3 Tips to Reset for the New Year
Howdy everyone!
Audrey here for AOK. I hope your holidays were merry and bright (and full of really good food). I fully understand the holiday shuffle, the stress of wanting to start the new year well, and the feelings of clutter and chaos as the year comes to a close. So, I wanted to share three ways I’m resetting in preparation for the turn of the calendar in hopes that they might help take some of the pressure off you.
1. Dedicate a day to take down all holiday decor, and then follow it with a deep clean.
Here’s my plan:
Start the day around 8:30, find my way into the kitchen, and switch on the coffee pot.
Take a few slow moments to myself to wake up and mentally prepare.
Begin with the tree and greenery.
Take down the garland, un-tie the bows from the tree, wrap the dried fruit in parchment to save for next year, and vacuum up all the pine bits on the floor.
Pause to make savory oats.
(For me, that’s caramelized onions, buttrey mushrooms, and bone broth soaked oats)
Tidy the kitchen.
Pour my second cup of coffee.
Start the deep-clean with a pen and paper.
Make a list of all my ideal deep cleaning moments
Number them top to bottom to help prioritize each item and keep me on task.
It’ll be something like: Scrub Light Fixture in Kitchen, Wipe down Baseboards with Soapy Water, Clean Ceiling Fans, Clean Floors Under all Furniture and Appliances.
Head into my normal, everyday cleaning tasks.
Like what AOK does during a clean.
Tackle the deep cleaning list one-by-one in order of priority (or however it shakes out once I get going.) Taking a pause as needed to drink water, or have a little snack (most likely apples and cheese.)
End my day with some sort of treat (because that’s my move), shower, and then be cozy on the couch for the remainder of the day to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
2. Adopt a “one thing in, one thing out” mentality.
This time of year brings in a lot of new (and I mean, who doesn’t love new), but after you bring your things home and all the new wears off, it’s common to be met with overwhelm in where the *beep* to put everything. This is when one of my favorite phrases comes in nicely to play:“One thing in, One thing out.” We’re not claiming to be minimalists here, but sometimes when you’re feeling over-crowded, it might be time to let some things go so new things can have their moment. For Christmas this year, I asked for quite a pile of coffee table books—specifically because that’s something I want more of in our home. I can’t wait to decorate with them and help elevate our space. That said, sometimes we get things we didn’t necessarily need, want, or have a place for. So how can you re-purpose, or can you donate or re-gift? Just because you received something, doesn’t mean you have to hold on to it for a long period of time.
If you’re not in the business of getting rid of things this season (or maybe you don’t have capacity to think about it), then I suggest:
Schedule a time to sort through your things.
That way, you can rest easy knowing it won’t always be this crowded. Not to mention, it puts you in control of your things instead of the other way around. This can be next week, it can be in 6 months. You do you.
Unpack all your new goods and organize them into a designated pile for you to find a home for when you’re ready.
Say you got a vase, it was exactly the one you NEEDED for your collection. Amazing! That means you def want to add and not take away. Give yourself a few days to assess and see how you want to arrange it on the shelf. Make a cutie little pile in your space and return to it when you have a little more mental and calendar clarity.
Joking. But also for real. If all you need is a little guidance, we’re happy to help you create a plan. Want someone to do the organizing for you? Hey, that’s also something we do! We exist to help people feel less stressed by the mess. This is our time to shine!
3. Take off the pressure and sit down for a minute.
For better and for worse, I am really good at putting pressure on myself. I think in so many ways its taken me far in life, but in many other ways, it’s caused a lot of unnecessary stress. I feel big feelings going into the new year. It’s like THE moment to “get it right,” reset, and be the best version of yourself. So silly, especially considering the sun and moon still rise and set all the same…why can’t we also exist with that much room? So this year, instead of setting lots of goals, re-capping the end of my year in great detail in my journal, or being extra prepped going into 2024, I’m just going to take care of what I need in order to feel settled, and then take a moment for myself. I’ll light a candle, sit on the living floor, and just breathe. There’s a whole new year on its way for us and that’s enough.
At the end of the day…
There’s really something so good and important about a clean house, a well organized space, a beautiful space—it creates more room mentally and emotionally and gives way to more productivity. But at the end of the day, the best we can do is the best we can do. And sometimes (it’s okay if it’s most times) the bed is left unmade, water droplets have dried on the bathroom sink, and there’s a pile of shoes by the door, but you’re showing up and doing the damn thing and that’s something to be proud of.
