Well, none of us imagined 2020 would turn out to be the year it was. This year has been the most unpredictable and full of ups and downs. In this pandemic that the world is going through, some of us struggled, some thrived and some survived. It has tested all aspects of our life – health, career, relationships, or finances.
As we welcome 2021 with optimistic open arms, hoping for a better year for all of us, it’s time to hit a reset on our lives and begin the year with a fresh mindset. So reset, restart, refocus, realign your life to a direction you want it to progress. I am sure you must be thinking, are these some life-changing drastic steps that you would have to take and the answer is No! Big changes come from tiny steps that matter.
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones”
– CONFUCIUS
Here are a few of my ideas for a life reset. Small simple steps that will help you start the new year with a fresh mindset.
- Declutter
Now, this is a big one. And I don’t mean just physical decluttering but in every aspect. The first step in designing the life you want is getting rid of everything you don’t. Clutter adds chaos and confusion to life and is the biggest source of distraction. When we are surrounded by clutter, our mind is overwhelmed and cannot focus on the more important things in life. Don’t just aim to organise things in your life, declutter them. Organised clutter is still clutter.
“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past”
– MARIE KONDO
Declutter everything that gets between you and the life you want.
Things to declutter
Physical Space – Start with removing the clutter in your physical space, since it is visual is the most impacting. Go through everything you own, clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, books, stationery, household items, etc., and evaluate the purpose it serves in your life. If you have not used it in the last one year and it does not bring any joy to you, it should not occupy space in your life. Make room for essential things that matter and put an organising system in place for upkeep.
Digital Space – Your digital space also needs a little declutter from time to time. Organise your files on your computer/laptop/phone and get rid of unnecessary stuff. Create a filing system that works for you. Sort out and organise your email inbox and delete the emails that are no longer required. Uninstall unused apps from your phone and unsubscribe from email lists.
Mental Space – We tend to ignore the clutter in our mind and it builds up to an extent that it starts affecting our basic functioning. The emotional build-up, negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, etc. adds up to mental clutter and a mental reset is equally essential to function in our peak state. We need to take stock of what is going on in our minds for our emotional wellbeing. A brain dump exercise and writing down all the chaos in your mind will surely help
2. Get unfinished things done
List down all the pending and unfinished tasks that you have been procrastinating on for a long time. We tend to start things and eventually leave them incomplete, which subconsciously leads to an overwhelming feeling of something unfinished. Starting a new year with a clean slate and no backlog will give that extra momentum and energy to focus on your new goals for the year. Personally, for me, this has been an absolute winner. Completing all unfinished things that I have been procrastinating on has got me a lot of clarity and mental space to start new projects and assignments.
3. Set Goals
Goals give direction to your life. As Tony Robbins says, with goals we create our future in advance. Define what success looks like for you and then work backward and set the right goals with a timeline to achieve them. Setting the right goals that are aligned to your needs, and not as per someone else’s definition of success is the key to effective goal setting.
“People with goals succeed because they know where they are going”
– EARL NIGHTINGALE
SMART goals will ensure that you are aligned with your intention and purpose for the year. This will also help you prioritise things and enable you to create boundaries and say no to things that are not in alignment with your goals. Also, setting goals in every aspect of your life – health, career, finances, relationships, lifestyle, etc. will ensure a holistic fulfilment at the end of the year. You would not want to overachieve in only one area of your life at the cost of the others.
Goal-setting would be a whole article in itself and I would surely love to share what has worked for me.
4. Create a Vision Board
Visualisation is the most powerful exercise and if you have read the book – The Secret, you would understand how the law of attraction works. You are what you manifest. Vision Board is the best visualisation tool you can use. Visualise your ideal or dream life and illustrate it in form of visuals. Place the vision board where you can regularly view it. I have placed mine as my laptop wallpaper and every time I start my laptop it’s right in front of me. You could also pin it on your work desk. Every time you are visualising your dream life, you are reaffirming, believing, and internalising your goals, thus manifesting what you truly desire.
“Create the highest, grandest, vision possible of your life, because you become what you believe.”
– OPRAH WINFREY
5. Create routines
Creating routines is the best way to simplify your life. Having a structure to your day eliminates unnecessary decision making on a daily basis and gives you more freedom in all aspects of your life. Having routines makes it possible to accomplish more in your day. You get more done in less time. Routines bring a sense of certainty and make it easier to focus on other complex tasks that require creativity. So, before you begin the new year, take some time out to create routines for your health, self-care, learning, work, etc. I use Google Calendar to time-block my routines throughout the day to help me keep a check.
Summing it up…
I hope the above ideas have given you something to start your life-reset with. This is by no means an exhaustive list and you may choose to add other activities that suit your current lifestyle and state of mind that will address the stress, chaos, and overwhelm in your life. One size does not fit all and you need to choose what works best for you. I simply want to encourage you to start this journey with a fresh mindset, simplify your life, and prepare yourself up for a successful year ahead.
With gratitude, wishing you a wonderful 2021!