Tuesday Thoughts | 31 December 2024 | Happy New Year!

In December of 2019, I set an intention for the coming year – Outsource, Automate, and Delegate – and then a few months later the entire world tipped on its ear. Which as it turns out was a really good proofing ground for my 2020 mantra.

For the last five years I have been systematically looking for areas of my life that, while necessary, are inefficient, and finding ways to ‘pay my way out’ of them. Yes, I have a system for figuring out ‘how much money, is too much money’ to buy back my time, and of course, I’ve also discovered the things that I actually enjoy doing.

And, as an added benefit, I’ve actually found that sometimes more efficient is actually less expensive as well – case-in-point, I save an estimated $50 per week by not impulse buying my way through the grocery store and planning my meal prep around what is on sale.

As the sun sets tonight on the year 2024, I find myself considering, what the next iteration of Outsource, Automate and Delegate – is going to be? The somewhat obvious answer I suppose, is finding ways to integrate AI and LLMs into my work, but I think it goes deeper than that.

For starters, Outsourcing, Automating and Delegating has proved to be much like Decluttering (the somewhat unplanned theme of 2016/2017); it is an iterative process, and one where decisions get easier make once you’ve got some experience (and success) under your belt.

As we sprint through the last hours of 2024, I have been deeply engaged in future planning, off and on for several weeks, and I am asking myself, how can I continue to do less of the things that are not the best and highest use of my time and skills?

One of my biggest ‘hacks’ for getting through my list of tasks and to-dos, has been to create rituals, I have A LOT of small habits and routines built into my days and weeks to help me get stuff done, meet my goals, and identify areas that need a little extra TLC.

Another big step in getting ready to welcome 2025, has been literally clearing out the old to make room for the new; be it moving 2024 files from short-term to long-term filing; or doing another round of decluttering in my most used spaces.

Finally, I’ve been taking stock, what worked, what didn’t, what goals did I accomplish – or get closer to accomplishing – and what did I simply stop caring about along the way? Sometimes, just making progress is as important as checking the box; as an example, I set a goal to read 25 books in 2024, I’m going to come up several books short – but not as short as if I hadn’t had visual trackers to keep motivating me towards making progress.

In fact, something I will be putting away, are all of the books I did read this year. They’re sitting on top of one of the shelves in my office, side by side; I even bought special bookends to hold them up so that I could always visually mark my progress.

I also wrote another book this year, in fact this is the final section (not including the acknowledgements page) that will appear in that volume. And, speaking of goals that didn’t get accomplished, that other book, the one I’ve been chipping away at for years, is no closer to being done than it was this time last year.

So, what’s on the to-do list for 2025? Well, dear reader, you’ll just have to keep coming back next year to help me track my progress towards some new, and old goals. I will continue to be anchored by my Mission, Values and Causes I care about.

This week’s call to action is to take stock of the year that was, and build on your successes, towards achieving the goals you continue to care about. Happy New Year!

New and Noteworthy is a collection of things readers of #TuesdayThoughts might find interesting, important, or informative;

📣Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion): Yesterday I shared what I believe to be the important first step to setting Goals for 2025 and Beyond | I was profiled by Destination Markham Corporation in my new(ish) role as a Board Member.

🗓️Hold These Dates: January 19, 2025 - Launch Event for the final book in the Tuesday Thoughts Companion Trilogy (Unionville, ON) - RSVP Today | January 20, 2025 - Official Launch Day for The Tuesday Thoughts Companion: A Year of Small Actions for Big Impact: Volume 3 | I'm looking for a handful of Speaking and Consulting Engagements through late 2024 and into 2025 to continue to make an impact. Details of my offerings are on my website daniellerussell.ca.

📖 What to Read: Giving with impact: Effective ways to help charities from MoneyTalk h/t Maryann Kerr, MA Leadership | Have diversity initiatives died? Maybe in the U.S. — but there is still time for Canada from The Toronto Star: Opinion h/t Dr. Ruby Latif (DSocSc) .

👷🏽♀️Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer): Member Engagement Coordinator @ Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors h/t Gemma Beierback | Manager, Executive Office and Governance @ Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund h/t Janine Manning | Brand Manager, Consumer Shows @ Blue Ant Media h/t Amy Worrell .

✒️ Take Note: Following the Canada Post Strike, the Government of Canada has announced an extension of the 2024 charitable donations deadline to February 28, 2025.

CALL FOR CONTENT: I crowd source 99% of what appears in New and Noteworthy, but I would love the help of the Tuesday Thoughts Community to identify content about you and for you. Got a cool new project? A Job Posting to Fill? Or just something you found interesting? DM me with a link.

I am a Certified Association Executive with over a dozen years of experience in leadership positions across Canada’s Not-for-Profit Sector, with deep ties in the Meetings and Events Industry. I use the art of storytelling in speech and writing to explain ideas, and to inform audiences and readers on a variety of topics. Learn more about how we can collaborate;

🤝 Consulting Services: I offer a suite of consulting services for Associations and Charities, and am interested in working with likeminded organizations on projects that contribute to better governance, leadership and the overall growth and health of Canada’s Association and Not-for-Profit Industries.

🗣️ Speaker/Facilitator: I have spoken to standing room only crowds in the Association and Events sectors, connecting ideas and people; topics include, The Introvert Experience, Imposter Syndrome and Mentorship, EDI: Lived Experience as a BIPOC Woman in Leadership, Minimalism and Essentialism, Finding Your Voice and Building Your Unique Brand, Making and Impact, and the #TuesdayThoughtsFormula. NEW: Speaker Onesheet (ratesheet available on request)

✍🏽 Contributing Writer: I have written for Industry Publications and Blogs with a focus on the role of Associations, Volunteerism, and the Intersection of Not-for-Profit Management and many current social and economic trends. My inclination towards storytelling lends itself well to the style of Creative Non-Fiction.

⚛️ The Tuesday Thoughts Formula: I am on a mission to inspire actions that amplify my impact, each week I follow the #TuesdayThoughtsForumla to deliver a call to action inspired by relevant stories; new this year, I’m bringing live demonstrations of the formula to the stage to help conference, event and meeting attendees tell their own stories that amplify their ROI of in-person attendance.

💻 Check out my website daniellerussell.ca or email me: danielle@daniellerussell.ca

🚀 I’m on a Mission to Change The World, By Inspiring Actions That Amplify My Impact! Despite my Introverted tendencies, if I have any hope of success this cannot be a solo affair. Join my community where I Connect People and Ideas;

💭 Tuesday Thoughts: Join the #TuesdayThoughts community, subscribe to the Newsletter and get your copy of the #TuesdayThoughtsBook, The Tuesday Thoughts Companion: A Year of Small Actions for Big Impact. Like, Comment and Share to keep the conversation going, and amplify the thoughts that inspire you to action.

🤝 Let’s Be Friends: LinkedIn: Danielle S. Russell, CAE, C.Dir (she/her)