The point of AAnytime Awards is that they are almost always available. What would be the point of booking them 11 months out when you are equally likely to be able to get them one month out?

I think you are mentally blocking in your head that the vacation date is 'fixed' for planning purposes after you book the tickets, but that is really just a mental game for you. There is no need to book them a year in advance, and there may be some disadvantages to doing that, as pointed out above - dealing with schedule changes, ticket is only valid one year from date of issue, etc. Just write the date in red ink (or text) on the calendar instead.

Finally, I say book the J tickets. If you need to change them later, it is less than $200. ($150 for the first ticket and $25 for each additional ticket on the same reservation, IIRC) That penalty isn't terribly onerous for someone with a high-paying consulting job, but it might actually give you the mental kick you need that the date is "fixed" because there is an actual penalty on the line.