Are you like me today, who almost missed the crucial day "Winter Solstice is as big as the New Year" while busy in front of the computer? The work at hand is complicated and complicated, and the to-do list on the computer desktop is getting longer and longer. It seems that there is no end in sight. Moreover, the sense of ritual and warmth that should exist in life are quietly squeezed aside. In fact, this is not just a dilemma for you and me. Many people let the warm days slip through their fingers in the busyness of the end of the year. Today, let’s talk about how to find the “big as the year” of the winter solstice in the busy world, and at the same time sort out the messy to-do list on hand.

What is the "bigness" of the Winter Solstice?

This ancient proverb "Winter Solstice is as big as the year" has been spread to the present and has a profound origin. It was once regarded as the time anchor of "year". In the Zhou Dynasty, the winter solstice was regarded as the beginning of the new year. In the Han Dynasty, some people celebrated the winter solstice as the real "beginning of the year". Now the date of the new year has been changed. However, the cultural core of the winter solstice, such as reunion, ancestor worship, and hope for rebirth, still makes it very grand. In the eyes of the ancients, the winter solstice has the shortest day, but it is the turning point of "one sun returns to the beginning", which means that the deepest chill already contains the vitality of recovery. Therefore, people will show their respect for nature and love for life through rich and diverse food customs, such as eating dumplings in the north and glutinous rice balls or mutton soup in the south.

"Winter Solstice Anxiety" in the Digital Age: When Busyness Devours the Sense of Ritual

However, in today’s fast-paced work, we may be experiencing a kind of “winter solstice anxiety”: you know it’s important, but you don’t have time to pay attention to it. On the computer screen, various meeting reminders, project deadlines, and scattered communication records are piled up in a mess. You may say to yourself: "I'll wait until I clear this to-do list before I think about the holidays." But the reality is that the old ones are not eliminated, new ones appear, the list is endless, and that important day is completely forgotten in the "I'll talk about it later." We lose our sense and control of time, and our lives become boring. The ancients drew the "Nine-nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Nine-Cold-Resisting Pictures, drawing one stroke every day and quietly waiting for the arrival of spring. So for us, is it necessary to have a tool to sort out the complexity and chaos of the digital world and find the light in life that should not be missed?

A list to arrange work and life: minimum effort, maximum return

Regaining a sense of control can actually start with a very small thing: having a to-do list that is always clear and visible at any time. This does not require you to record everything in detail, but you need to capture the key points. A high-quality list should be like the winter solstice, which contains a high-efficiency philosophy: "minimalist" in form and "eternal" in function .

It can help you "at a glance" arrange various tasks according to priority or project. The most important to-do items are always at the top. You no longer need to look for what to do next among messy sticky notes or chat records. Just as the winter solstice is a clear point in the transition between yin and yang, your list should also be the dividing line between work and leisure, urgency and importance.

It can help you "plan for the future." For life matters such as "call your parents next week" and "buy ingredients for the Winter Solstice dinner", you can easily set dates and reminders for them. With the harmonious coexistence of the to-do items at work and the to-do items in life, when you are sprinting for performance, you will not miss the warm reminder that "if you don't bring the dumpling bowl during the winter solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care."

It can even help you "Easy review" ! Those completed tasks will be automatically archived. When you review each week, you can clearly see how much work you have completed, and you can also distinguish how long you have invested in your life. The sense of accomplishment brought by such "completion" is itself a good medicine to combat the anxiety of busyness.

Today is the winter solstice, start by sorting out a list

On the day with the shortest day and longest night, which is the winter solstice, it is the starting point of a new cycle. At this time, instead of being overwhelmed by disordered to-dos, it is better to take the initiative to draw a clear dividing line and spend a few minutes to pour all the things that are swirling in your mind into a list, whether it is a major work matter like "submitting the year-end report" or a small life matter like "remember to eat rice dumplings tonight".

When you free them from your brain's short-term memory and present them clearly before your eyes, you will find that your anxiety is also released. You regain control and can calmly decide what must be accomplished today and what can be planned for tomorrow. And such a list is the symbol of "One Yang and Another Start" on your digital desktop.

Take action now. Open your checklist tool, or create a new document. First, write down three things that must be completed today, and then write down two small things that can add a sense of ritual to this winter solstice. Starting today, let a clear plan lead you to the end of the year more calmly, and welcome every "big as a year" day with more warmth;

The winter solstice has arrived, and spring is expected to return. I hope you can sort out the order in your busy life and find the warmth of life in the order.

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