I’ve found the last few weeks pretty chaotic – workshops, coaching, retreats, travel, and book-writing deadlines. Not to mention everything that happens outside of work.

I imagine you can relate, because things always seem to ramp up as Christmas and the end of the year get closer.

Why do we do that? Why do workplaces want everything finished before the year ends? Why do we want everything finished?

I sometimes think it’s because we’re wired to want a clean slate. There’s something comforting about closing loops before the calendar ticks over. There’s even research on this -behavioural scientists call it the “fresh start effect,” that urge we get to tidy things up and step into a new chapter feeling reset.

And maybe it’s also because busyness becomes the default – we see everyone else racing, so we race too, without pausing to ask whether the pace is actually necessary.

Amidst all my crazy, a friend sent me a quote: “You can reset any time you choose.”

A good reminder that we might not be able to change what’s happening around us, but we can choose how we navigate it.

So here are three quick things I did to help me reset, and I thought I’d share them in the hope they might help you too, or someone in your team, if you or they are feeling a bit of this right now.

1) Choose your non-negotiables for the next few weeks. You can’t do everything before Christmas or the end of the year – none of us can. Pick the three things that truly matter between now and the end of the year. These become your anchor. Everything else is either “nice to do” or “can wait.”

Remember you’re allowed to say no to anything extra that doesn’t genuinely need your time or energy right now and you are allowed to let things go.

2) Make time to stop and ground yourself. Even five quiet minutes can shift your whole day. Step outside, sit in your car before you go inside, or take a slow moment with your morning coffee. Pausing helps you come back to your body, your breath, and what actually matters. Instead of getting swept up in everyone else’s rush.

3) Decide how you want to finish the year, and lead from there. Do you want to finish steady? Present? Proud of how you handled a busy season? Let that guide your choices, tone, and boundaries over the next few weeks. When you lead from intention instead of pressure, everything becomes a little lighter for you and your team.

You can’t control the rush, but you can reset.

Choose what matters. Create some space. Finish strong in your own way.

Until next week, be well and lead well

Kylie