Giving Compass' Take:

• Beth Kanter describes how her rituals as a nonprofit professional help her gain focus and clarity for the work she starts each year.  

• Why is nonprofit resilience important? What specific challenges do social sector professionals face that demand resilience? 

• Read about how nonprofit capacity-building helps organizations thrive.

Rituals are intentional small, tangible acts done routinely and carry meaning. Rituals have been performed for centuries and are an important part of human history.

Rituals can also be used by professionals to boost personal productivity because rituals capitalize on our brains’ ability to direct our behavior on autopilot, allowing us to reach our goals even when we are distracted or preoccupied with other things.

For over twenty years, I do several rituals that help me prepare for the year ahead because they help me to gain focus and clarity.  Here they are:

  1. Review the Year: For as long as I can remember, I have kept an annual professional journal, using a variation of bullet journal technique. I call it my “To Do, To Done, Don’t Do, Reflection List.”  I use it for planning and goal setting as well as to reflect along the way.
  2. Identify “My Three Themes”: I do a combination of Peter Bregman’s  theme for the year, and Chris Brogan’s “My Three Words.”  Chris Brogan’s ritual suggests selecting three words, but I modify it by articulating key themes. I use the themes to guide my professional work and writing.
  3. Start A New Journal: There are many productivity planners, but I like to create my own. I create a few pages, in the beginning, to write about my themes, what makes me happy, what to improve, and major projects for the year.

Read the full article about rituals for nonprofit professionals by Beth Kanter at Beth's Blog