A new year is a fresh start. That’s why, with just a few more days to go until 2016 finally goes up in smoke, I wanted to breathe and take a moment to truly realize the potential of starting over with the new year.
So many of us can agree that 2016 was a rough year. I intend to seize the opportunity to learn from this year, swooping into 2017 with a triumphant song.
- Start a bullet journal. Okay, hear me out here. I know everyone is saying this. But there’s merit to it! It’s the perfect place to plan your year. Jot ideas down. Stay organized. Yours doesn’t have to look perfect like the ones on Pinterest. Mine certainly won’t (but I’ll darn well try!). You can get as fancy as you want with it. Stickers, rulers, different colored pens. If you’re hungry for ideas, you can follow my pen + paper board to get started. Here’s a sneak peek at my January 2017 monthly spread:
2. Clean your room. No matter if “your room” actually means your bedroom or your entire apartment, organizing your space can make all the difference for your short-term future (i.e. 2017!). Throw out or (even better!) donate stuff that is taking up square footage but doesn’t feed you. Prep your optimal workspace – sleep space – living space – and your mind will be free to chase that midnight dream without searching in vain for a pen.
3. Make a New Year’s Resolution. It may sound cheesy and overdone, but even the act of simply sitting down to think about what yours might be can help you realize what it is in your life that you’re hoping to change or adjust. My resolution? Smile more.
4. Dream big dreams. Now is the time to go wild with your imagination. Where do you see yourself one year from now? Go crazy. Make a plan. Work towards your dream. Too often a dream stays a dream simply because I didn’t plan or work to actually achieve it. So many things are within your reach if you only try. You can do it!
5. Clean up your social feeds. Have you just had it with that one annoying person you’re following on Twitter? You don’t need that negativity in your life. Are you still following accounts that haven’t posted in 1,781 days? If you can’t bring yourself to unfollow, meet the mute button. It’s clever, sneaky, and has saved many a friendship over the years. Clear your mind.
6. Practice self-care. This is one that I’ve always had trouble with. Find a few moments each day to do something for yourself. Take a bath. Take a nap. Get a massage. Do your nails. Give yourself permission to take a break from the every day. Immerse yourself in the excursion, and you’ll find you’re less distracted and more prepared to be productive when you need to be.
7. Eat better. This does not mean omit everything that tastes good from your diet! This means paying attention to what you nourish yourself with. It should – you know – actually nourish you rather than give you a quick five seconds of happiness. There’s always room for a cheat day, and you don’t always have to say no to chocolate cake. But you should definitely cook at home more, eat your veggies, and drink more water. Your body will thank you!
8. Sleep better. Invest in yourself. So many people sleep on a cheap mattress and wake up with back pain and sleep in their eyes because of it. Save up and upgrade your sleeping arrangements. After all, in an ideal world, you’re spending 1/3 of your life asleep. Shouldn’t the place you do that be the best version of itself? Sohrab and I love our Casper mattress and our Hullo pillows. We use aromatherapy to cleanse the air, calm the senses. I’ve never slept better.
9. Write more. You don’t have to be a writer, per se, to write. No one has to see what you put to paper (or in notes on your iPhone). Write morning pages – pick up a pen in the morning! – exercise your mind and creativity. Allow your thoughts to flow freely. You’ll find yourself more focused when the mental clutter is gone.
10. Clean up your email inbox. Whether you’re like me, juggling 9 email accounts across 3 devices, or simply managing one inbox, bringing it down to zero will give you that fresh start that 2017 is begging for. Delete junk mail. Bring that unread count down to zero. Organize emails in folders. This will keep you more focused on the task at hand and prepared for a last minute search for that email coupon you got from Banana Republic.
11. Form new habits. Create a plan, a schedule. You don’t have to be rigid about it unless you want to, but forming a little bit of normalcy with as much wiggle room as you prefer is a healthy way to start your year.
12. Form healthy habits. Ride your bike a couple times a week. Go to a gym class. Eat an apple. Smile.
13. Try something new. Have you always wanted to go rock climbing? Go for it! Give yourself the satisfaction. You deserve to be happy, to step outside of your boundaries. How else will you grow?
14. Travel. Become a tourist in your hometown. Make like Walter Mitty and go to Reykjavik. Explore new places.
15. Find what inspires you. Experiment. Be creative. Follow your dreams. Write, and don’t look up until you can’t write anymore. See where you end up.
16. Stay in touch. Call your mom, your dad, your sister or brother, your old friend that you haven’t talked to in a while but always wonder about. Share your life with people who love you.
17. Be yourself. Don’t apologize for who you are, what you dream, what makes you happy. It’s what makes you – well, you. You are incredible, and you are going to have an amazing year.
