29 Dec 2020 Vision – the Countdown

The Decades are different

We underestimate the power of our dreams. I recall a New Year’s Eve as a teenager – it was the cusp of a new decade, and we huddled together on the carpet, writing our expectations and dreams for that decade and saving them in a time capsule.

That decade would turn out far different from the one I had planned for myself. By the turn of the next decade, I wasn’t married nor a mother and hadn’t become a millionaire! But I had graduated university, was working on a different continent, owned my own apartment in Manhattan, and was working in a profession that was previously the domain of science fiction and Time Lords.

As I review this past decade I find the same is true. For myself and for my family, much has changed. And as I look back I am blown away at how much I underestimated what was possible!

That may be why I find it futile to forecast, but better to plan. It is more effective to have a sense of direction, and a deep anchor for what holds us secure as we navigate the passage of time.

Your family time-line planner

I am sure you have all seen the quote by Gretchen Rubin”The days are long, but the years are short”. If you haven’t, then start with her 2-minute video which is a real weepie and alongside Khalil Gibran’s On Children really helped shape the way I choose to parent because it speaks to the value of time and moments.

It dovetailed wonderfully with the family time-line planner – a little tool that I developed in 2003 based off my work with scenario planning. It was invaluable to us as a family as we made some major life-changing decisions.

And this has become the most insightful tool for individuals and parents when I do my workshops because it reminds us how time affects us – not only as individuals but also as part of the community of our extended family. We think we will have all the time in the world to spend with those we love. But will we?

I recall one consultation where I had a teen and her parents each fill their own time-line. Her life plan for the next 30 years includes landmark dates for graduation, major career achievements, approximate years when she would move into her own apartment in the city. The mother’s included her own parents’ major birthdays, and her own retirement so that she could ‘help look after my grandchildren’. A very interesting conversation ensued between the two!

Counting down the days

• Are you building out your calendar for next year? Marking off special life events like graduations, university searches, weddings, landmark birthdays for family members, blocking off vacation time, and special holidays?
• Have you set reasonable goals for the year, broken down into manageable deliverables with rewards that motivate you as per James Clear and Charles Duhigg?
• Have you marked a ‘Tilt’ date with yourself each month or quarter? A day when you reflect and adjust course if required?
• Borrowing from Nir Eyal’s Indistractable, and his use of ‘life domains’ I recommend ‘paying’ time to yourself and those you love first. Give them the best of you, not what is left of you.

How will you use half a million minutes?

So now to talk about the hard stuff. Numbers. Numbers matter. They tell a story and hold a promise.

2019. 2020. 2030. 10. 12. 52. 60. 365. 1440. 24. 10,080. 527,040.

All related to the movement of time:

• Decades and years – 10, 2019, 2020, 2030.
• Months, weeks, days – 12, 52, 7.
• Hours and Minutes – 24, 60, 1440, 10080, 527040

A week has 1440*7 = 10,080 minutes, and this coming year 1440*366 = 527,040. That is right – just over half a million minutes for the entire upcoming year.

So here is what I am asking: Can you choose to savour 15 minutes for yourself and your intentions daily? 15 minutes out of the1440 minutes in your day to decide how you will optimize the half a million minutes for your year?

How you spend it does not matter. But in the interest of disconnecting from technology, it is a good way to touch base with yourself and your intentions. It empowers you to run your day instead of the other way around. Some will spend 15 (and more) meditating. Others like Yuval Harari will invest 2 months doing yoga. I’ve settled on:

5.4.3.2.1

Find a rhythm & sequence that works for you. I set the timer, and here is my sequence:

• 1 – minute recording and giving gratitude for all that is good around me
• 5 – minutes to write Morning papers (google it) and get all the gumpf, to-dos and trivia out of my head and onto a piece of paper
• 3 – minutes to review my 2030 and 2020 goals
• 2 – minutes to consider the two things that really matter to me (from the post-it)
• 4 – minutes to write & review my plan for the day incorporating one action item

15 minutes. It works most of the time. And then there are the days where I start an article and the muse does not visit or am still editing a podcast at 2 am! But I put that down to learning new skills, and the art of estimation.

#2020vision

This article belongs to a series of posts around the topic of scenario planning our vision for our future. Use the #2020vision hashtag to find my other writings which include the concepts

• Zoom out. Take the long view and play the long game.
• Zoom in. Start with a small action.
• If you have 5 days to make a difference, what 2 urgent things would you choose to focus on?

As I close this article on planning and looking forward, I would encourage you to remember to take time for yourself. In an ever-accelerating world where time-saving technology has caused us to move faster not slower, take back control.

Mark the moments.

Make time to record the moments that made your day or your week. The smile from a cashier. The embarrassing comment from a child. The timely word of praise from a boss who watched you rescue a project.

Because time – like childhood – moves fast. The next event is quickly upon us, and if you do not have a wonderful sister, like I have, who thankfully remembers EVERYTHING, or a journal that we can pull up and re-read, we will miss the moments that made our day, our year, our decade extra-special.

Make. Take. Talk.

So this is where you decide if and how you are going to interact with this article:

• Make: A commitment to reward yourself with time where you reflect and plan daily. It could be 5-4-3-2-1 or some other method of your choosing.
• Take: Take action on your two must-do goals for 2020 (from your post-it)
• Talk: Community is the greatest source of well-being. Whether it is a call or a business conversation, make sure you connect with someone, sharing a little of your vision and dreams for 2020.

Wishing you a wonderful start to a wonderful decade.

Karena de Souza is a strategist who focuses on the Future of Work and GenZ. Her professional work has her focusing 5-15 years forward, but as a parent, she is very engaged in the decisions we each have to make in the present. Her podcast TILT the Future is available on the website at https://karenadesouza.com. Feedback, discussion and comments are always welcome. This article was also published on LinkedIn.