Happy New Year!
I love this quote from Alan Weiss in his January Balancing Act Newsletter: “Don't just deck the halls, clear the decks.” He’s encouraging his readers to use the beginning of this New Year as a time of reNEWal. In order to renew, you have to clean out first. In order to make room for better things in your life, you have to recycle and reject some of the stuff that's taking up space right now.
I did some of this last week in order to prepare for the New Year. Of course there is always more to be done, but every little bit helps. Here are some ideas for clearing your deck for 2008.
- Discard all pens that don’t work and art supplies that have dried up. (Do the same for makeup and personal hygiene products.)
- Donate any art supplies you no longer use to your local school.
- Clean out two paper file folders and two electronic file folders every day until you’ve gone through everything.
- Back up your computer.
- Combine all of your Post-It notes, lists, and scraps of paper into one organized task list.
- Clean out one drawer, shelf, or box a day.
- Donate any Christmas decorations and clothes that you no longer love.
Those should get you started. If you want to dig deeper, join us for “Get Organized!”, an online month-long class to kick off your New Year right (begins January 9).
6 thoughts on “Recycle, reject, and renew for the New Year”
Happy New Year, Alyson! Thank you for this nudge to clear the decks in order to allow new energy in… This is a perfect task for me, currently mid-snowstorm in New England… And just reading this list is tantalizingly inviting… I can’t wait for the upcoming Organization Class… The class is my holiday treat to my business this year, (along with your upcoming book, and the Artist’s Statement Consulting Help… my biggest “frog” for the past 4 years)! Just the act of enrolling seems to boost my confidence, as if sending a message to the sub-conscious that I am taking my art-to-wear business seriously. Thank you for your timely offerings and unflagging support. Your help has been invaluble to me in 2007, Alyson.
Okay, clearing the decks! I don’t have too much “stuff” since I moved house in August. But I’ve tidied a desk area (which I didn’t have until now). Big task ahead, I want to resell a lot of my books and clear some space. Not art or business books of course! Thanks for the kick into action…
Wow, I was just telling someone that at this time of year I get this big urge to clean out and purge all the the clutter. To organize, re-organize…everything! Must be something in the air at this time. Happy New Year!
Thanks for the kind mention!
Carrie: So glad you’ll be joining us. Tina and Deb: LOVE your energy. Tina, I can feel it all the way across The Pond! Alan: Happy to. And, I love your new HTML format.
Nice list. But I’ll just add: please, please do yourself a favor, and backup every week, if not every single day.