Scaffolding vs hard goals

Plus a new word for 2023 that's rocking my world.

Crikey, I barely got used to writing ‘2022’, but around the sun we’ve been again. Hello, 2023.

I always enjoy this time of year here in the southern hemisphere where the summer solstice, Christmas, New Year, and summer holidays all come together. We tend to break our routines, take a pause (which I recently wrote about), get more social, and relax our shoulders and brains for a bit.

Image: A million heads of bunny tail grass in the sunshine.

All of these things feel like they naturally make space for me to reflect on the year just past, and peer into the year ahead. I have a quiet ritual of reading the notes I wrote this time last year and writing a few new ones for the coming year.

These notes are never hard goals. They are more like reflections, intentions and an evolution of last year’s thoughts. Oh, and recently I learnt a new and excellent word to take into 2023 (with gusto). I’ll tell you about it later.

So this new year I’ve been thinking a lot about how, yea, cool, it’s good to have goals** but to execute those goals without burnout or failure you really need good scaffolding around your life to support your mission.

Scaffolding is something I seem to always be figuring out and working on. So this year I plan to hone in a bit on some more practical ways of bringing better support systems into my life.

**I’m a fan of long-term big perspective thinking, though I’ve never been a 5-year-plan person, or anything too specific like that. A few years ago we worked through the Holistic Decision Making process, which is brilliant. And just today I discovered Your Ten-Year Plan via Ani Lee’s newsletter, which looks like a deeply fun exercise that I’m keen to do.

Image: Two halves of a shell, still joined together.

We have some pretty big changes ahead of us this year (hold on to your hat) so if I set up, or evolve, the systems that support and create ease in my daily life, I should be able to handle unforeseen bumps and potholes in the road ahead and enjoy the journey more.

These systems and structures aren’t about being super-productive or efficient, they are about reducing the amount of dysregulation and shut-downs I have to endure.

When day-to-day things run a tad more smoothly, I cope better and can be a better person for my people.

(You can read a little bit more about my neuro-divergence here if you like.)

Image: Between Christmas and New Year I covered a daggy graphic on an old tote bag with some navy fabric and a thousand stitches. Love it.

So this year I plan to be more intentional about:

• listing

• labeling

• calendar-ing

• simplifying

• systemetising things like:

  • the nutrient cycle in our garden (think chook poo, compost, etc)

  • meal and recipe organisation (an ongoing, life-long mission)

• structuring the workflow of my sewing and writing practice

This is all stuff I really love to tinker with, but this year I’d like to be even more intentional about it because I reckon good systems that support day-to-day life can free up executive functioning capacity, then that extra bandwitdth can be used for other less ho-hum exciting big life stuff.

Are you are resolution maker? A goal-setter? An intention creator? I’d love to hear from you…

Always be ‘knolling’

One additional word to add to the list above but deserves it’s own heading is ‘knolling’.

This is something I always do, but was thrilled to find it has a name AND that it’s something that is recommended in an effective work place.

Knolling refers to the practice of arranging similar objects in a precise, perpendicular manner. The goal of knolling is to create a sense of order and clarity in a space by aligning and organizing the objects within it. [Source]

Image: A quote on how to knoll from Ten Bullets, by Tom Sachs

I came across knolling via artist Tom Sachs’ film, Ten Bullets, which is a ten point code for working in his studio, one of which is 'always be knolling’. Fantastic.

It comes naturally to me to put like-things with like-things and strighten things to each other or to the table. It makes me feel calmer and more able to get on with it. So I’ll contintue to knoll with confidence. Hoorah!

I hope this is a new and liberating word for you to take into 2023 too.

Whether goals, scaffolding, intentions, resolutions or completely rebelling against it all is your jam, I hope 2023 is a goodie for you.

Image: A thoroughly knolled travel sewing kit.

Damn good links

Ususally I add a few links to new things I’ve been enjoying or have found interesting. But so far this summer I’ve listened to a lot of local ABC radio and read a couple ok books. No fab podcasts or great reads so far this year, but here’s my ongoing list of damn good links for you if you like.