Sorting the Season

When everything feels urgent and important

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Some seasons in a practice come with a long list, and every item on it looks like it needs us right now. The website. The marketing plan. The new tool everyone keeps talking about. When everything feels urgent, it gets really hard to tell what actually matters.

This sheet is a slower way through the list. Start with what you value right now, in your practice and in your life. Then sort the list against that. Nothing here asks you to do more. Most of it asks you to set something down for a while.

What’s inside

Part one: What matters right now

1. What do I want this season to protect?People, time, energy, health. Not tasks.
2. If the next three months went well, what would I notice?In the practice, and outside it.
3. What am I saying yes to out of pressure, rather than care?
4. Where is the time for family, rest, or creative work, and is it actually on the calendar?

Part two: Sorting the list

Write down everything on your list first. All of it. Then take each item through these questions.

1. Does this serve what I named in questions 1 and 2?If not, it may belong to a different season.
2. What would actually happen if this waited until next season?Be specific. Sometimes the honest answer is “not much.”
3. Is this mine to carry, or could someone else hold it?
4. Of what is left, which one or two would make the rest easier?

Then sort each item into three columns: This season, Not this season, and Not mine.

1. What am I setting down, and can I be kind to myself about that?

Setting something down for a season is not the same as failing at it.