As the Christmas season sadly comes to a close, New Years Eve is coming quickly to take its place, and with that comes a new year! 2017 has been a wild ride, but I know that 2018 will only get crazier. In order to combat that, I want to start the year off in a calm, serene, and organized space. So with that, I’ve put together 5 ways that I’m going to push “refresh” just in time for 2018 and hope that you do too! I’ve already started on the phone cleanup, which I must say was quite difficult, so I know this won’t be an overnight thing. Let’s dive in.
P H O N E C L E A N U P
This one I feel like can be the hardest. Not only because we tend to store so many things on our phones, but because this is the easiest one to get distracted on. There are a few different things that should be cleaned out when you’re gearing up for 2018:
- your photos
- transfer the photos you wish to keep to your computer or print them out and then delete all the duplicates or photos that don’t bring you joy anymore
- your apps
- go through the folders of random apps you’ve thrown together over the year and just delete them
- your email
- for some this will be the easiest. for others, like my friend Theresa, you will just skip over this step because you’re past the point of no return. I beg of you. go through your email. one day you’re going to get sent something telling you that you have won the lottery or something important and you’re going to miss it.
C L O S E T R E F R E S H
You know when I said that the Phone Cleanup might be the hardest, I think I take back my statement. I love a good closet reorganization, but I usually get exhausted halfway through and then I end up sleeping on top of the piles of clothes that I intend to donate. So in order to combat that you’ve 1. got to be incredibly motivated when you start or 2. do it section by section and set realistic goals for yourself. don’t try to do your closet, your off-season clothes in the attic closet, and the downstairs coat closet all in one day. Do it seasonally so only the clothes that you are currently wearing or for the season before. Take small bites of this one.
P L A N O U T Y O U R Y E A R
Purchase a planner or a calendar and get ready for 2018. If anything, plan out January so you have a grasp of what is coming in the next few weeks. I always love using a planner (lol, Collegiate Daybook anyone), but I truly believe that it helps you get your to-do list done. Writing it out enables you to visualize what tasks you actually have to accomplish and helps you prioritize them in a way that is manageable. Rather than just doing whatever is right in front of you and working off a list that is in your head and likely to be forgotten. Some of my favorite planners (besides the Collegiate Daybook for those of us that are not in college) are:
C O M P U T E R O V E R H A U L
Now that your phone is taken care of, we’ve got your computer to tackle. A few months ago I did a post on how to fully clean out your Mac (Read More Here) so I would take a peek at that for a more in-depth look at what measures you can take to get a hold of your computer before 2018. But the list is this: clean out your downloads folder, clean up your desktop. Make a folder for everything that needs one and using similar taxonomies when you’re naming them.
S P R I N G C L E A N Y O U R H O M E
I’m not sure who came up with Spring Cleaning your home, but I don’t think that they intended for this to be a once a year thing. Why not get a jump on the cleaning this year and tackle it before the new year even hits? When you’re putting away all of the Christmas decorations, be mindful in what you put back out and spruce it up while you’re doing so. Maybe its time to rearrange the furniture for a new look that will bing a breathe of fresh air into your home. Or maybe you just need to get our that carpet shampooer and bite the bullet and clean those carpets. Or maybe you just need to do a solid washing of the floors and the shower tile. Whatever it is that will help you sleep deeper at night, do it. Start 2018 off with a jump start.
I think that should be enough for now. If you get the cleaning bug feel free to stop by my place and continue in the cleaning process! Wishing you all the best in 2018!
