10 Jan Walking Through New Doors

By Jennifer Davis Dodd

We’re almost two weeks into 2022, and I’ve been thinking a lot about old ways and new doors.

Like many women who’ve unexpectedly added “lived through a multi-year, global pandemic” to her bio, I’ve been assessing the “ways” I’ve lived since late 2019 and decided to abandon some of them in favor of walking through new doors in 2022. In my head, I’ve been calling these new doors “Comfort & Joy.” And I’ve been looking for ways to bring them into the personal and professional hours of each day.

Professionally, I’d like to make sure my “way” helps me work smarter, not harder, so workdays are more comfortable and joyful. I’m thinking about anything that makes work feel like a grind and what I can do to change that. So, I’ve been reading a lot about the “work about work” that so many of us do each and every day. Have you counted up the hours you spend drafting meeting agendas and then after-meeting reports? Or updating spreadsheets or project trackers?

Some of these tasks can’t be abandoned, of course, but I can certainly apply a little brainpower to streamlining those processes—and questioning why we do things a certain way at work and if there might be alternatives in this new normal.

I’ve resolved that I will control whatever I can about my work processes—starting with how much of my mental, physical and emotional energy I let flow into them. Do I need to be emotionally invested in every aspect of my daily to-dos? I’ve lived enough life to know that I have a very high personal standard for my work—and that “perfect” is an illusion. So, if I’m comfortable with my results at the end of the day or task or project, that’s now good enough.

I’m also looking for opportunities to reframe how I think about things that make me uncomfortable or feel joyless. I had a recent epiphany around a tool my company uses all day that I really dislike. Functionally it’s perfect, but I was resentful of it. It felt like a micro-management tool until I was reviewing my entries one week and finally noticed a distinct pattern in my productivity. Are you familiar with the concept of flow? The tool I once considered disruptive and gave constant side-eye has helped me understand the best times to start specific tasks and projects. Oh, joy!

Living and working from home through the pandemic, I’d already learned to redefine my level of panic-inducing clutter, but now that we’re cautiously gathering again, I’m also embracing the idea of “scruffy hospitality.” I’ve always been very house proud—and I’ve exhausted myself (and my husband) before parties and visits, trying to make sure every square inch is perfectly spotless. But now that it’s been so long since I’ve seen, hugged and laughed with people we love in our home—and we’ve lost some of them forever—I’d rather hoard my energy to pour into our time together.

What greater comfort and joy than to be with loved ones again? I mean, it’s not as if dust bunnies actually bite!

Whatever changes you’re thinking of making in the name of a new year or the new normal, I hope they bring you comfort and joy!For more HERStory information, join our private Facebook group and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.  Never miss a new HERStory, subscribe to the monthly newsletter.

We want to hear your story. Your story is my story. Help us empower other women by sharing your story.