The 'Platter Trick' Helped Me Rethink My Priorities For The New Year

Marko Jan via Getty Images Forget new year's resolutions and try this "platter trick" instead. After announcing in late September that she’d be leaving her role as “Today” show co-anchor, Hoda Kotb explained that there was a helpful exercise that had helped her take stock of her priorities: the “platter trick.” In a TikTok video, she explains that she got out a platter and filled it with piles of paper scraps to represent different areas of her life, and said the visual she’d created helped her assess what areas needed more attention and what areas needed less. “At the same time, it helps us understand that not everything needs to take up equal space.” Vejar recommends asking, “What’s nourishing me? Which pursuits give you a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment?” “It’s easy to get caught up in the frantic pace of daily minutia, squeezing things in rather than allowing yourself space and grace for what you need.” For me, this meant setting intentions and focusing on how and where my time and energy should be directed. “Pay attention to any resistance you find coming up,” Thiry said, “And practice phrases like ‘Sorry, I’m not available’ or ‘Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for me’ so boundary-setting feels less intimidating.” Finally, I learned that I never need to apologize for rearranging my platter.