As we approach the end of the calendar year it’s worth thinking ahead a little, for several reasons:

• Planning can help preserve your sanity as you go though December,
• The year end is a Significant Time, whether you buy into that or not
• You can exploit a natural momentum of the New Year

There may be other reasons too, linked to your situation or ambitions. A little thought can go a long way. Think of the three Ps: Planning, Progress and Perspective

Planning

Take a look at you calendar in the sme way that you would for any holiday or big event. Make lists and plan to get things like shopping done early, preferably before December enters double figures. When the shopping’s done. forget it! That’ll leave you time to observe and enjoy what’s going on around you, and you might even enjoy a moments of feeling smug about being on the outside of the panic.

Progress

The end of the year is about shifting and movement. People have been marking the moment in various ways forever. Regardless of any religious connotations, the winter solstice in late December has been celebrated since people first noticed astronomical events. The onset of winter has always meant a withdrawal, reflection and indoor activity. Ancestral wisdom is in our genes (or something like that), so consider this as a time of reflection in readiness for the rest of your life (rather than simply worrying about what to do on New Year’s Eve, and short term  anxieties associated with another January.

Perspective

Keeping a sense of proportion at this time of year is vital. It’ll help you avoid stress if you decide how you want to experience the month of December. For many people it seems to be a time of worry about getting it right. Obligations like getting the right presents, duty visits, (over-)planning the perfect meal, and all the rest, can ruin what should be a time of R & R before the winter sets in (literally and metaphorically). Find ways to step back and tune in to yourself at regular intervals. For example, set yourself the task of learning Kipling’s ‘If’, so that you can recite it – word perfect – as a party piece.

Remember that December is only one of twelve months, each of which can be significant x in its own way. Thinking about it now can help you enjoy the year end in a relaxed way, as well as making the most of the natural momentum (cosmic stuff), that’ll be happening anyway, with you or without you.

Have a Happy December.