unhinged ideas to start your year 🍵 just some tea #50
new year antics + my word of the year
are you into picking a word for the year?
I very narrowly avoided landing on unhinged as my word of the year (it’s ✨obsessed✨ instead) - but when else can I get away with sending you a list of unhinged ideas…
…and while people sort through their inboxes and reluctantly start circling back, maybe you can use them?
these are basically my filtered intrusive thoughts but we can also brand them as unhinged productivity. okay let’s go, hold on.
🗑️ delete your recurring one-on-ones
when our new design head joined in septemberish, he (un)intentionally ended up trying a more flexible approach with 1:1s/ his calendar. every monday, he would gather topics and set 1:1s or groups to tackle the priorities. so no recurring 1:1s, but ofc there are enough touchpoints + speedy slack responses if you need attention!
this was the perfect prototype I needed to see. personally, I have been feeling restricted by a rigid calendar lately, and would love to be more robust with fire-fighting work situations, have more timely meaningful 1:1 chats and safeguard my blocks of deep focus work.
but I do appreciate regular slotted times to chat with my manager (because I am the kind of person who tries to solve everything on my own and sometimes a chat really helps!).
so the solution I am landing on for my team is a mix - maybe monthly recurring 1:1s with weekly prioritisation of 1:1s (+ ofc we will have all the group rituals).
maybe take this as a nudge to see if your calendar is reflecting your priorities, your peak hours of work and how you would like to balance work and life in this new year. there’s nothing more pesky than some legacy 1:1s with people you used to work with.
message I am planning to send out “hey just rearranging my calendar to better suit my work priorities and focus time. will resend invites in a bit”
💀 read on death and human mortality
this one isn't particularly unhinged for me. I have been doing this every year since I realized that holy s$*t I am getting old, but also maybe it’s fine and it is a luxury after all?
every year around this time (new year + birthday month), I read books and articles by people who were very close to death or wrote till the very end.
reading writings by people who would have given anything to live another year or month gives me such a fresh perspective on life. some of my friends find it very depressing lol - but I have always found the extremes help you find your balance.
if you wanna try I would recommend when breath becomes air (memoir of a neurosurgeon battling cancer, he writes beautifully on what it feels to die when you were finally ready to enjoy life) and the choice (memoir of a holocaust survivor who goes on to become a therapist). both these books feel warm and hopeful - try it!
🥦 become a picky eater
we all have that one thing we know we shouldn't be eating but we do anyway. (if not, maybe you should eat more lol). could be seed oils, gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol.
I have always avoided being an inconvenience to others. but this year, I want to really embrace it! like if your choices or needs make you inconvenient, it is okay?
think of it as a gateway to saying no to other things you do just to make other people comfortable.
okay that got deep real quick, moving on..
a couple more that can be up for debate: self-isolate/lock in, book a solo-trip at halfway mark of year, start a youtube channel, start charging people for your advice, sign up for a marathon.
what's one thing you could do that's completely off-brand for you? like you would do it just for the plot? also, what’s your word of the year? tell me!!!
my favorite tea this week 🍵
📕 reading: starting this year with this one that has been on my list since 2023 lol - waking up, a guide to spirituality without religion. also made part one of my book recap (the only recap I don’t find overwhelming tbh)
📱 scrolling: my favs this week were 5 things I learned in 2024 (I read so many of these) + on having more interesting ideas.
📺 watching: just finished season 4 of trying on apply tv. if you like modern family/ ted lasso vibes, you would like it!
📸 moment: I am in india for a week, and last night I had 3 filter coffees from this south indian cafe and let’s just say it was a moment!
wishing you a year filled with "I did it for the plot" moments.✨
talk next week,
chhavi x
ahh love this cant wait to read the books :) have been waiting for your newsletter !!
so fun to read your unhinged ideas—and many of them seem pretty wise in fact!
thank you for sharing.