Here’s how to make the final months of 2025 count without burning out
Last week, I glanced at the calendar and felt my stomach drop. November starts in a few days. Then December. Then... 2026. Two months. Sixty days. Didn’t they only just pack the last of the dancing santas away at the shops? I felt a familiar pang of panic rising.
I began to mentally calculate my personal and professional progress: have I made the most of this year? Am I who and where I wanted to be? Have I done ‘enough’? The familiar wave of inadequacy washed over me. Not enough time. Not enough progress. You should have done more by now.
Then my daughter called from the garden: "Mummy, come see! The leaves are coming back on the frangipani tree!" And something shifted for me. I stopped getting caught up in comparisons and feeling an urgency to cram these final months full. I know deep down I can make the final months count without burning myself out. Just like the tree, I will blossom when I’m ready and my own rhythm is just right.
So, what if these final two months aren't the disappointing epilogue to an imperfect year? What if they're actually your most potent opportunity for intentional living? What if, instead of apologising for what you haven't done, you could take a moment to ponder on progress made and celebrate what you still have time to create? Doesn’t that sound better?
The rest of your year is waiting. And it doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be yours.
The Story We Tell Ourselves About November and December
We've been culturally conditioned to see the final months of the year in one of two unhelpful ways:
The "Just Survive" Narrative: These months are about endurance. Get through the school term, manage the chaos, brace yourself for summer (or winter, depending where you are reading this!) … the loudest message is one of overwhelm, stress and switching on survival mode.
The "Last-Chance Panic" Narrative: Frantic scrambling to salvage the year, desperate attempts to squeeze in every unmet goal, exhausting ourselves trying to become who we thought we'd be by now before the clock runs out and the next chapter starts.
Neither of these stories serves us.
Research by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman reveals something fascinating about human memory: we don't remember experiences accurately. We remember the peak moments and the ending. This is called the Peak-End Rule, and it has profound implications for how you approach your year.
This means how you close your year literally rewrites how you'll remember the entire year.
That difficult February? The long and lull-filled winter? The mediocre autumn? All of it gets reframed by how these final two months feel. You have the power to create an ending that transforms your entire narrative.
You're not "too late." You're exactly on time to claim the ending you want. So fear not and let’s take the pressure off.
The Two-Month Framework: Complete and Rest
Forget grand transformations - you don't need them. What you need is clarity about these two very different months ahead.
November: The Month of Completion
November wants to be productive chaos - holiday prep, shopping lists, social obligations piling up before you've even processed what happened to October. What if you reclaimed it as something else entirely November is your completion month. Not starting, not planning - completing.
Dr. Teresa Amabile's research on motivation reveals that nothing fuels progress like the feeling of progress itself. Yet we rarely pause to acknowledge what we've actually accomplished. We're too busy berating ourselves for what we haven't done.
Here's your November mission: Choose ONE thing to finish.
Not three things. Not a list. One thing that, if you completed it before December, would give you a genuine sense of satisfaction.
This doesn't have to be a January goal … it can be small:
Finally organising that space that's been chaos all year
Having that conversation you've been avoiding
Finishing the book you started in June
Completing the photo album or scrapbook
Sending those photos to be printed
Making that appointment you've been postponing
One thing. Finished. Done. Tick!
Completion creates something profound: evidence that you're someone who follows through. That you finish what matters. That this year wasn't just a blur of intentions but contained actual, tangible accomplishment.
The November Celebration Audit
Before you spiral into what went wrong this year, get ruthlessly honest about what went right.
Set a timer for ten minutes. List everything you did this year that you're genuinely proud of - big and small. The boundary you held. The apology you made. The morning you chose the walk instead of the scroll. The time you stayed calm when you wanted to scream. The day you asked for help. The moment you chose yourself.
Your year deserves a fair assessment, not just an inventory of perceived failures and fear of time getting away from you.
Research from positive psychology shows that savouring positive experiences actually enhances wellbeing more than the experiences themselves. You've likely had dozens of meaningful moments this year that you rushed past without acknowledging. November is your chance to give them their due.
Write them down. Read them when you're tempted to call this year a loss. Remember what went well.
Navigate November's Social Demands Without Losing Yourself
November brings gatherings, family dynamics, and implicit expectations about who you should be and what you should do. Dr. Harriet Lerner's work on emotional intelligence reminds us: you can't control other people's behavior or expectations, but you can control your response.
Practice these phrases before you need them:
"I appreciate the invitation. We're keeping things simple this year."
"That doesn't work for us, but thank you for thinking of us."
"We're doing things differently this year."
"I'm not available for that conversation right now."
"Let me check and get back to you." (Then actually check with yourself, not just accommodate automatically)
These aren't rude responses, they're healthy boundaries. And boundaries are how you complete November without being depleted by it.
December: CAN IT BE The Month of Rest?
Here's your permission slip, signed and delivered: December doesn't have to be your most productive, impressive, festive or insta-perfect month. When the world demands "More," each December, you can choose "Enough".
December screams at us from every direction: more shopping, more parties, more decorating, more magic-making, more perfection, more, more, more. Meanwhile, your nervous system is probably quietly begging: less, please.
Dr. Stephen Porges's Polyvagal Theory teaches us that our bodies need to feel safe before they can rest. But safety in December feels impossible when we're overstimulated, overscheduled, and overwhelmed by festive expectations.
The Art of Ambient Celebration
You can participate in December's joy without performing December's perfection.
Ambient celebration means: you're present without being the producer. You enjoy without being in charge. You participate without depleting yourself.
Maybe you attend the party but leave early. Maybe you buy the cookies instead of baking from scratch. Maybe you send digital photo gifts instead of elaborate packages. Maybe you text "Merry Christmas" instead of sending cards. Maybe you skip events that drain more than they fill. You’re being strategic with your expensive energy.
Research shows that the people who enjoy the holidays most aren't the ones who do the most, they're the ones who align their actions with their actual values instead of inherited obligations. So consider what you value and let that guide your time and attention.
Your December Energy Budget
Remember that your energy is expensive. Not everything gets premium access.
The 20% that deserves your full investment:
The 2-3 people you most want to connect with meaningfully
One tradition that actually fills you up (not one you think you "should" do)
Protecting your sleep and basic nervous system regulation
The 60% that just needs to be functional:
Gifts that are thoughtful enough (gift cards count!)
Festive meals that are good enough (store-bought sides are just fine)
Social obligations you can't avoid (show up, be kind, leave when you need to)
The 20% that can be skipped entirely:
Anything you physically dread doing
Events you're only attending out of guilt
Perfection of any kind
Protecting Your Peace When Chaos Hits
December will very likely overwhelm you at some point. When it does, here's your toolkit:
The Morning Minute: Before anyone else wakes, before checking your phone, sit quietly for sixty seconds. One minute of belonging to yourself before you belong to the day.
The Boundary Breath: When you feel yourself saying yes out of obligation, pause. Three deep breaths. Then decide with intention, not autopilot. Remember - "That doesn't work for us, but thank you for thinking of us" works just fine!
The Evening Release: Before bed, name three things you're putting down - worries, tasks, others' expectations. Physically gesture letting them go (shake your hands, brush off your shoulders, exhale forcefully). Your body needs the safety signal.
The 4-7-8 Breath for Overwhelm: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Repeat three times. This activates your vagus nerve and tells your nervous system: we're ok, we’re safe, we can settle.
These aren't luxuries - they're interventions. Micro-practices that let you remain yourself even when December tries to swallow you whole.
The Comparison Trap at Year's End
We all know what’s coming. In a few short weeks, your social media feeds will flood with "Year in Review" posts. Highlight reels. Best moments. Nine photos arranged in a perfect grid showing everyone's carefully curated evidence of an amazing year.
Here's what those posts won't show: the failures, the grief, the ordinary Wednesdays, the battles with anxiety, the relationships that struggled, the goals that died quietly, the versions of themselves they're privately disappointed about, the tears, the doubt, the mess. You're not seeing their year - you're seeing their marketing.
Your year doesn't need to look like anyone else's year. Your final two months don't need to be productive AND restful AND social AND reflective. They need to be true to you.
Comparison steals the only thing that matters: presence. And presence is the only place where life actually happens.
Dr. Kristin Neff's research on self-compassion offers this powerful reframe: instead of asking "Did I accomplish enough this year?" ask "Did I treat myself with kindness as I navigated this year?" That's the metric that actually matters.
The Question That Changes Everything
I asked myself a question recently that shifted everything: "Did I BECOME more of who I want to be this year?"
Not: Did I accomplish enough?
Not: Did I measure up to some invisible standard?
Not: Did I impress anyone?
But: Did I grow? Did I choose courage even when I was terrified? Did I treat myself with more compassion? Did I listen to my body? Did I honor my values even when it was inconvenient? Did I show up as myself instead of who I thought I should be?
When I framed it that way, the year looked completely different. My year started off wobbly. It went through lulls and there were many moments of doubt, frustration and insecurity in 2025. But asking myself this, I knew I hadn't ‘failed’ at anything! I'd been beautifully, imperfectly human: This year I've learned. I've tried. I've done hard things. I’ve made big changes and reached important milestones. I've become a little more myself and I’m happy with how I am showing up today.
… And I realised it was more than enough.
Your Two-Month Manifesto
Before November begins, pause and clarify:
What's the ONE thing you want to complete before December?
Not should complete. Not a list of ten things. Just ONE thing that would give you genuine satisfaction.
How do you want to FEEL when December closes out?
Not what you want to have done. How do you want to feel: Peaceful? Proud? Connected? Grounded? Name it specifically.
What permission do you need to give yourself for these final two months?
Permission to rest? To say no? To be less impressive? To disappoint people? To prioritise yourself? To change your mind? To say yes? To let go? To have FUN?
Write it down like a prescription: "I give myself permission to..."
What's one thing you'd genuinely regret NOT doing before the year ends?
Not should do. Not supposed to do. What would YOU actually regret? Maybe it's having a real conversation. Maybe it's taking one full day off. Maybe it's finally trying that thing you've been curious about. Maybe it's saying what you need to say. What is it for you?
Your Invitation
You have approximately sixty days left in this year. Not to prove yourself. Not to accomplish everything. Not to become a different person or erase your perceived failures or catch up to wherever you think you "should" be. Sixty expansive days to complete one meaningful thing. To rest without guilt. To close this year on YOUR terms - with your values, your pace, your definition of enough.
So, what’s the one thing I’m going to tick off my 2025 list? I am going to make the custom t-shirts I’ve been meaning to do all year. You can hold me to it! Something I’ll regret not doing is having a family conversation that’s been sitting on the backburner, so I’m scheduling in time for that to happen. I give myself permission to embrace a “good enough” attitude because quite frankly, aiming anywhere near perfection is pointless. And when I take these simple steps, I know I will end the year feeling proud of who I am and how I’ve shown up and grown up in 2025.
There’s plenty of time remaining. It's not too late. It's not too little. It's exactly what you need: two months to practice being more fully yourself. You can decide today to move through these final weeks with intention instead of autopilot. What does that look like for you?
What's the ONE thing you're choosing to complete before this year ends? Share in the comments - I'd love to support your choice and cheer you on.
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