ideas and words are added. Here's a quick example on a napkin:

I used the spread of an 8.5 x 11 inch journal to begin my mind map of 2022. I only spent about 20 minutes initially, then added bits and pieces later in the day and this morning. It was a great opportunity to see how I focused my time and energy throughout the year.

I highly recommend this wonderful ritual to bid adieu (my preferred way to begin Wordle) to 2022. Here’s how to capture the year coming to a close:

• Write 2022 in the center of your page and circle it.

• Branch out from 2022 with a line to a new circled word, ie Creativity.

• Go in another direction with another circled word, ie Health.

• Continue with additional categories, ie Vision, Passion, Play, Work, Relationships, Travel, Partner, Inspiration, Spirituality, Meaning. Add your own.

• Peruse your calendar, month by month, and jot down highlights under the category where it belongs, circling each thought. For example, you might add six or seven thought bubbles under or around Travel, and those might lead to additional thought bubbles around Play.

• Add some color! For instance, my Creativity category is recorded in red; the Health category in green; the Passion category in gold, Travel in blue, Spirituality in purple, etc.

This is a fun way to review and wrap-up the year. It'll set you up to welcome the New Year. Give it a try, and email me HERE to tell me what you discover.

Next week I’ll share one of my New Year rituals in an online workshop RIGHT HERE. We’ll meet via Zoom on Friday, January 6 from 12-4 pm Eastern time to explore what you want to create in 2023. You’ll journal the new story that wants to emerge, create a personal Feng Shui vision board, and define next steps to make 2023 your best year yet. This workshop will give you the time and space to intentionally define your dreams and create the life you crave in 2023. Plus it’s just plain fun.

A face-to-face version takes place at Crooked Tree Art Center in Traverse City, MI, on Saturday, January 14 from 12-4 pm. Register HERE.

That’s it for now. Enjoy this Dead Week!