Writing Excuses

19.52: End of Year Reflections: Navigating Speedbumps

Dec 29, 2024

The hosts share personal stories of overcoming life’s challenges, reflecting on career and health obstacles in 2024. They discuss balancing productivity with well-being and the humorous side of procrastination. Self-awareness emerges as a crucial theme for personal growth. Strategies for mental health, including dietary choices, are explored. The conversation shifts to navigating emotional pain and learning to say no for self-preservation. Lastly, there's a focus on coping strategies and the importance of restorative practices as the year comes to a close.

29:41

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Quick takeaways

Identifying personal speed bumps and breaking tasks into smaller pieces can help maintain progress during challenging times.

Adapting to significant life changes requires reassessing management strategies and recognizing the need for space to adjust effectively.

Deep dives

Navigating Life's Speed Bumps

Identifying and addressing speed bumps in life, such as personal loss or health challenges, is crucial for maintaining progress. One speaker reflects on coping with the emotional toll of multiple deaths in their family, emphasizing the importance of breaking tasks down into manageable pieces when facing such hardships. Strategies like focusing on smaller goals and celebrating even the smallest progress can provide a sense of accomplishment and motivation. By employing these methods, one can navigate through difficult times while continuing to move forward.

Intro

2min

Navigating Life's Speed Bumps

9min

Navigating Ideas of Self and Cinematic Expectations

2min

Navigating Retreats and Coping Strategies for Mental Health

4min

Balancing Productivity and Well-Being

13min

Navigating Honesty and Restorative Practices

3min

Today, we’re reflecting on 2024. Individually, all of us went through a lot throughout the year—we encountered myriad speed bumps that slowed us down in different ways.. How do you balance your workload with your own personal life and its needs? How can you help make navigating these speedbumps easier by knowing your own limits and needs? We give you specific questions you can ask yourself in order to locate your problem points and figure out how to rearrange your life (and your stories about your own life) in order to not over-exhaust yourself.

Thing of the Week: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Homework: Once a day for the next week, identify and write down something that is causing you pain. At the end of your week, look through your list and identify the one that is causing the most pain, and try to bulldoze it.

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Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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