Are end of year deadlines really necessary?

Can you believe we’re now in the last month of 2022? I feel like we had January, February, March and then WHOOOSH it was November.

How are you feeling about this?

I’m excited about taking a break for a few weeks over Christmas and for the first couple of weeks of 2023.

I was also feeling somewhat exhausted as I thought about all the things I wanted to do before the end of the year. Then, I remembered that the end of the year is an arbitrary date, will it really matter if everything isn’t done?

No, no it won’t.

So many people are telling me about their end-of-year deadlines – for projects and other tasks that are unlikely to be looked at before mid-January. It reminds me of when I used to have to submit uni assignments on a Friday afternoon. None of my lecturers ever read them over the weekend, and as someone juggling full time work with part time uni, a due date on a Monday was always appreciated.

If you are adding pressure to yourself with the expectation of having everything done before Christmas, perhaps it’s time to reassess what the reality looks like and reschedule a few of those tasks for 2023. Or have a conversation with your boss about what really needs to be done now and what can be held over.

Now how are you feeling about the end of the year?