KO#20: Year End Reflection and Intention
Welcome to the 20th issue of the Knockout Your Sunday Scaries Newsletter, an every-other-week newsletter by me, Kristy Olinger, with a focus on workplace communication and self-development. I’m glad you’re here. Was this forwarded to you? Get yours: Subscribe here
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Hi there,
My guess is that if you’re a corporate employee you probably don’t have the Sunday Scaries today. Even if you are working tomorrow, it should be a quiet day (except for my retail friends… my thoughts are with you!).
I’m a big fan of both reflection and setting intentions and while I do this year round through journaling, the end of year is always a milestone that prompts me to do this at a more intensive level. Here are some questions I’m asking myself. Use these as your own journal prompts to check in.
Reflection Questions (looking back at 2024)
Did my behaviors match my core values?
What accomplishments am I proud of? How did they happen?
What obstacles did I face?
Intention Questions (looking forward to 2025)
Using my core values as a guide, what should I stop, start, and continue in the new year?
How can I recreate the conditions for successes that I experienced last year again?
Is there something I can do this year to reduce or remove the obstacles I encountered?
What do I want to learn this year?
Here is some of my reflections/intentions:
I’m very proud of this newsletter, which was started in January of 2024 and is now 20 issues in. I’ve heard it said of newsletters - “It’s about the letter, not the news.” I’ve found that to be true because while many of you click to watch the videos or listen to the podcast for topics you’re interested in, it’s the letter that drives people to reply, text, or mention an idea to me in person. On the intention side of this insight, I’ve decided to focus on learning about and practicing writing more in 2025.
📬 Hit reply and let me know if you tried this reflection and intention setting activity and any insightful answers you uncovered for yourself.
Content Round Up - Best of 2024
Since this is the last issue for the year, I’m sharing the ‘best of’ in each content category. Enjoy!
PODCAST: What to do with Those Awkward Minutes Before the Meeting Starts
This is the most downloaded episode of The Opposite of Small Talk released in 2024 and I suspect it’s because we’ve all felt awkward in those first minutes of a meeting while waiting for other people to join. This episode will give you tips about how to navigate the awkwardness.
VIDEO: Small Talk Before Meetings
In related news, this video about why it’s valuable to small talk before meetings had the most views and comments in 2024. This one got a lot of comments from people declaring that small talk is terrible and useless… but I’d argue that probably means that people aren’t doing the right kind of small talk (see previously mentioned podcast episode for more).
Instagram Stories: Reply All
The most viewed Instagram story was a screenshot of Outlook notifications on my phone - a full page of people hitting reply all to tell people to stop replying all. #relatable
Knockout Your Sunday Scaries Newsletter: KO#12 Emotions at Work
This is the email / newsletter that I got the most replies about. Many of you wrote to express condolences for the passing of my uncle. I also got replies about how you too have been in situations where you shared a difficult personal moment with a coworker and got much needed support.
You made it to the end! Congrats & thanks. ❤️ Have a great two weeks. I’ll talk to you in 2025!!!
Stay Curious,
Kristy
P.S. If you like this newsletter, it would mean so much to me if you would post about it on LinkedIn or Instagram and tag me or just text or email it to a friend or coworker and suggest that they follow.