Ready to reset for a new year? I know we all could say millions of things about 2023, and it’s probably even harder considering how we’re ending the year. A lot of loss, I know for me personally, a lot of figuring out who I am as a mom. The list seems endless. I like to give myself grace at the end of the year, but the days of not taking inventory of what occurred no longer exist. It’s absolutely necessary.
The thing about unlearning habits and limiting beliefs is at some point you start to realize you can choose what you want and it doesn’t have to look like the things we’ve been told it’s supposed to look like. Choosing though, comes from taking inventory. The opportunity to reset yourself, comes from taking inventory. That said let’s get right into 11 ways to reset for a new year.
Reset For a New Year and Process Your Current Year
To reset for a new year, use the last few weeks, and holidays of the current year to process all that went down. It’s easy to say “throw the whole year away” and while we may be joking, it doesn’t mean we should just let it go without at least looking back on it. Answering questions and journaling are my favorite ways to process and reflect so below I’ve included 10 questions to get you going.
- What new things did 2023 teach me about myself?
- Top 10 highlights from 2023?
- Top 5 disappointments from 2023?
- How am I different this year compared to last year?
- What was the most challenging part about 2023 and how did I deal with it?
- Top 5 Lessons Learned in 2023?
- What is something you would love to overcome in 2024?
- How do I plan on making 2024 a year to remember?
- What is something I want to do more of in 2024? Something I want to do Less of?
- What is a huge goal that you want to accomplish in 2024 that scares the heck out of you?
Forgive Yourself
Forgiveness is always for us and never for others; that includes forgiving ourselves. As you prepare to reset for a new year, it’s essential to forgive yourself. We all have expectations for ourselves and things that we want to do and when we fall short or things don’t always pan out, we tend to beat ourselves up over it and without realizing we create a relationship of resentment with ourselves.
I know there are super hard circumstances and experiences in life and some of those things seem unforgivable, but even when they do, it’s so important to forgive anyway. FOR YOU, not for the other person. When I’ve found it hard to forgive or when my initial thought was to not forgive, which is no longer the case, I take it to God. Below are some of my go to scriptures and devotionals for learning to forgive and understanding why forgiveness is important.
Devotionals:
- Choosing Forgiveness
- Freedom in Forgiveness
- A Lifestyle of Forgiveness
- The End of Me
- Soul Detox
Scriptures:
- Psalms 32:5
- Psalms 130:4
- Matthew 18:21-22, 26-28
- Colossians 2:13
- Hebrews 10:17-18
Acknowledge All of The Good Things That Occurred and Make Peace With What Didn’t
Similar to how we say “throw the whole year away” truly allowing yourself to reset for a new year comes from acknowledging ALL of the good things that occurred, but also making peace with what didn’t. Good things occurring doesn’t only have to look like a new home, wedding or a baby. It can look like starting a new job or leaving a toxic one. It can look like starting a business, generating income from said business, finding yourself after having a baby, the list goes on.
Celebrating yourself doesn’t only have to be on a grand scale. One way that my husband and I acknowledge what we have done over a year is by writing the activities or outings we’ve had each month. From basketball games, to holiday parties, his coaching championship game, visits to the mall, museum, dinner. It all starts to add up when you look at it all written down. A lot can change in 24 hours, so even if you feel a way that certain things didn’t get done, there is still a time and place for them to exist if it is supposed to.
Declutter Your Inbox to Reset For a New Year
I don’t know about ya’ll but too many subscriptions, too many newsletters, too many notifications gives me anxiety. Decluttering my inbox is a form of digital detoxing that I like to do every quarter, but especially as I prepare to reset for a new year. I’ve already started decluttering my inbox and unsubscribing from places that are just taking up space. This may seem like a huge task and depending on how many emails you have it can be.
For Spam or folders that you don’t plan to go through, select all and mass delete. If you need to go through a few things, flip the date from newest to oldest and clean out the oldest stuff first, chances are you most likely don’t need it.
Reset Yourself, Organize and Backup Files
Reset yourself for the new year by investing in an external hard drive. Most people have them, but in case you don’t make sure you get one. Fortunately programs like Google Drive and Notion are great for cloud storage, but I’ve had a computer stolen before and nothing hits different than knowing my external hard drive is full of things I need.
Revisit Core Values
Reset yourself for the new year by revisiting your core values. We evolve and change over time, our personal brands included, so instead of feeling like you have to keep the same energy from your beginning, revisit where you are at the end of each year. Maybe there are some things you no longer want to be known for or some things you feel more aligned to. Whatever it is, make the time to check in with yourself and with God; you always want to be operating from a place of authenticity for your own benefit. It ends up benefiting everyone that interacts with you. When you know what you want, what you stand for and what is most important to you, you don’t have to look to others to find that.
Rest and Recover For A New Year
Have fun with it, don’t let this process stress you. Reset for a new year by getting some rest. At some point, even if you don’t decide that rest is important, your body will eventually let you know. The “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mindset is not the move. If you don’t get enough rest you might end up there quicker than you planned. The reset is helpful and prioritizing your rest is key.
Deep Clean Your Home and Work Space
Deep cleaning your home can seem daunting, but as you prepare for a new quarter and a new year what better way to reset yourself for a new year. Toss those sponges and scrub brushes (the bathroom ones too) refill your liquids and cleaning products, clean out the cabinets, empty your toaster so the crumbs don’t build up. Create a space where you can start fresh. It will help you close the year out with clarity and less angst as it will be one less thing on your to do list. If it is too much or your space is too large, outsource and hire someone to do the task for you. Below is a little list of areas and things to clean so you don’t forget. Additionally, some spaces are more important or need more attention the others so use this as a starting point to get the process going.
- Clean your fridge: The shelves and all the crevices and prepare to refill your organizers if you use them.
- Clean your cabinets: Check expiration dates, move things around that you haven’t used or plan to use at the top of the year so it is in your line of sight.
- Clean under your sink: Toss any old cleaning supplies, re-up on the refillable things
- Clean out your closet: No more holding on to ill fitting things. If you gave yourself until the end of the year to purge items, now is the time to finally get rid of them.
- Clean out your bathroom: Old products, expired products, use a little CLR on the shower fixtures in case the water is hard in your area. Additionally, toss old towels and get new ones if the ones you have feel crunchy and old.
Archive Planner Inserts and Journals for the Year
If you’re like me and use a custom planner or even if you don’t archiving your inserts or full notebooks/journals is a great way to reset for a new year. I fully encourage a custom planner because one size does not fit all and if you’re wondering where to start check out my Beginner’s Guide to Custom Planners. Archiving inserts and looking back on them at years end is a great way to see your year in review and see all that you accomplished if you choose to write it down. I was not in my planner like I used to be in years prior and a lot of it has to do with set up.
When I have a set up I love, it’s easier for me to use and because I want something that is pricey as a planner gift to myself, I decided I need to refresh my set up and make sure I’m actually using my planner before I permit myself to purchase.
Ditch Your Old Skincare and Body Care Products
I know we have a tendency to go past the expiration date and depending on the product some things can slide, but toss that old makeup, old just about empty skincare that you are still hanging on to. I used to hold on to skin care products that were empty so I can film empties for social media but it was starting to add up and I ended up just tossing it all and not even filming the video.
I hadn’t made the effort and it wasn’t looking like I was going to so instead of holding onto the empty containers, it was time to let it go. A new year is on the way; start fresh, your skin and body will thank you for not using expired products.
Finally Drop off Clothes Donations
The year can go by quickly and somehow those clothing donations end up sitting the longest. We always have the largest bags and I’m always purging stuff, but we managed to finally donate them before the year ended and it felt good to see them go. Likewise, I’m in a minimalist FB group and every month we challenge ourselves to get rid of something everyday for 30 or 31 days whatever the month has. While I keep my lifestyle pretty minimal as is, I’m always ready to donate or get rid of something.
Not only does it feel good to stop holding onto things you really have no intention of wearing or keeping, but it’s a great way to reset for a new year. Out with the old, which doesn’t always mean in with the new, but just think, it’s one less item coming into a new year causing continued clutter. Additionally, I don’t know about you, but as someone who doesn’t shop what’s on trend, I love looking back on what was popular for the year and seeing if I indulged or not. Anywho, go donate those clothes! Stop pretending you’re going to sale them if you haven’t already made the effort.
What are some ways you prepare to reset yourself for a new year?
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My word of the year will be discipline/consistency. I tend to stop doing things suddenly and then get frustrated when I dont see any change.
Author
Thanks for being so transparent about this Zell! It’s definitely easy to feel like “nothing has happened” when we don’t follow through for ourselves, I’ve definitely been in that position. I’m definitely carrying through with discipline and consistency as well myself. Really need to strengthen the muscle and keep it going. You’re going to do amazing things in 2021!