"'Tis the season!"
Although it isn't said as authentically as it once was, in the west we know that no season takes on as much of its own persona as the winter holidays. At time of writing, we are currently nestled in the last week between the Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's Eve/etc holidays, a sort of last bit of permission to labor amidst the three major holidays in the US.
I've been working to curate more seasonality in my life, in my work, physical fitness and mindset. Like many others I benefitted from the pronounced and specific structure of adolescent life: School, Sports, Semesters, Finals, etc.
The season gave cues to the behaviors we should take to make best use of the time.
For basketball, at any level, it was very simple:
Winter - Season (performance)
Spring - Postseason Workouts (optimization)
Summer - AAU & Offseason (rest & work on skills)
Fall - Preseason Workouts (preparation)
For school, just as straightforward:
Fall - School starts
Winter - finish the semester, finals and holidays
Spring - spring break, midterms
Summer - school's out, rest, relax, vacation
Yet once we enter the "real world" most of that seasonality that was dictated to us over the years is left for us to create in our own lives, or not. From my own experience, my first 10 years of my professional career were spent in an "always on" seasonality. In the 3 years following the outbreak of COVID-19, I've been curious as to what seasonality would look like in my professional and personal life, but have met a lot of resistance and it seems as though the status quo on seasonality is: "We'll get to it when we get to it."
As part of my efforts to bring seasonality into my life, I decided to go back to my habit of making an end of the year list. What gets measured gets managed, after all.
So I've attempted to do that below, from TV and Entertainment to Health, Diabetes & otherwise, here are my Top 5 lists of 2022. Videos and social media posts to follow!
enjoy
Rob
Top 5 lists of 2022
Top 5 Favorite New TV Show Episodes of 2022
Andor S1 E10 - "One Way Out"
Rings of Power S1 E6 - "Udün"
The Bear S1 E7 - "Review"
Tokyo Vice S1 E1 - "The Test"
We Own the City S1 E6 - "Part 6"
Note: I have yet to watch Severance, Abbott Elementary and Industry, but they are next up.
Top 5 Movies of 2022
Top Gun: Maverick
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.
Nope
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Top 5 Reads of 2022
4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Heat 2 by Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner
A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan
Top 5 Purchases Under $100 in 2022
Athletic Greens AG1 monthly subscription
Nedrelow Laptop Mat
Momentous Supplements Magnesium Threonate
Slant Boards
Move Insoles All Day Shoe Inserts
Top 5 Meaningful Personal Changes I Made in 2022
Adding 20 push-ups to my morning routine
Renu Therapy Cold Immersion Tank
No caffeine for the first 90 mins of the day
Journaling before I get on my computer
All-Time low levels of Alcohol Consumption
Top 5 Diabetes Decisions
Taking a pump break to let my body heal
Going back on my pump after the break
Listening to my body and switching back to Humalog from Lyumjev
Focusing on sleep, hydration and movement as part of my essential Diabetes therapy
Recognizing and accepting that my needs as a person with Diabetes are different than the general Diabetes population
Top 5 Questions for 2023
How can I do more with less?
What is enough?
Am I operating in gratitude?
What does consistency look like?
Do I need rest or adventure?