There’s always so much pressure to hit the ground running when the year starts. And that’s especially true if the past year didn’t go exactly as planned. (Which lets face it, whose did?) So it’s not surprising if you’re feeling the pressure to do ALL THE THINGS in the next few days or weeks, in order to make 2021 better than 2020.
But here’s the problem with that line of thinking – just because the calendar has reset doesn’t mean our brains and bodies have. 2020 was A LOT, and if you’re heading into the new year feeling less than energetic to begin with, well let me tell you, you’re not alone.
I’ve got lots of ideas I want to implement and plans I want to put in place for 2021, but when I think about starting to implement them over the next couple of weeks, well, it just feels hard. Because honestly, I’m fucking tired.
And you might be too.
So I’m writing this as much as a reminder to myself as a reminder to you: your ideas, plans, projects, etc. will still be valid if you start them on January 12th. Or March 15th. Or whenever it is that feels good to you.
If you need to take a few days, or a few weeks, to ease into 2021, that’s ok. There’s plenty of time to make your 2021 dreams a reality, but not if you force yourself to start implementing before you’re ready or try to push through when you’re exhausted.
Now, that doesn’t mean you need to spend the first couple of weeks of 2021 on the couch binge watching bad TV. (Though no judgement if you do. 2020 was rough!) There are plenty of ways you can ease into the new year rather than diving in head first.
You can take time to reflect on what went well in 2020. (Because despite the dumpster fire that was last year, I bet there were a few positives here or there.)
You can spend some time reading (I rounded up my favorite art and business books from 2020 if you need some inspiration.)
You can take a few days to clean and organize your studio. (While I’m not usually one to advocate cleaning, I do find it can be a low pressure way to ease back into some studio time without diving into a big project.)
You could spend some time learning, perhaps by watching classes (I’ve got a few you could check out) or listening to podcasts to help you feel motivated for 2021 when you’re ready to dive into work again.
Or, you could simply rest. Because in a year where travel was mostly off the table, I imagine it was hard to take time truly away from your business. (I don’t know about you, but I find a staycation pretty much impossible when you work from home. At some point, I would rather just go to the studio then watch more shitty TV.)
Because when it comes to growing your business, rest is just as important as hustle. Especially if your coping mechanism for 2020 was to become a workaholic. I’m calling myself out on this one – even though I set pretty firm boundaries last year (like no laptop after dinner) I still worked A LOT. Which definitely had me feeling like I was limping over the line at the end of the year.
Which is why, if your response to 2020 was to work ALL THE TIME, it’s ok (even necessary) to take some time to rest before plowing into the new year.
Now, if you started 2021 ready to hit the ground running, that’s fine too! But if, like me, you’re finding all those “let’s go 2021” posts more irksome than inspiring, it’s ok to take a few more days (or even weeks) off. Your business won’t vanish overnight, and you’ll be much better for it in the long run!
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One way to ease into 2021 is to dip your toe into Artists and Profit Makers, my online mentorship program and community. With over 30 trainings on a range of topics, there’s plenty to get your wheels turning and help you figure out what you want to focus on in 2021, when you’re ready to get started. And if you join Artists and Profit Makers by January 20th, you can save $50 on your first month. It’s the perfect way to try the program out and see if it’s right for you. (And you can cancel at any time – so there’s no long term commitment if it’s not!) Head to artistsandprofitmakers.com for all the details!
