Hi friends,

 

 

I am grateful for my 2023 self for sticking to doing monthly reviews.

 

As I am (still) doing my annual review of last year, I discovered I committed to the monthly review the most compared to previous years, and in the months I did not do it, like the crazy summer months, I kept doing weekly reviews that I can easily refer to in order review those months.

Reading last year’s monthly reviews feels like opening time capsules that take me back to different versions of my past self: the creative self, the homemaker self, the traveler self, and the sick-stay-at-home self.

 

Reading my reviews, I notice what makes me happy because it is there in my wins, and I see the struggles that keep arising and need solving once and for all.

 

Tempted to try?

 

That was my clever way of inviting you to do your first monthly review of the year. Book a time on your calendar to do it this week, and also think of where you will do it: at your office, home, or perhaps in a coffee house.

 

January 2024 felt like it went by so fast for some people, but we all would agree that lots happened in those 31 days, and if we don’t reflect on our achievements and challenges, we will not learn from them, and next month will be no different.

 

 

2023 was a year where I was also most committed to planning my month on an empty monthly calendar. This habit allowed me to visually see how much time I realistically had to work on my goals, like creating content, seeing friends, or recording podcast episodes.

 

Giving time to your goals is the only way they will grow, but you will only make progress if you are in touch with how much time you roughly have every week and every month.

 

Two habits to try this week that will reward you and strengthen your connection to time:

1- Review the past month.

2. Plan the new month.

 

Thank me later.

 

A snapshot from my week: the location of a cool event I participated in as a productivity expert

Here is your weekly dose of The Sunday Spark ⚡️ a newsletter listing 3 sparks that I thought were worth starting your week with*: 

 

1. ❓ I love conversation starters like these: 100 Best Questions to Ask to Get to Know Someone Better. (Note: I've been using the 'Cultivated Conversations' set in my corporate training sessions and with friends. Additionally, the couples' set has added a fresh twist to our date nights, while the family set is perfect for car rides or waits at restaurants with the kids. Now, you can enjoy a 10% discount on any card set (or any item site-wide) with my code BARDEESS at checkout).

 

2. 🇵🇸 Advocate for Palestine in English, Arabic, German, French, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese using this generous file created by amazing spirits. Also, make sure to check the file: A Guide To Amplifying Palestinian Voices, available on the same page. Learn more from Salam Katanani here. (BTW, I learned that a good question we can ask to know someone better, as mentioned in the previous spark, is: Where do you stand from the Palestinian cause?)

 

3. The key word in the wonderful quote below is DO:

"But I think of the words of Dr. Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Doing our best now is an active thing, and so is knowing better. We don’t show up and then wait to magically know better. We show up and then, when we are corrected, we keep working. We listen hard so we can know better next time. We seek out teachers so we can know better next time. We let burn our ideas about how good and well-meaning we are so we can become better next time. Learning to know better is a commitment. We will only know better if we continue unbecoming.”  

― Glennon Doyle, Untamed

 

(Thank you Readwise for helping me find this quote from my readings)

* Note: To the best of my ability, I am trying to share content by authors who have not disappointed me, and they are hard to come by! Please let me know if any author I share about showed disrespect to Palestine.

 

 

 

See you next Sunday First name / my dear friend