It’s been one whirlwind of a hectic year in 2024. As it draws to a close, here are some of the lessons learnt and how that will change things going forward.
- It’s ok to take a long break – This was a big one for me since I thought I was taking enough breaks. Turns out, I was just recovering enough to keep going but not really recharging. After my stint in the US, I realised what I thought was “normal” was just “less tired”. Prioritising sleep and recovery has really allowed me to be calmer and focused.
- I don’t have to do everything myself – Delegation was never my strong point. I always preferred to do something myself and felt that it’s not worth offloading the little things if they don’t really take much time. This year, I *tried* it at the request of a good friend — not just half-heartedly, but ACTUALLY tried and it is amazing! One of the reasons the podcast, newsletter and now more regular Youtube videos has been happening is because things have less friction!
- Being healthy requires more work as I age — For someone from an Indian background, I have been fortunate to have any health problems. My friends are already on cholesterol and blood pressure medications while I’ve been able to avoid all that. As I near 40, I’ve realised I have to be more proactive and ACTUALLY dedicate more time to keeping things in order. I’ve been able to always prioritise other things be it work, obligations or the occasional late night, but I can feel that those days are limited for me.
- Health has a LOT to do with food — This is a bit silly, but in my mind, being healthy was always about exercise and less about nutrition. My 3 month break allowed me to experiment with my normal and see just how wrong that was! Exercise is definitely important, but nutrition is where the quick wins are if you’re not quite where you want to be. If you’re curious, Outlive* is my favourite book on health this year.
- The basics are boring, but they are essential – It’s been a while since I started my “adult life” with work, projects and all the usual responsibilities that come along with it. I was in a fortunate spot to actually have relatively good habits with health, work and finances. But, after a while, it gets boring, so I decided to fiddle at the edges a few years ago. Now looking back, it’s clear that most of the results of the last few years have been from the basics, not the shiny new things, hence this was a lesson re-learned this year
- So much of life is on autopilot, so you better make sure you have a good one! – Just think about how you get to anywhere familiar. After making the decision to do so, just how much conscious thought do you put into it? If it wasn’t evident already, the sabbatical really allowed me the chance to “step outside” the day to day and observe my autopilot (or more commonly known as “habits”). Small tweaks make huge differences but they do take a while to show
- Define “enough” early and always keep it in mind – If you’re reading this blog/newsletter, there is a strong chance you are a person that is Type A/goal focused. It’s very easy to be so fixated on the goal and move to the next one that you miss the point where you’ve hit your own definitions of “enough”. You’ll subconsciously realise it and the work starts to feel more like a slog since your motivation isn’t quite there. Better to keep it up front and celebrate when you’ve hit it and adjust your goals accordingly.
There are a lot of little lessons learnt too, but I’ll keep it to these main ones for now. If you’d like more, leave a comment and I may write those up later.
Have a great New Year!