Probably because I feel like my head was barely staying above water with all the last-minute gift shopping, but after the holidays I always get this “everything feels like a mess” feeling. Do you know what I mean?! Tell me I am not alone!

No one can effectively create or set any goals in that headspace. So before we get to the resolutions, let’s clean up and sort out a few things so we can get feel balanced and ready to take on the New Year, and then we will set a few goals!

So here’s my New Year To-Do List- composed of tasks that can be somewhat tedious, but once I do them I feel so good! It helps to write it down and make a list. I notice that whenever I feel overwhelmed, writing everything down and making a list helps so much because it gets everything out of my head. As soon as I write everything down and make a list, all of it feels totally attainable! It’s just like spring cleaning, except in winter!

PUT AWAY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.

Leaving your Christmas decorations up until February will do nothing but procrastinate the inevitable. No one wants to do it, but Christmas is over so just move on! HA, and truthfully it will take less time than you think and you will feel so much better without that task weighing on you. I store our decorations in these plastic boxes from Target and label them with a piece of masking tape that says “Christmas”, so next year I can easily find them. They store away easily and stack perfectly!

CLOSETS.

My linen closet is always a mess after hosting family and my gift closet is a wreck after all the wrapping. Take a day and sort out your closets. I did this yesterday and I feel so much better! In terms of organizing clothing, these hangers from amazon are the best ever. They take up so much less space than plastic hangers and they will give your entire closet a clean look. When it comes to throwing away clothing + accessories from your personal closet, try not to overthink it or else you’ll be there all day. I live by- when in doubt, throw it out.

SKINCARE + MAKEUP.

While you’re on a cleaning kick, take stock of your skincare and makeup and throw away whatever you’re not using anymore. That mascara that you bought in 2018 and that foundation that is the wrong the color, toss it. I use this clear lazy susan from amazon to organize my skincare and I am obsessed with it!

PHOTOS.

Okay, there are two parts to this but I do both at the same time!

1. Delete Photos. Trust me when I tell you that you do NOT want to know how many photos I have on my phone because I am so bad at remembering to delete them. Take an hour and delete duplicate photos so you don’t end up with 10K+ photos on your iCloud.
2. While you’re going through your photos, favorite the ones that are special memories and you would want to print. My mom has so many baby photos of me (you know, actual photos that I can touch) and I’m like “but what will I have for Ava other than my iPhone?!” So last year I ordered a year-end book with all our favorite photos and I absolutely love having it! Make it a yearly tradition and think of it as your family yearbook. There’s a ton of online platforms you can use. Last year I used Mimeo Photos because I could sync it with Apple Photos which made it so easy!

PLANNER.

My brain literally doesn’t work without my planner. I know plenty of people that just use the calendar and notes section on their phone but I can’t deal with it. I think because I am already on my phone so much as it is, but I love having a calendar that is separate from my phone. When I get overwhelmed, 9 times out of 10 it is because I feel like “there’s so much to do and no plan”. I always feel more at peace when I sit down with my planner, schedule out my plans, and write my to-do list. It’s like I’m getting all the information out of my head and I can THINK. Once you’ve got your planner, go through and add birthdays, anniversaries, travel, and important reminders (like to schedule teeth cleaning or dr. appointment).

I mean don’t you feel better just thinking about this?! I’m going to finish up these tasks this weekend, and then next week let’s talk goals!

Have a wonderful weekend!

All my love,

Alex