Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family,
This whole three-weeks-between-Thanksgiving-and-December-holidays is QUITE.A.THING. And not to throw anyone for a loop, but Together Team Member Ana looked ahead on the calendar, and it is a three-week-sprint for the next THREE years. You are welcome. [Ducks from whoever is throwing tomatoes at their screen.] Plan early and often, we always say. Not to flex any Together muscles, but I love sending a holiday card – and because I had a quieter Thanksgiving this year, they were in the mail by the first of December. (Also if you hate cards, I support you too!)
Oh, and before I forget, our team had so much fun with Together Your Holidays, we are hosting another (free) community offering in January titled Together Your (Online) Trainings where we pull back the curtain on the preparation steps we take to ensure our online classes are smooth and joyful for our participants. Come join us! Oh, and if you are in the final sprint to a holiday break, take advice from Eric R. and create your own Vacation Return Memo!
Our team doesn’t really do annual “gift guides” (though we did last year), but we do like to reflect on what helped us across three dimensions: Results, Rest, and Rejuvenation. To that end, I wanted to share a few items, tools, and habits that have helped our own team in 2024.
Results. The Together Team has embraced a few things this year to make our work more efficient and more focused.
- We did a team-wide conversion to Asana, which required a learning curve (we have norms about emojis and everything), but has helped us automate our recurring processes. Brandon says, “In my new role, I plan for very similar projects over and over, often times simultaneously. I built a replicable project plan that auto-populates due dates. I can easily lose time making the ‘perfect planning tool,’ but now I know I have one that works and I just copy it over every time a new project starts.”
- Chrystie and I have hopped back on the Pomodoro train, and she says, “I love maximizing my most productive time of day by rearranging my schedule for ‘deep thinking’ time, coupled with the Pomodoro technique.”
- And perhaps my favorite, Bri notes, “A mini trampoline/rebounder in the office for < 5-minute mini bounce breaks has been a game-changer for resetting low energy moments and sharpening my focus throughout the day.” (Maia adds to holiday list!)
Rest. We are also deep into our sleep era right now. This looks like…
- Ana’s tip: “I am embracing sleep. I may be going to bed at a ridiculous time but it feels so good!”
- Lauren adds, “The Calm app never fails. A good night’s sleep often escapes me, and the app’s sleep stories and soundscapes help a lot.”
- I have personally been working on reducing decision fatigue wherever humanly possible and have established just two dresses for in-person teaching and four shirts for online classes (jewel tones for the win!), and I finally created a Meal Matrix with light themes to help with the endless slog (I mean, joy?!) of feeding four teenagers.
Meet the newest Together Team Pets: Murray (with Ana, top) and Waylon (bottom)!
Rejuvenation. Our team has stepped deeply into books, deep hobbies, and pets to keep us rejuvenated and delighted.
- Lauren, Chrystie, and I are on the fiction train, with Chrystie noting, “It’s been so fun to get lost in a novel.” Lauren has leaned in, sharing “I’ve been setting annual reading goals for myself in Goodreads for the past few years. I started conservatively with four books (my kids were so young at the time, that was a lofty goal). This year I set a goal for 52 books, which I surpassed in September. It’s been a fun challenge for myself!” I am personally not a goal tracker for a lot of personal stuff, but I, too, hit 52 books this year!
- Kendra and Ana both have adopted new dogs, and Kendra says, “Waylon motivates me to get outside and stretch my legs twice a day. Fresh air, sunshine, and movement have been essential!” While Ana’s new puppy Murray may not be exactly relaxing, he sure is bringing a lot of joy and amusement to our video calls!
- Brandon and I are leaning into some deeper hobbies, with Brandon becoming a pro puzzler (he notes that a winter hobby that gets a screen out of one’s hands is key, and I totally agree. Should I learn to cross stitch?), and I’m training for an open ocean 5K (yes, you heard that right!) in February. I’ve been spending a lot of time underwater lately, and while it isn’t always fun in the moment, I am learning a ton and doing it with friends.
Over this upcoming break, our team wishes you much rest and rejuvenation so you can keep working toward results upon the return!
If you need to find me in the next two weeks, I’ll be (slowly) sliding down or traipsing up mountains in West Virginia, hosting our extended family’s annual Mediterranean Fest (do you know Trader Joe’s has amazing canned items that can serve as delish side dishes?), and hopefully sitting very still each morning in my matching sweatpants / sweater combo with a hot cup of coffee beside our twinkling holiday lights with an 18-pound cat in my lap!
#clipboardsandclogs #togetherforever
MHM
Happy Holidays from the semi-Together family!
Top Together Tributes
Running a household can often feel an extreme sport. If your mornings and evenings are feeling overwhelming, it might be a good time to reboot your routines and create a plan to help things go smoother. Thanks, Leah!- It’s hard to make a New Year’s resolution stick. There may not be such a thing as a fresh start, but incremental change toward smaller goals is often much more successful. This is a great read if you are a “fresh start” addict!
- Or maybe we don’t make New Year’s resolutions that big a deal? The new year could be time to lean into something completely unproductive, bringing joy instead of stress. I personally feel that things like 25 for 2025 rachet up the anxiety, so you may find me trying to get better at punch needle! PS if you missed our Together Your Holidays chat, here are some resources that might help make the holiday season more manageable!
Running a household can often feel an extreme sport. If your mornings and evenings are feeling overwhelming, it might be a good time to 
