Mmmmmm, a new year approaching….
and, I don’t know about you, but this week between Christmas and New Years is one of the most DISTINCT times of year. Like the energy is so potent & so unique.
am I still in holiday sloth mode drinking cocktails and eating cookies all day? not really???
but am I feeling ALL FIRED UP and “new year new me” energy yet?? um, noooo?
what’s left is a kind of awkward push-pull between rest, recovery AND planning, productivity.
And while this can feel a bit confusing— with time, this week has become one of my FAVORITE weeks of the year— and I think it’s because I allow for both of those feelings to exist. Like, I CAN rest and relax and enjoy for most of the day *and* do 1-2 productive, organization, and mindset things per day that will set me up for success & a fresh mindset come January 1st.
Because, while I don’t subscribe to the messages of having to reinvent the wheel and makeover your whole life ever new years— I can’t deny ya girl looooves an opportunity for a fresh start, fresh goals, and a fresh mindset.
And while there is a lotttt of self-improvement magic that can happen on January 1st, I actually really dive into my “new year’s ritual” between December 26th and December 31st to set myself up for success going into the new year. These 9 things are all simple (yet tangible) tasks and self-care practices that I lean in to during these final days of the year to clarify, reflect, and set my intentions for the new year. Let’s dig in, shall we?
1. clearing physical space
Mmmmm, there truly is NO better time to declutter, get rid of excess, and organize your physical space. It feels soooo lovely to enter a new year with a peaceful, clean, tidy environment. It’s such a physical (and energetic) shift. Now, this doesn’t have to be a huuuuuge undertaking or mean Marie Kondo-ing your whole dang house, but I do recommend prioritizing the organization of a few key spaces you want to detox and organize (your closet, your messy pantry, your mug cabinet, under the bathroom sink, your car, etc.). Set aside a few hours, put on a good playlist, and get sortin’!
2. clearing digital space
Going off of the physical space, I usually take the end of the year to clean and tidy up my digital space. In our high-tech world we use our devices pretty much every day—shouldn’t they be easy-to-navigate and organized? Before the new year, I will typically set a few hours aside to go through the files on my computer/phone and organize, eliminate, and create clarity around the files I have accumulated over the last year. This sounds so simple, but I promise it makes such a difference!
3. holding my own lil goal-setting retreat
Mmmmm, my FAVORITE step. My triiiiied-and-true goal-setting ritual. This is where I set aside one day and really dive in and have a sacred, tangible time reflecting on the past year and setting my goals, intentions, and habits for the new year. I call this a “retreat”, but realllllly, it’s just me camped out at my kitchen table and setting a vision for the upcoming new year—alllllll the tea, good music, candles, cozy clothes, and a day just for me and my self-growth. During this time, I take inventory on the previous year, clarify my goals, and create tangible plans to reach them.
How exactly do I do it? Welllllp. Every single year, I do the exact same 6 steps to set my new year’s goals. This process is what I have used to accomplish my financial goals, health goals, self-care goals, work goals… and not to toot my own horn, but I really believe this little process is the secret sauce to *actually* accomplishing my new year’s resolutions year after year.
If you are interested in having your own goal-setting retreat before the new year, I hiiiiighly recommend checking out this lil workbook set that I created which gives you guided journal prompts, my 6-step goal-setting process, annnd habit tracking sheets to set yourself up for success (oh, and not to mention, it’s 30% off when ya grab them all together….)
If nothing else, my one-day goal-setting retreat is what makes me feel equipped, peaceful, and ready for the upcoming new year. It really is such a beautiful, reflective, and empowering process. Eeee! I’m getting excited just typing about it, ha!
Source link: https://thefoundationblog.com/blog/newyearsprep by Kate Eskuri at thefoundationblog.com