I’ve been using the Monk Manual Weekly Planner, an analog tool that includes monthly and weekly “prepare” pages for setting intentions with “reflect” pages for weekly retrospectives. This year, I plan to scan these pages and upload them to my Day One journal. It feels like the perfect balance: staying hands-on with my planning and reflections while preserving a digital archive for future reference.

Finished reading: Flourish by Martin E. P. Seligman 📚

Watching The Perfect Couple on Netflix. 📺

Series poster for The Perfect Couple

Watching Shrinking (Season 1). Started it quite a few months back but haven’t picked it back up until now. 📺

I was using dictation on my phone and “wind gusts” showed up in my message as “Nguyen Gus” which I now think should be the name I assign to my alter ego. Although, given that Nguyen is most typically a surname, perhaps “Gus Nguyen” is more appropriate.

At the close of business today, I’ll be taking time off until after the new year. I was feeling pretty good about that fact and looking forward to some much-needed downtime. But I just learned that when I come back to work after the holidays, I’ll have about a week and a half to prepare a presentation that I will deliver to our chief growth and innovation officer and other senior leaders. All of a sudden I’m starting to doubt whether I’ll actually be able to relax and be fully unplugged from work over the next two weeks.

We just got hit with an unexpected $500 vet bill for our dog. When it comes to prioritizing the health of our dog versus Christmas shopping, it was an easy decision to make. Despite his anxiety while waiting in the exam room, I still managed to capture a little smile.

A white dog standing and smiling while on a leash

I have seven hours of scheduled meetings tomorrow and I’m realizing that fact alone is making me dread (probably too strong a word) my work day. It’s not too different from my schedule most days but I’m just really feeling ready (and in need of) the time off I have planned for next week. I’m weary.

I’m watching Big Night 🍿

Currently reading: What Can a Body Do? by Sara Hendren 📚