Use My Year-End Reset and Start the New Year Fresh

My year-end reset involves purging and reorganizing (as needed) the items in each room of my home and my digital realm as well. 

I feel uplifted when I reduce excess and reorganize what remains for optimum access, aesthetics, and productivity.

According to Web, MD, decluttering has mental health benefits. It can decrease stress, increase productivity, and improve self-esteem.

Need inspiration to kickstart your own year-end reset?

If so, let’s go!

Year-End Reset Process

My reset process in the physical realm involves the following steps with slight variations depending upon the space:

1. Empty all items onto a cleared area. For example, in the bedroom empty all closet items onto the bed. In the kitchen, empty all items from the cabinets onto the kitchen counter. Use this approach and you won’t miss anything. You’ll also be able to see what you currently have in context.

2. Once you have a pile gathered from a particular space, go through each item and ask the relevant questions I list below. This will help you decide whether to keep the item or let it go. 

3. Sort your items into three piles: keep, not sure, donate/trash.

4. When the first round is complete, go through the “not sure” pile and make a final determination for each item. Place it in the keep or donate/trash pile.

5. Clean the empty area. For example, if it’s a closet, wipe down the shelves and sweep or vacuum the floor.

6. Replace the “keep” items in their home space. Organize by category when possible. If you have trouble with strict organization, that’s okay. Just use baskets or containers and dump like items together like all the underwear, protein bars, or medicines. Use clear containers if you prefer to see everything and opaque containers if you prefer visual simplicity.

If the thought of attacking every single area feels too much, reset one area in December and commit to resetting one new area per month starting in January of the new year.

Or just do as much as you can. A partial reset will feel better than no reset at all. 

And just think of the extra time you’ll have when you’re not frantically going through clutter to find one immediately needed item.

Year-End Reset Questions

The reset questions will vary slightly from room to room. Choose from the following as appropriate:

• Do I really need this?

• Does it still fit?

• Is it in good shape? Look for holes, tears, or stains.

• Does it bring me joy? From Marie Kondo, the Japanese expert on how to declutter and organize.

• Is it past the expiration date? For food, medicines, and the like.

• Is it a duplicate? Do I need two?

• Have I used it in the past year?

Add your own questions to the list.

An Example: My Home Office

I’ll use my home office as an example since I’ve completed it last weekend.I’m still a paper person, but you can apply these ideas to your digital filing and organizing systems too. 

Filing System

Paper clutter is a big challenge for me. I haven’t found the perfect system paper system yet. 

At least this year-end reset purged a large trash bag of unnecessary paper. And as I purged and re-organized, I also re-visioned my paper filing systems.

Fortunately, my archive files were relatively organized. But they were housed in a mis-matched set of file boxes, some without tops, that weren’t easy to access. I purchased four stackable black file boxes.

I removed all the files from the previous boxes one at a time. Placed them on my empty desk and sorted through what will stay and what will go.

I filled the remaining files by category in different boxes:

• All my tax returns, records, and back-up receipts

• All my accordion files, which contain my major financial records, one for each year back to 2017.

• The financial records for a complicated property sale

• My current files, which includes my accordion file of major financial records for the present year and other relevant files like health insurance booklets.

• Notes from my personal study projects. 

They all live in my office closet. The box with current files is placed on its own, on top of a small set of storage drawers, for easy access. The others are stacked on top of each other, with the rarely (if ever) needed information in the bottom file box.

I also had two stacked in-boxes with an accumulation of papers I never looked —like articles that caught my interest but never revisited or receipts I thought I would deal with later.

I dumped the contents of both trays on my desk and sorted through for what should stay and what could be trashed. Then I filed the items I still needed or wanted in one of my archive boxes or my current files box.

Those in-boxes have never worked for me so I decided to give them away.

I also have a desk-organizer with three trays and an area for a few stand-up files next to my desk. It’s where I dump my mail and house my “need to be filed” papers. It had been neglected and needed to be cleared with the sort, file, or trash method.

Bookshelves

I have a set of two three-tier bookshelves for my physical books and coloring supplies. I color for relaxation and stress relief.

I only have a small number of books, but I took them off the bookshelf and placed them all on the desk. After sorting, about 15 remained. I’ll donate the other five to the Little Free Library on my street. 

The other shelves hold my coloring supplies. I’ve already pared down my coloring books. I decided to give away one set of pencils this time around.

I had wandering pencils and various supplies like erasers and sharpeners in random places. I re-homed the pencils to their sets and organized the miscellaneous supplies in two small boxes by category.

Using the same method, I also went through two more sets of storage drawers that house office supplies, less frequently used coloring supplies, my sewing kit and the like.

I felt so good at the end of that day! I can start the new year without an accumulation of unnecessary paper and no longer used stuff.

Year-End Digital Reset Checklist

You can use questions like the ones above to renew your digital devices too. 

I sometimes reset informally. For example, I might delete photos on my phone while waiting in line. But I also dedicate focused sessions, 30–60 minutes in length, to update and purge.

Here’s my digital reset checklist:

Update and Backup

• Update systems and programs on all devices

• Conduct backups

• Review and reorganize folder organization

• Clear desktop and home screens and re-organize remaining files or apps

Delete irrelevant and out-of-date data:

• Files

• E-mails

• Newsletter unsubscribe

• Contacts

• Text messages

• Phone Messages

• Photos

• Videos

• Social media friends and follows

• Cache

• Bookmarks

• Passwords

What did I miss? Add it to the list.

Concluding Thoughts

You’ll feel so much lighter if you conduct a year-end reset. On top of that, you’ll no longer waste time and energy looking for hidden bills or an important digital file that got lost in the chaos.

I know it can feel like a big job if you’ve let things build-up like me.

But you don’t have to do it all. Start with your most critical area and complete it in December. Then commit to one new area per week or per month in the new year.

Your reward could be decreased stress, improved productivity, and better self-esteem.

Who can say no to that?

[Photo by Arina Krasnikova on Pexels]

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Thank you for your presence, I know your time is precious!  Don’t forget to  sign up for Wild Arisings, my twice monthly letters from the heart filled with insights, inspiration, and ideas to help you connect with and live from your truest self. 

You might also like to check out my  Self-Care Shop. May you be happy, well, and safe – always.  With love, Sandra