Trade your December to-do list for a December Ta-Da List!

I can’t take credit for coming up with that name. One year a Collective member used the term during a monthly planning session, and it stuck. And since then, it’s become a yearly ritual for me.

Usually, I help the members of the See Jane Write Collective each month set 3 major goals -– one writing goal, one wellness goal, and one goal for another area of life that needs attention. But December is such a wacky month for most folks, and we usually have a long list of things we want, need, and must wrap up before the end of the year. But we turn this to-do list into a ta-da list by making sure we include fun stuff and acts of self-care too.

My Rules for My December Ta-Da List

I’m an Enneagram 1 who can’t function without order, so I had to give myself some rules for my December Ta-Da List and I revise these rules each year. (If you don’t need rules, feel free to skip this part.)

No more than 30 tasks.

The idea here is that I will try to complete one task per day. And keep in mind that most of the things on this list are to be fun things such as holiday parties, Christmas tree lightings, or travel. But you can also include things you need to do to prep for the holidays and for the new year.

No more than 3 big tasks.

I consider a “big task” anything that can’t be started and finished in one day. Deep cleaning my home and catching up on my bookkeeping are two big tasks on my list. Having more than three big tasks on your list will not only stress you out but also is probably unrealistic.

Include at least 1 writing task.

I write for a living, so obviously I write all the time. But the writing-related tasks on my December Ta-Da List are things that can easily get pushed aside because I’m always so focused on the writing that I do for my clients. This year, on the list is to create an editorial plan for my Substack which I plan to launch in 2025.

Include at least 1 wellness task (preferably more).

A healthy writer is a happy writer – and a more productive one, too. I have several wellness tasks on my list this year, things for the mind, body, and spirit: at-home spa day, revamp skincare routine, attend Longest Night Service, and finish the books I started this year.

Include at least 10 fun things.

To make this list more ta-da than to-do, I’ve decided that this year I wanted at least a third of my list to be fun things. Each year in December I prioritize reconnecting with loved ones. Instead of saying “Let’s circle back after the holidays” I try to plan lunches and brunches with friends before the year comes to an end. Life is too short to postpone time with the people who matter most.

Other fun things on the list include dinner at a local restaurant that I want to try out and a day trip to the High Museum in Atlanta to check out an exhibit I want to see.

How to Create Your December Ta-Da List

To make my list, I first do a brain dump of all the following:

  • all the things I need, must, and want to do before 2025
  • things that will help me have a great January
  • things on my Fall Bucket List I haven’t done yet
  • any writing-related things I’d like to do.
  • things for my health and wellness

After my brain dump, I whittle down my list to 30 things using the rules above. And ta-da! That’s my December Ta-Da List.

Here’s something I’d love for you to add to your December Ta-Da List. On Sunday, December 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. CT I’ll be hosting my annual Write the Vision workshop, which is designed to help you set your goals for 2025 and develop a plan for actually accomplishing them. And it’s FREE.

Learn more and get registered here.