Four approaches to tackle 2024

by Alice Alessandri and Alberto Aleo

Every January, social media, newspapers, blogs, and newsletters give advice on how to start the new year. We at Passodue also want to play a part in this tradition, and we will do so by outlining four approaches to tackle 2024, which, in our opinion, represent the main ways people behave in these cases. We will give you an overview of these approaches, assess their pros and cons, and provide some advice to those who decide to adopt them. We believe there isn’t one perfect strategy to make the most of 2024 because each of us has their own way of dealing with uncertainty, change, and challenges that the new year brings, and it all comes down to our character, our values, and to the beliefs that guide our lives. However, it’s vital not to get stuck in old behavioural habits that would only re-enact a film you’ve already watched, eliminating the transformational power of this special moment of the year. Here is a presentation of four characters who are dealing with the beginning of 2024.

The Planner

For the Planner, the beginning of the year is dedicated to working hard. There are strategies to come up with, plans to write up, and budgets to calculate. This kind of person has doubtlessly found an efficient method to do all of this, having built a “perfect” system throughout the years to keep their life under control, prevent surprises and taking all the necessary decisions in advance, so as not to find themselves unprepared in the months to come. Jotting down these plans is almost physically pleasing to them, restoring a sense of safety and control that they love to experience. But what would happen if in the morning, while getting ready to prepare the schedule, the Planner had the horrific realisation that they had mistakenly deleted all files related to 2023, i.e., the files they needed to base their prediction on? After an initial sense of panic, our friend would relax because they have a back-up from previous years they can tap into. This sudden increase in adrenaline triggers a new and disconcerting question in the mind of the Planner, “If all of my perfectly planned years are so alike, am I actually living my life through the rear-view mirror, without surprises or any significant evolution?”.

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Excessive organisation makes our existence static, and this inflexibility doesn’t allow anything new to come into our lives.

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If you think you are akin to the Planner’s description, our advice for you is to keep an eye on the main guidelines you have for your life while keeping a few blank pages where you can practice your creativity, rediscovering the pleasure of the unexpected.

You can find a few inspirations in the article we have dedicated to change.

The “Fatalist”

“Is it New Year’s Eve already?” is what the Fatalist asks themselves, getting off their bed and tripping in the clothes they left on the floor last night. Their house is untidy, but after all what’s the point of holidays if not to rest and take a break from the usual routine. In a few days, it will be back to the treadmill, to getting organised with work, to recovering those relationships that were left behind, to those approaching deadlines, and much more, but who cares? All that matters now is that we’re still on holiday! For this kind of person, life must be taken lightly and with a little fatalism because, in the end, everything goes well if you make a little effort to channel them. Isn’t this the beauty of life? Learning to follow the flow and to improvise, if necessary, that’s what really matters. While getting ready to start the first day of the year with this frame of mind, they get a phone call from their Planner friend who, in line with his personality, asks what their plans are of 2024. They boldly reply by emphasising their view on life based on freedom, simplicity, and devoid of constraints or social conventions that prevent effective planning. Their speech sounds enthusiastic and convincing but, while listening to themselves, the Fatalist realises that they don’t really believe in it completely and a question pops up in their mind: “Am I passively living live or am I actively directing it towards what I really care about?”.

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Living a fatalist life might seem fun and easy, but don’t mistake freedom for absence of responsibility, which results in a loss of authority over your own projects and important choices.

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If you see yourself in the Fatalist profile, we suggest you read the article on the wording of goals so as to define a clear direction for your new year and to help you experience real freedom, which you get when you fully express your real nature.

Foto di Lidya Nada su Unsplash

The Enthusiast

For the Enthusiast, this is the best time of the year. There are meetings to arrange, new initiatives to launch, and new projects to approve. The new year brings exciting change that must be faced boldly and fully enjoyed. Finally, everything that is old will be thrown away, and we can leave the effort and the boredom of the previous year behind. Our friend’s energy is off the charts, and their telephone keeps ringing because of friends’ invitations, colleagues suggesting new collaborations, and clients that want to share ideas to work on in the next months.

While addressing all these stimuli, the Enthusiast glances at their face in the mirror and realises they look tired. This strained image of themselves is so upsetting that they decide to sit down and think whether it might be a better idea to live this moment with a little more calm, taking it more as a slow continuation rather than an exciting but forced change.

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We all need stimuli to face the new year but beware of the “doping effect” they can have. They can act as an anaesthetic, separating us from reality and making us lose touch with our real needs.

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Do you feel like the Enthusiast? Then read the article we dedicated to the perception of pace so that you can experience 2024 in harmony with the flow of life and your deepest feelings. 

The Weary

They’ve just had another sleepless night. The kids woke up at least three times, then an alarm went off somewhere and, at that point, the mind of the Weary switched on and started thinking about sending out invoices, reminding the plumber to come again, and renewing the insurance. There’s no escaping it, the beginning of the year brings countless errands that need dealing with quickly before a new whirlwind of work, family duties, and all that comes with them start again. For the ones who feel the burden of their tiredness, thinking about 2024 is equivalent to imagining a huge mountain to climb. As a result, they can’t help being overwhelmed by frustration and dejection when they realise how hard it will be to face the next 12 months with the burden of the past year on their shoulders.

While our Weary friend is pondering all of this, his youngest daughter wakes up and comes to hug them. They start playing together on the carpet, and laughter and hugs relieve the burden. They suddenly realise that what defines their life isn’t time or effort but the pleasure of doing the things they care about with the people they love.

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All our lives are full of duties and overloaded by activities, and looking back at the way we spend our days makes us think we are a hamster on a wheel, but we shouldn’t give in to the temptation of mistaking quantity with quality: we should keep asking ourselves if we like what we are doing, who we are spending time with, and if it’s really worth it.

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When you feel exhausted like the Weary, take a moment to reread the article on tactics and strategy, to take control over our life, so as to live our life as protagonists who are, at times, tired, but at least satisfied. 

In any case, regardless of your approach to 2024, Passodue wishes you a year full of happiness, success, and ethics!

Diario di un consulente will be with you every week with new content. Our goal, in fact, is to be with you and support you throughout the year. 

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