The mid-year check-in

A golden opportunity to reset and recharge

We've officially crossed the midpoint of the year, and for me, this is the perfect time to pause and reflect on how the year is faring. At the start of the year, I wrote down several aspirations - not rigid goals, but how I wanted to feel across key areas of my life and the steps I needed to take to get there.

And now that we've ticked over July 1st, it's the ideal time to check in, reflect, and adjust for the remaining months ahead.

Understanding where we’re at

One thing I've been reflecting on during this check-in is: can I simplify things down to their essence? Last year I read Essentialism by Greg McKeown and it is one of those books I find myself continually coming back to. I think many of us start the year with a blank slate, but by the time July rolls around, we've added so much complexity into our lives that we're exhausted and in desperate need of a holiday. It can feel like we've made a millimetre of progress in a million directions, rather than large steps in a few focused areas.

So the first question I'm asking myself isn't what I can add in, but what I can take out. How can I make my life simpler than it already is?

Assessing current complexity

Complexity comes in layers. And before we can simplify, we need to understand where the complexity is coming from. If you're single and only looking after yourself, that's about as simple as it gets. Add a pet - more complexity. Add a family - significantly more complexity. But this isn't about getting rid of your pet or family, but rather an example of how we can audit how complex things are (and then take steps to make life easier).

Questions I’m asking myself

Every additional decision we need to make in our days adds complexity. More stakeholders also leads to more complexity. Sometimes that is warranted, other times it’s unnecessary. As an example:

Morning routine: Do I have a consistent morning routine, or am I doing something different each day? I know that a consistent morning routine = greater simplicity, so what tweaks do I need to make to my day-to-day to deliver that?

Work and clients: Who are the clients I've taken on? Each additional client brings revenue but also more complexity. Can I let any go, or create a system to help better manage them going forward? Having 5 quality clients might be better than 15 ordinary ones.

Meals at home: Am I leaving meal decisions to chance each day, or do I have a weekly meal plan in place?

For me, the last 6 months have been hard landing some of these areas. Last week I had a 7AM, 8AM and 9AM start across different days and it has been hard to land a consistent morning routine. The flow-on effect has meant I haven’t been able to always do my usual morning exercise which also means my energy has been sub-optimal in my days.

Falling short in a few areas has helped me take stock of where I’m at, and how I can improve it in the next 6 months.

The three-level declutter

I like to think of the mid-year check-in as an opportunity for a giant declutter - physical, mental, and emotional.

Physical: One of the things I am looking forward to is going through my house and getting rid of (or recycling) things that are no longer serving me. It is amazing how much ‘stuff’ we accumulate each year.

Mental: Part 2 is a bit of a mental declutter. For me, this is going to be a long hike to give some time and space to process the six months just gone and navigate through what’s next.

Emotional: Part 3 is checking in with myself – are there any conversations at work or at home I’ve been putting off and need to have? And if so, I need to go have them.

If you are short on time, this can literally be done in 15 minutes – 5 minutes physical (one drawer/area), 5 minutes mental (5 minutes journaling), 5 minutes emotional (reflect on one conversation you need to have and create a plan to do that).

An outside perspective

The final but perhaps most valuable part of my mid-year check-in includes meeting with a coach. This gives me a chance to test, reevaluate, and course correct before the year is gone and we start having conversations about Christmas. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

At the end of this process, I hope to have renewed vigour, a strong sense of purpose and a simpler existence to tackle any obstacles that come my way.

If you have any reflections or rituals you do as part of your own check-in, please share in the comments – I’d love to know. I’m also offering limited spots for a mid-year coaching check-in for anyone who wants to actively reflect on where they’re at, and what they want to create moving forward - please reach out for more details.