One of my favorite things from 2023, this OOAK Artume Ring and the rest of the Luna Collection.
I have fully embraced annual mantras, finding them so much less guilt-inducing than resolutions. Last year’s is still a favorite—“Have More Fun”—and felt relevant after the difficult November and December I’d just had. Those words helped me have an overall more pleasant 2023.
And even though I’m better at taking spontaneous breaks for mini adventures, the thing I can’t seem to stop doing is over-scheduling my days. I give myself too many things to accomplish and treat my to-do list like a wish list instead of an achievable task list. I beat myself up if I don’t finish everything on it; when hiccups or unexpected delays come up I get huffy and bent out of shape. It’s not pretty.
In reflecting on this past year my new mantra for 2024 became obvious: Do Less. I need to cram less into my calendar in order to give myself the time and flexibility to concentrate on productive, good things—specifically, making beautiful jewelry you’re excited to wear.
“Do Less” might sound ridiculous for a small business owner operating within American hustle culture, but my problem is the slow crushing of my soul from trying to do it all, not laziness. At my first job out of college I enthusiastically collated and stapled presentation documents on the floor until 9:30pm on my birthday; I have not shaken this near-pathological need to stay busy and be productive.
“Do Less” feels like a gentle reminder to stop, breathe, and remember my most important, rewarding goals: making great jewelry, enjoying life, baking (and/or eating) delicious things, and cutting out the things that won’t get me there. It’s a reminder to focus on the task at hand instead of doing it poorly because my brain is already thinking about what’s next. It’s a reminder to slow down, be more purposeful, and be more present.
I hope that me “doing less” means that you’ll have lots of interesting, new jewelry to look at this year, that I can wow you with beautiful new stones, and that each piece ends up feeling more special. I hope that I can be fully present when we meet at markets because I didn’t just work 14 days in a row, and that my responses to your questions are more thoughtful even if I take longer to respond.
The big challenge will be pushing past distractions (constant refreshing of my Instagram feed) and climbing back out of rabbit holes (“I have to buy this one stone, maybe I should just look at the *hundreds* of other stones while I’m here??). But I’m willing to try if it improves my life even 1%.
Here’s to giving it a try in 2024!