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Dear friends,
I hope the upcoming 4th of July holiday holds some rest and community for you. We are halfway through 2025 already- can you believe it? To me, it feels a bit de-motivating to be 6 months into the year and still have so much to do to reach my yearly goals. I have heard this drop in momentum called “the midpoint effect.” For any project, it is quite common to slow down when you’ve exhausted your initial enthusiasm but you still have a long way to go towards completion. I am experiencing this right now at work. I feel like I am going through the motions rather than feeling engaged and inspired. It hasn’t gotten to the point of “quiet quitting,” but I would like to get my spark back.
The book When by Daniel Pink, which I have recommended before, has advice for tackling the midpoint slump. The author recommends re-framing the time interval to give a sense of urgency. We only have six months to meet our 2025 goals, better get to it! We can then get concrete about what actions to take. Here’s a short video from the author about moving productively through the midpoint of a project that I think applies to the midpoint of the year too. I do not agree with his advice to “imagine you’re behind,” because I don’t find a negative framing to be particularly motivating, but it might work for you.
I am also finding that the midpoint of the year is a good time to ask if our goals and expectations are feasible. When we are overly ambitious in our goal-setting, we can get deflated when we fail to meet our own expectations. I know this from experience, and yet I struggle to craft realistic goals. Consider using this midpoint of the year as a time to pare back your goals and set yourself up for a few successes rather than many failures.
Please keep in touch. I want to hear about your midpoint slump and how you’re tackling it! As always, please share widely, and let others know they can sign up here.
Warmly,
Urmimala