Checking out or crashing out?
There’s a smarter way to finish the year
Was there a goal you had this year related to your career or sense of purpose that you struggled to make progress on?
If so, my Next Aligned Move Quiz will help you clarify where exactly you’re getting stuck, and what your most strategic next step is - in 2 minutes.
Whenever I leave my house, I’m reminded how little time we have left of 2025. The holiday decorations feel aggressively early, as they do every year, like the scream of an alarm clock piercing through my morning daze.
I know I’m not the only one feeling it, because people are beginning to check out or crash out all around me. Like the friend who told me yesterday that she’s going to start waking up at 3am every morning to try and finish a creative project before the year ends. Or my dad who, after multiple back and forth conversations about his workout routine, finally concluded them this week with: “I’ll start in January.”
One is waiting for the fresh start.
The other is sprinting to beat it to the finish line.
Which one are you finding yourself leaning towards? Urgency or avoidance?
At first glance, the “finish strong” and “wait until January” camps seem like opposites, both of whom can get a little judgey of the other. But they’re actually two sides of the same thing: a reaction to the anxiety that comes with the year ending, and the glaring spotlight it shines on the gap between who we are and who we hoped we’d be by now.
The urgency camp copes by overdoing.
The avoidance camp copes by delaying.
Both miss the deeper opportunity we talked about last week.
That the power of the fresh start doesn’t come from January 1st itself but from the window around it. A window where your brain becomes more open to change, more motivated to act, and more willing to believe that something different is possible.
A window that’s already open, and that can give us a lot of leverage over how next year goes. But neither waiting for it nor racing toward it gives you the best shot.
Ask any surfer how to ride a big wave and they’ll tell you:
It’s all about being well positioned.
Which doesn’t mean achieving everything you wanted to, or having everything perfectly planned by December 31st.
It means being strategic not reactive.
Setting yourself up so that when the wave finally peaks, you’re not scrambling. You’re already moving.
Here’s the difference:
Well-Positioned:
You open your laptop in January and already know what matters.
Your calendar has time blocked for your priorities - not just your obligations.
You’ve reflected on the year, so you’re not chasing outdated goals.
You’ve cleared the clutter - physical, digital, emotional.
You’ve already taken one small step - momentum is already building.
You’re clear about what you want out of the year ahead, and have a game plan of how you’re going to go after it.
Scrambling:
It’s January 3rd and you’re staring at a vision board… and a to-do list that hasn’t changed.
Your goals are new, but your calendar still belongs to 2025.
You’re winging it because you skipped the reflection part.
Everyone else got gifts and plans - your family, your team - but your own goals? Still pending.
You’re relying on “New Year energy” to save you. It won’t.
Everyone else’s needs are on the calendar. Yours aren’t even on the list.
The difference between the two isn’t more discipline, or motivation. It’s recognising that checking out and crashing out both come from the survival mode that many of us exist in day to day, especially when it comes to our careers.
The kind that happens when your system’s overloaded and just trying to get through.
Smart, strategic decisions don’t come from that place.
They come from a regulated nervous system.
One that feels safe enough to reflect, plan, and choose intentionally.
That’s what this window is for.
Not to rush or retreat.
To reposition.
That’s what I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weeks: a series of end-of-year rituals to help you do just that. Close out 2025 with clarity so that when the new year hits, you’re not scrambling - you’re already moving.
One small step you can take right now if you feel yourself checking out or crashing out:
👉 Tap with me for 5 min in this quick follow along EFT tapping video.
A friend used it right before a big interview this week and said it was exactly what she needed to ground her anxious nerves.
Save it for your next spiral.