Are You Winding Up or Winding Down?

Winding Down 2009

The end of the year is a really busy time with holidays, travel, shopping and more! There are many loose ends to tie up at work, projects to complete and reports to turn in. Simultaneously, most of us are already busy planning 2010 activities amidst all the holiday revel. It can get pretty hectic and we may often find we have to leave some things undone.

Earlier this month I found myself asking, “how can I organize myself better so I get everything done?” and decided the answer for me would be to make two lists: a Winding Down list and a Winding Up list. Now, having lived in various parts of the world I’ve found that “winding down” and “winding up” actually mean exactly the same thing in some places: both terms are used to describe a process of finishing something.

But I’ve always been one of those people who gets excited and “wound up” about new adventures and projects so my Winding Down list contains all the projects and activities I’ve made a goal to finish by the end of the year (oops! that’s today!) and my Winding Up list contains activities I’m chomping at the bit to get started on for next year. Having these two lists helped me put things into perspective, organize my time better and complete most of the major projects I set out to finish.

But don’t think it was easy! I’m a very systematic, organized and punctual person! But I live in a country where people have a completely different cultural approach to time and time management! And when you depend on others who work for you or help you out, they don’t always run on your time schedule. So I went back and read an article posted by one of our Expat Experts.

Lisa Velazquez is a Culture Transition Coach. Her article What Time Do You Run On is really enlightening for those of us who come from very punctual, systematic cultures but live in cultures that have a more carefree, impulsive perspective of time.

Should every moment of our day be planned? Should we always be punctual? Should we be less rigid and more open to putting some responsibilities aside once in a while and being more impulsive? Who’s right? Who knows! I’m a Sagittarian so I’m supposed to be impulsive! The important thing is to try to assimilate and take advantage of the best of each culture you live in and learn to enjoy life while continuing to live responsibly.

How did I do with my Winding Down and Winding Up lists? Truth be told, I did not finish every project or activity I really wanted to finish by December 31st! But that’s OK! I went in to my Winding Down list fully aware of (and partially planning for) the fact that I live in Bolivia were 6:00 pm invitations really do mean 8:00, where it’s common for visitors to arrive unannounced, where events never have an “ends at…” time, and where “I’ll have it done by Wednesday” may actually mean “or someday when I get to it”.

So as you wind down one year and wind up for the next, make plans for the coming months, and draft lists of things you’ll do, take a look around at the South American culture you’re currently living in (or planning to) and ask yourself, “what can I learn from this culture that could actually improve my quality of living?” Then try to incorporate some extra time into 2010 plans for impulsive, carefree, time-ignoring, plan-wrecking fun!

Take a look at some of the plans on the GoSouthExpat.com Winding UP for 2010 List below. I’d love to give you the exact dates you can expect to see these changes and additions to the site but like I said, your webmaster lives in Bolivia. Happy New Year!

Bolivians shop for underwear on New Year's Eve. Here's why!!

Winding Up for 2010

Grow Our Guides! Our new expat guide sections are up and running now. As a forum-based community we set up pages like these and as you to contribute your first hand insights and information. Expats don’t have time to spend hours and hours online trying to piece the picture together – we depend on and trust information provided by our expat peers over simple lists or advertisements. So if you’ve already lived in South America, add your opinions, ratings, recommendations (or warnings) to any of the following:

The Expat Kitchen: this fun new section is where you rant about your favorite recipes, share about new cultural foods you’ve tried, tell us how you make do when you can’t find the ingredients for your recipes locally, and anything else! Go see what’s cooking in the expat kitchen now and help us develop this “just for fun” section of the site by sharing!

Tax Time!: With a new come new taxes, deadlines and expat tax laws. Our US Expat Tax experts and Global Expat Tax experts continue to share advice and recommendations, along with new information through the articles they contribute in their respective expat tax Reading Rooms. Due to the April US tax deadline, we’ll be placing special emphasis on this section throughout the first few months of the year.

Gift Shop Makeover! Our Andean Gift Shop was extremely popular throughout December. All products featured are provided by National Geographic and Novica two of the best online stores for cultural gifts anywhere! Your purchases help National Geographic continue its education and exploration mission and help keep GoSouthExpat.com online too! In 2010 look for tons of new products, all of which will be organized into fresh new easy-to-browse sections.

Change Your World! Start of 2010 by giving a family or community in South America the opportunity for a fresh start too! Choose from over 40 projects in place now in South America and donate through GlobalGiving.com We’ll be highlighting projects and opportunities for you to make a difference throughout the coming year.

Stay informed throughout the month.

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Link to GoSouthExpat.com