As a child, I could count on Baba, my mother’s mother, for many things, among them cucumber sandwiches whenever I wanted, afternoons on the front porch swing at her house in Cuyahoga Falls, and the most delicious cinnamon rolls on the planet. But even more than those, I could count on her to patiently, incrementally mark the passage of time.
“The days are getting longer,” she’d say, in her soft, sing-songy grandmother voice, very nearly every afternoon from late December to about mid-April. And then, “The days are getting shorter,” beginning just after school started in August, through Thanksgiving. Her voice still pops into my head now, decades later, when I need to turn on the light in my living room at 3 p.m. or turn off my headlights during the morning commute.
Back then, I loved this way of noting the change of seasons. I sought out each additional moment of daylight, as it signaled inching closer and closer to summer and my birthday. And, in turn, I relished when nighttime came earlier and earlier, as I knew that brought me nearer to Christmas, my favorite time of year.
But now, as an adult with a job and bills and deadlines, now, I curse the heavens—and sometimes Baba, too—when I merely blink and, seemingly, months have passed.
Just last week, when a colleague mentioned in a meeting that the Fourth of July holiday was just around the corner, I had that familiar moment of desperate realization, unmitigated denial, and abject terror: Holy crap. It’s July.
That thought was swiftly followed by more cursing and the inevitable, yet no less bewildered, question: Where the heck did June go?
This panic at the swift passage of time feels particularly acute now, in July, at the midpoint of the year. Despite our best efforts, all the grand ideas, ambitious plans, and lofty goals we set for ourselves back in January seem to rear their heads and demand attention.
Have you gone to the gym three times a week, like you said you would?
Have you increased the contribution to your retirement fund, like you promised your financial planner?
Have you increased your website traffic by 10%, like you committed to in your annual review?
Have you made any progress on that novel, like you’ve been saying you would for the last three years?
I can feel the panic rising in my throat as I type.
And this is where it gets dangerous. That feeling, the worry that time is slipping away, the certainty that there’s so much to do and you’re so far behind, the dread that there’s only six months left to get anything done—this can send good leaders down a bad road.
In times of conflict, stress, or overwhelm, it’s so much easier to default to the Reactive tendencies of complying, controlling, and protecting, than it is to reach for Creative competencies, like self-awareness or authenticity. The result is often knee-jerk decision-making, overcompensation, and closed-mindedness. When the self-limiting beliefs inherent in Reactive tendencies take hold, leaders are more likely to choose caution over creativity, self-preservation over engagement, and aggression over collaboration.
What to do?
First, beware of the trap. As with any bad habit, the first step is becoming aware of it. When a time crunch puts you in a state of panic, pause. Recognize that you may be giving way to fear and insecurity. Gather your thoughts. The temptation to rush and appease (“What can we do right this second to fix this?”), to take over (“I’ll just do it myself.”), or to criticize (“I’m so lazy; I should have known I could never accomplish this to begin with.”) may be strong, but you are stronger.
After all, the realization that we’re halfway through the year is actually a gift. It’s the opportunity to review each of your goals with fresh eyes and the benefit of all the knowledge you’ve gained over the last six months. While there are many approaches to help you do this, my favorite consists of three simple steps:
- Reevaluate each goal.
Ask yourself: Does this goal still make sense? Have any of my priorities changed? - Revise goals if necessary.
Ask yourself: Are there small adjustments I can make so that my goal is more relevant or impactful? Is this goal too big or too small? Can I break it down into smaller, more manageable goals or, conversely, combine it with others in order to make significant progress? - Replace any goals that are no longer useful.
Ask yourself: Have circumstances changed? Are there any new or different goals that would better serve me?
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that this sort of midyear check-in is not only natural but a really good idea. Just as important as setting goals is resetting them, and effective leaders understand that it’s better to do a little midcourse correcting than it is to find yourself way off your target at the end of the year.
Now is the time to examine your goals with renewed energy. After all, it’s July, and the days are getting shorter.
