2020 has been a year like no other. I think it’s safe to say that most of us are looking forward to the arrival of 2021 with the good news that vaccines for COVID-19 will be available to the public. A ritual to get rid of the old and bad of 2020 is to get rid of things physically and mentally so that you can welcome the new year in a fresh state of mind. Here are 10 tips to prepare for the new year:
Bag Old Clothes to Donate to Charity
Getting rid of clothes and items you no longer use is a great way to prepare for the new year! Why hold on to things you don’t use, plus you’ll have the added benefit of creating more space in your closet and drawers! It’s true that many charities and second-hand stores such as Salvation Army and Value Village are not collecting used clothes at this time due to the pandemic, but you can get your clothes ready for them when they reopen.
Throw Out Old Makeup
Making a note to throw out old makeup every January 1 is a good way to ensure that you are not tempted to wear old makeup, which can be harmful to your skin. Plus, throwing out old makeup will leave your makeup cupboard less cluttered and you’ll be able to quickly find your newer makeup!
Dust and Clean
You don’t want to bring a dirty house into 2021, do you? Dust tables, bookcases and objects, vacuum rugs and floors and clean your bathroom (s). You’ll feel so much better entering 2021 without last year’s dirt.
Delete Old Emails
Who wants to enter the new year with a mountain of old emails clogging up their inbox? This is both mentally exhausting and time-consuming. I speak from experience because I had over 16,000 emails saved in my email account earlier this year! I now have only 3,000 emails saved in Gmail and I have resolved not to save more than 3,000 emails.
Pay Off Credit Card Debt
Hopefully, you didn’t rack up a lot of debt on Christmas shopping, but if you have credit card balances (or larger than normal balances), you will want to dedicate January and February to paying off your debt. It’s easy to pay off debt in January since nothing much is going on for you to spend your money on, especially with the pandemic!
Establish Goals for the month of January
Instead of writing a list of resolutions for 2021 which you may never revisit beyond the first few weeks of January, consider creating two or three measurable monthly goals. Measurable goals are specific goals as opposed to general goals such as “Lose weight” or “Increase income”. An example of a measurable goal is: “Walk for 30 minutes three times a week” or “Read two books in the month of January”. Tackling two goals each month is a lot easier than staring down a long list of goals and you are more likely to achieve your goals when you focus on only a few goals at a time.
Put Your Health First
If you have been making your health a priority, congratulations! If you have been neglecting your health, the new year is a great time to put your health first. With the pandemic, it’s important now more than ever to ensure you are in good health. You can take some steps on the path to good health by reducing or eliminating alcohol intake, cutting out sugar or junk food from your diet, starting an exercise regime and/or quitting smoking.
DIY Mani, Pedi and Facial
Okay, so the nail salons and spas are closed and you won’t be able to get a professional manicure, pedicure or facial, but that shouldn’t stop you from doing these beauty procedures at home! Here are some DIY instructions for manicures, pedicures and face masks to keep you looking and feeling great for 2021!
Great tips. However, I think these are things that should be done as often as possible. We should treat each day as we would each year.
I agree that we should do these things throughout the year and not just wait until New Year’s! Cheers, Lori
This is a really good guidance. I’m one find it hard to stick too, so this will come into handy. Thank you for the reminder. Happy New Year!
Lori,
these are great tips to not only prepare for the new year but also for a tabula rasa of any previous year.
As a minimalist, I personally love all the tips based on decluttering your past life and getting rid of things. But what I really like is how you often promote the concept of donating that stuff. I think often we clutter our lives with items that we hoped to use or even maybe did but now hold on to bad feelings. But that doesnt mean we cant repurpose those things. Sorry Just got all toy story on you with the idea that toys are meant to be played with!
I needed to read this post to start the new year anew. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. Happy New Year! Cheers, Lori
It is a must to welcome the new year clean in both ways: you need to make a spa day and clean your house. My greatgrandmother taught me that and I always follow. you list is great, donating and throwing always things you no longer need is for the better
Oh, starting the new year with a spa day sounds lovely! It’s also a great time to clean your house! Cheers, Lori
I like ticking out any debt. It will really help you feel more renewed! New Year indeed
Yes, it’s great to reduce or eliminate debt so that you can start the new year feeling lighter! Cheers, Lori
This is a wonderful list of things to do for the New Year. Giving to charity, decluttering one’s life and home , and of course health , are my top priorities.
Thank you. I agree that decluttering both one’s home AND life are great priorities! Cheers, Lori
I may have read this late but I think we can still do some of it. Thank you for reminding me to get rid of old clothes and send them to charity. With the number of calamities that took place the past few months, used clothing may be helpful to many who were not able to salvage their things.
You are so right that many people experiencing calamities may be in need of clothing so it’s a great time to donate unneeded clothing. Cheers, Lori
Whilst I do multiple de-clutters every month, there’s something about that end-of-the-year/start-of-a-new-one de-clutter that feels SO much better than all the other ones! It marks the end of something, and the beginning of something new. I threw out make up the other day, took some bags to charity stores today, and am going to go through my pantry tomorrow – I can’t wait to see some empty shelf space! 🙌
Wow, it sounds like you had a great start to the new year by doing a lot of decluttering! I agree that decluttering at the beginning of the year feels great! Cheers, Lori
I love these tips! I know I started cleaning email in December and unsubscribing to a lot of PR lists. I’ve been blogging since 2008 and those lists I’m on are by the thousands! Felt good to unsubscribe and delete emails, also created folders to organize biz stuff in new year.
I agree that it feels good to unsubscribe from newsletters and emails that you are no longer interested in. It’s a huge job cleaning up email! Cheers, Lori
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