Wrap it up

What does the rest of the year look like for you?

I was listening to a podcast episode recently with a guest from France who remarked on one aspect of French work culture—she said people are currently wrapping things up because the main times people do work are early spring and late autumn (that’s very aligned to ancient agriculture schedules). Once you get past a certain point in November, it’s game over for getting things done. There’s a similar sentiment on Twitter and in inboxes about “circling back” after the holidays. But there are still two months left of the year!

For some people, this is the busiest time of the year, especially for those who work in retail or fulfillment. For others, it’s a lot of PTO and holiday parties. People are already talking about next year and of course, it’s not realistic or healthy to expect 365 days of productivity. We need rest, time to gather, and reflect. The holidays are also a time when many people struggle with mental health—there’s a lot of pressure to feel joy and share that joy and that’s not always the reality.

The sun is setting before 5 now, which is a huge bummer. The days will keep getting shorter for about 6 more weeks and every year it’s a shock to the system (hopefully someday we will stop doing this). I went to Trader Joe’s on Monday after work and felt weird heading out on an errand in the dark (it was 5:30 p.m.). I have two cheeky ideas for November that I wanted to share (I heard about both of these from a friend and have seen them online as well). The first is NO-vember. Make November a month where you say no to things that don’t feel right.