With the new year coming up, it’s traditional to look back, especially if you are looking at the year that is ending. It’s also a good idea to complete the old year as well as you can before you set out on the new year. It makes sense to do this at a very basic level, with things so basic that most people will not stop to think about them. Here are ten very simple ways to draw a line under the old year so that you are more ready for the new year.
- Clean carpets, hair, laundry, dishes, tables, inbox, cat box, and anything else you can think of. Throw away the bad food from the refrigerator. Take out the trash.
- Make a backup of your digital life. Label it as belonging to the year that is ending. Delete obsolete files. Remove older files from cloud storage and put them in an offline archive. Then, reboot your computer.
- Exercise. If you go running for five minutes, imagine that you are running from the old year to the new year.
- Throw away clothing and shoes that are too worn out to wear in the new year.
- Abandon projects that you planned or attempted during the old year without success, particularly ones that you would dread looking at now.
- Unfollow or block “friends” who have become a harmful or abusive presence in your life.
- Throw away the old calendar or appointment book. Consider scanning and archiving any necessary notes first.
- Finish projects and courses that are underway where you have only a little work remaining.
- Locate tools and supplies you will need for new projects or the new season. Put new strings on a guitar, or just tune the strings that are there. Test equipment you will be using in the near future.
- Recharge batteries for your phone and anything else. Replace failed batteries and burned out light bulbs.
I am sure you can think of other simple ways of renewing for the new year. Actions like these might seem too small to matter, but do just three of them at one time while holding the traditional intention of a happy new year, and you’ll start to feel the sense of importance and anticipation that goes with a new year and a fresh start.
