Snapped this photo when entering Great Oaks in Newark this week – something we should all hear right now!
Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family
I woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow, and if you have had a hard time finding the holiday spirit (I’m occasionally called Ms. Grinch around my house, a title I accept with glee), getting REAL snow that sticks (rare around here these days) does feel a bit magical. My kids are on a two-hour snow delay and they’re already out trying to make snowballs. But before they come in clamoring for hot chocolate. . .
Chrystie’s & my beverage goblin station in Newark this week!
The question of preparing and planning for 2024 from our last Together Tips and recent newsletter hit a chord with many of you. Feel free to comment on the related blog post or write me directly, and I’ll update the post. I just did a few more things that my January self will thank me for.
- Set up the monthly visual: I need to glance at a year-long visual calendar on a daily basis, to see the big picture of how things fit together. This one looks cute and lets me see the year. I have ordered it three years in a row now (and yes, for those of you who have seen Togetherness Central, this is what is in the background). It arrives this week, and I will take down 2023 and get a glimpse of 2024. Also, school calendars have been released for 2024-2025, and our kids’ spring breaks line up next year! Oh, the delight!
- Cleared the calendar a bit more: This one was actually a little bit of a bummer, but I had planned to be in NYC for fun this week to see eight of my closest girlfriends for a few holiday dinners, do some school visits – an annual trip to my old stomping grounds. But after returning from a recent work trip in that direction and with other travel coming up, I realized (and admitted to myself), that the trip would just take too much out of me. We are rescheduling (permanently) for a later winter date. This one was really hard for me, as I love fun and hate disappointing or inconveniencing my dear friends, but they gave me grace.
- Reduced some holiday physical and emotional labor: While I love some holiday lights, what with observing both Chanukah and Christmas around here, I didn’t decorate the outside of our house this winter. I know this may sound like no big deal to you, but I feel a bit of Mom Magic pressure sometimes around this time of year (see above regarding Ms. Grinch), so this was a big one for me. Hanging lights takes a lot of time and effort (and yes, I have those netting things you can toss over the bushes), and while I love the twinkling lights when I return home, my January self will be very grateful to not spend four hours unstringing the lights from the front bushes. I just got a January afternoon back! I did tell the kids and Dr. Together that if it matters to them. . . they can do it.
Anything you can do in these final few days or weeks that your January self will thank you for? A re-entry few hours? The Out of Office auto-response up a day early? The meeting agenda prepped for?
If you need to find me in the next two weeks, I’ll be (slowly) sliding down or traipsing up mountains in New Hampshire and West Virginia, hosting my sister (The Together Farmer), my sister-in-law, and my nieces and neighbors for New Year’s, and figuring out which snowpants fit which tween/teen (when I finally learned to buy ONE color and create a strong hand me down pipeline, all became smooth in the world of winter gear).
#togetherforever #clipboardsandclogs
Maia
PS We quit gift guides, and in place, our team’s holiday play list is in working order. What’s on YOURS???
Together Treasure Box 
- “The smartest thing we ever did at Amazon.” Amazon has a radical approach to meetings – including eliminating PowerPoint presentations. Have any of you ever tried this?
- We ALL need and deserve self-care. This is a frequent request during our online and in-person classes, so I can’t wait to read this resource with over 100 tips on what self-care looks like for folks with ADHD. Has anyone read this yet?
- Icebreakers, love ‘em or hate ‘em, what about the humble check-in? We start every Together Team meeting with a quick round of answering a simple check-in question, and I wouldn’t want it any other way! Anyone have a fan favorite?
