One thought from me:

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Perhaps it’s a bit late to be writing an email about New Year goal setting. But it's taken me most of January to write my goals out and I'm curious to know—do you reflect on your goals from last year, before you set new ones for the next? Do you take time to look back and take stock of what you achieved and what was left undone?

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For me, looking back is not a practice I’ve ever spent much time doing. I like the excitement and sense of possibility goal setting brings. But I don't find reflecting on my goals quite as fun. I guess it’s because, often, there are many goals on my list that I haven't achieved.

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Last year, for example— I didn’t write many 1-2-3 emails. I didn’t finish reading aloud the Narnia series to my older children, even though we powered through the first three books in 2021. I didn’t declutter my laptop or work out a system for storing photos on a hard drive—an unmet goal that my computer reminds me of no less than ten times every hour with a pop up message telling me ‘your disk is almost full.’ I didn’t finish all the projects I started, and, the projects I did finish didn’t come together in the same way I envisioned them.

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Usually we don’t like thinking about these failings. But the British Author Oliver Burkeman suggests we’d be wise to start. In his book 4000 Weeks, Time Management for Mortals. Burkeman suggests we recognise that we will never have enough time to do all the things we think are important. He contends that this shouldn’t surprise us, instead this is what we need to expect from the limited time we have. He also argues, that the better we are able to embrace this reality, and let some things go, the more we are can enjoy the time we do have.

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It's the end of January and I’m already behind on my goals for 2023. However, in the close to seven hundred hours that have made up the year so far, I have done plenty of things that matter. I spent a week catching up with old friends in the city I grew up in, I ran four and half kilometres by the sea on a clear Tuesday morning, I had coffee with my family in the garden of a little cafe I’ve always loved, and picked pink eucalyptus flowers with my three-year-old on the walk back to our car.
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It can be hard to accept that we can’t do everything, but stepping into our limited life here on earth with gratitude and humility is a practice that can help us make better decisions about how we spend our time.

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It's a practice I'm taking into this next season. What practices are you taking into the New Year?

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A quote from someone else:

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Much advice on getting things done implicitly promises that it’ll help you get everything important done–but that’s impossible, and struggling to get there will only make you busier. It’s better to begin from the assumption that tough choices are inevitable and to focus on making them consciously and well.

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- Oliver Burkeman, from his book 4000 Weeks, Time Management for Mortals​

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And a few things I think you will love:

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- This year is a special year for our family. We've just headed off on a four-month trip around Australia in an Avan Caravan. If you’re interested in following our journey, you can follow us on Instagram. I’ll try and share a photo or two in these emails each week as well.

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- Sometimes it’s hard to embrace the imperfect present, the things we get to do and those we don’t, the unexpected suffering that throws us off course. I’ve just reread Kate Merrick's, ‘Here, Now; Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overconnected World.' and I found it as helpful as ever. It's a great New Year read.

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- Last year, writing this email, fell off my to-do list. but oh how I missed it. This year, I hope to be back in your inbox each week. I love writing 1-2-3 Emails, but they do take a little while to put together so the structure going forward might be one 1-2-3 email, followed up by a shorter email on alternate weeks. If you have read this 1-2-3 email in the past, I’d love to know what you have found most helpful about them? What you’d love to see more of? Or if you find weekly emails helpful at all. Hit reply and let me know.

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As always,

I'm grateful you're here.

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Hannah Alexander x

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Let's seek a deeper connection and a brighter life.

Each week, I share A thought from me, a quote from someone else and some things I hope you'll like.

I'd love to hear back from you, so hit reply with any questions or thoughts. If you don't yet receive this email weekly and you'd like to, you can sign up here.

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