What are you looking forward to?
NOT what are you working toward.
NOT what needs to get done.
NOT the next deadline, meeting, appointment, or responsibility.
What is something on your calendar that you genuinely cannot wait to get to?
Years ago, at a business conference, I was given a piece of advice that has stuck with me:
Put your time off on the calendar first.
I took that pretty literally.
Now at the beginning of the year, I sit down with my calendar and start penciling things in.
A long weekend here. A camping trip there. Time with family and friends. A bigger adventure or two. Places I want to see. Things I want to do.
Actual time on the actual calendar.
That doesn't mean I plan my entire year in January and refuse to deviate from it. Far from it.
Some of my favorite things happen spontaneously. Some adventures depend on permits, schedules, conditions, or opportunities I won't know about until months into the year. I want plenty of room for those too.
The point isn't to make life rigid. The point is to make room for it.
Because if we're not intentional about protecting time for the people we love, the dreams we have, and the things we want to experience, life has a way of filling that time for us.
Work gets busy. Something comes up. Summer turns into fall. The holidays arrive.
And suddenly another year has gone by and that trip we talked about taking, that weekend with our friends, or that thing we've always wanted to try gets pushed to maybe next year.
The Youngest We'll Ever Be
I think about this more as I get older.
Injuries happen. Bodies change. And while I have absolutely no plans of becoming old and sedentary, I also understand that some of the physical things I love to do aren't necessarily going to get easier.
The reality is pretty simple:
Right now, I am the youngest I will ever be again.
So why am I waiting?
Why are any of us waiting?
There will always be reasons something isn't convenient. Work. Money. Schedules. Kids. Responsibilities. Timing.
I'm not suggesting we ignore any of those things or blow up our lives in the name of adventure.
I'm suggesting we stop assuming there will always be a better time later.
Put It on the Calendar
There's another reason I've continued doing this year after year.
The things I write down tend to happen.
Call it goal setting. Call it manifesting. Call it affirmation. Call it whatever woo woo name you want.
For me, it's much simpler than that.
Writing something down turns I'd like to into I'm going to figure out a way to make this happen.
Instead of saying, We should go camping this summer, pick a weekend.
Instead of saying, We need to spend more time together, put something on the calendar.
Instead of saying, I've always wanted to go there, start looking at dates.
And then leave some white space for the things you don't know are coming yet.
Because this isn't about creating the perfectly planned year.
It's about making the things that matter a priority before another year slips by.
Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To
And there's a bonus to putting those things on the calendar:
You get to look forward to them.
The research. The ridiculous number of browser tabs. Stalking hotel and city Instagram accounts. Looking at maps. Figuring out what to pack. Talking about what you're going to do.
The anticipation becomes part of the experience.
And it doesn't have to be a huge adventure.
Dinner with someone you haven't seen enough lately counts. A concert counts. A weekend camping counts. A Saturday hike counts. A plane ticket to the other side of the world counts too.
The point isn't how big the thing is.
The point is making sure there are things on your calendar that make you excited about your own life.
Your Challenge: Put Something on the Calendar
Open your calendar and look at the next few months.
What's already there that you're genuinely excited about?
Then look at the empty spaces.
Pick something you've been saying you want to do and give it a date.
Plan the weekend. Reserve the campsite. Call the friend. Request the time off. Start researching the big trip.
And leave a little room for something unexpected.
Another year is going to pass either way.
I'd rather reach the end of mine with memories of the things I made time for than a list of things I kept saying I'd do someday.
Still expanding. Still building. Still becoming.
Join The Weekly Dispatch for more reflections, adventures, and a little encouragement to make room for what's next.