The last couple months have been about regrouping, resetting, and replanning our ambitious (sometimes too ambitious) goals for the last quarter of the year into some thing more realistic to the time and capacity we actually have.
And now we're in December, where that time and capacity amounts to, for most of us, about two workweeks before the year-end holiday festivities claim what's left.
Plus there's the year-end push for many companies, trying to hit revenue numbers in the calendar (and fiscal) year, which usually means other projects you had on deck get dropped or delayed to focus on the bottom line.
So rather than trying to “finish everything,” let's do our best to finish well. Which means things like these (which we'll be talking about at our next Leadership Strategy Session — call details below):
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Ending the year without overstretching
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Creating rituals of completion and learning
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Setting conditions now that make January less chaotic
Key among those is setting aside time now (yes, even in the shortened, hyper-busy of December) to review and reflect, as the first step to planning a smarter, stronger 2026.
Which is why Charlie and Maghan will be facilitating an Annual Reflection Workshop on December 17 (call details below), to help you with this important step toward finishing 2025 well and starting 2026 stronger.
~Steve
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Check out October's and November's resources for some good ones that still apply, related to subtraction, prioritization, communication, and deferment.
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Though focused on individual projects, this “Finishing Strong” series can help your quarter and year close-outs, too:
Finishing Strong Part 1: Run a Victory Lap
Finishing Strong Part 2: Make Space and Time to Transition Between Projects
Finishing Strong Part 3: How doing CAT work helps with the next project
Finishing Strong Part 4: Use After Action Reviews (AAR) to Make Your Next Project Easier, Better, and More Fun
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As mentioned above, join us for the Annual Reflection Workshop December 17. Or if you can't make it, you can still take some time to do the Annual Reflection solo using the mini-guide. Also below: the Guided Business Review, for those of you with businesses of your own. It can also support those of you who have responsibility for one or more business areas in an organization you work for.
The Annual Reflection Mini-Guide
The Guided Business Review
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And a few more resources to help with those year-end adjustments:
What to Do When Life Shatters Your Plans
Let's Trade “Just Do It” for “Just Don't” (Productive Flourishing Pulse #482)
Breadcrumbs: How to Find Your Way Back to Your Project
Free subscribers: now might also be a great time for you to give our paid subscription a try. $10 a month will get you all these resources, our two monthly calls, the full digital suite of Momentum Planners, and more. Cancel anytime.
In case you missed Charlie chatting with Lisa Fain of the Center for Mentoring Excellence on the Thought Leader Conversation Series, you can watch the replay on YouTube here:
Thought Leader Conversation Series, Episode 34
Charlie shared strategies for creating mentoring relationships that last and adapt over time, and talked with Lisa about how small, intentional actions build partnerships that support personal and organizational success for years to come.
Mark your calendars for our December events, open to our paid subscribers:
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Leadership Strategy Session (LSS): Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 11:00 am PST
Closing with Integrity, Not ExhaustionBy December, the emotional and operational fatigue is real. Some teams coast. Others panic. Many just collapse. This session is about helping leaders close the year in a way they're proud of — aligned, spacious, and clear. Leadership in December is less about productivity and more about stewardship. Finish well, and you'll start stronger.
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Annual Reflection Workshop: Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 11:00 am PST
This month we're doing something different. Instead of our typical Monthly Momentum Call, we're offering a special 90-minute workshop to help you reflect on 2025 before you start planning 2026.
Most people jump too quickly into vision-casting for the new year and spend too little time in the reflective space. They can't see that they're either closer to where they last cast their vision, or that where they thought they wanted to go is no longer as relevant for them. In this workshop, we'll work through the reflection process together. This isn't about making plans. It's about seeing clearly — processing the year that was so you can step into the year ahead with intention rather than reaction.
The Momentum Planners were built to keep your most important work front and center. Download the free version of our December planners to help you determine what actions and ideas you need to focus on, and which you need to let go of (for now or for good).
Paid subscribers can access the full suite of dated planners below. 👇 If you don't see them, please make sure you're logged in to your paid account.
If you don't have a paid subscription yet, now's a great time to upgrade.
