Are you into New Year’s resolutions? I, personally, gave up on them a few years ago since I'd usually forget them around April (except baking-related ones, obviously). Last year I switched to an annual mantra, instead — I like that it doesn’t feel like homework, but instead guardrails steering you in a better direction.
This year my mantra is “Prioritize Deep Work,” very much inspired by Cal Newport’s book, "Deep Work." The whole premise is that in order to get good, hard work done (in my case, jewelry) you’ve got to have long, uninterrupted chunks of time to really dig in.
And I see how last year I used things like obsessing over “social media content” (I’m looking right at you, Instagram), fussing over envelope colors, and incessant email checking, to avoid the “staring at a blank page” anxiety that happens before I sit down to really get to work or when I've hit a stumbling block.
So “Prioritize Deep Work” this year will look like less time on Instagram (it’s off my phone and my soul already feels lighter), checking my email during designated parts of the day, and blocking out chunks of my calendar to just be at my jewelry bench.
More than anything I want to make beautiful things for you, and I’m hoping that more time away from the fluff means that I can do that. Think (spoiler alert!) new lapis lazuli pieces, delicate gold jewelry rings and earrings, and some old favorites using new stones.
Here’s to a better 2022 with less of what we don’t need and more of what actually makes us happy.
P.S. Does dis-entangling yourself from social media sound great for your own personal life, too? I highly recommend Cal Newport’s other book, “Digital Minimalism,” chock full of strategies to do just that.