Well, it’s the first week of January. And whether you’re back to work or eking out a few more hours of unstructured liminal time, the arrival of New Year energy is imminent. You know what I mean by New Year energy—it’s that annual infusion of urgency, striving, and discipline that comes crashing down on our post-holiday mellowness. And if we’re not paying attention, that New Year energy will sweep us out to sea.

What if this year, we embraced patience? 

In this piece, I share how baking has helped me feel good about going slow and why that’s crucial to the way I work.

Footnotes:

• You Belong by Sebene Selassie
• “The Human-Built World Is Not Built For Humans” by L. M. Sacasas
• Music available on Track Club by Marmoset

Essay versions of podcast episodes are released every Thursday on the website. Sign up for What Works Weekly to have them delivered to your inbox: explorewhatworks.com/weekly

Start the new year with a radically different approach to goal-setting. Grab my new book, What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal-Setting: explorewhatworks.com/book

Or join me for a brand-new live workshop on January 10, 17, and 24 called Work In Practice: workinpractice.life

Today’s episode is an edited and updated version of a piece that was originally published in December 2021.