Every year I try not to work the last two weeks of the year, to fully focus on ending the year the right way: clean, without stress and deeply prepared both physically and mentally.
The new year is just around the corner, here’s a list of things I always try to do before the new year, join me?
Click here for the updated version with much more things!
I get my eyes checked
I wear glasses and contact lenses, so every year I try to make an appointment with my optician to check-in if everything is still ok.
More often I make several appointments throughout the year too, but sometimes when I travel it all comes down to that one appointment in December.
Dentist and doctor visits
Take care of yourself, and have yourself checked every now and then.
For me, December is an easy reminder to check up on my health (especially if I can actually take those two weeks off for errands – this year 2016/2017 I can’t unfortunately because a big adventure starts at the end of the month!)
Organize my business administration (and personal admin)
My least favorite thing, but it feels so GOOD starting the new year with all bills paid, all outstanding invoices send out and all those things.
I generally check my online cloud-based accounting software to see how I did in the year and how I can do better the next year. I love using this because I can send my admin in one batch to my accountant and it’s done. This usually takes at least one day, but after that full day, I can start the new year fresh. You can try Freshbooks for 30-days via this link if you want to try online accounting too.
Also, I’d like to write down my savings, debt, and cash numbers – it’s fun to see over the years!
Declutter and deep clean my space
Yes… the thing that feels so good, decluttering cannot miss on this list. Don’t forget your digital clutter: clean up your computers, do a reinstall of your iPhone and computer etc. and clean the house and all the laundry.
This takes up about two to three days if you want to do it really good, so don’t forget to make space in your life for new things the new year will bring!
Clean your inbox + organize my photos
The most important thing for me is to start the year clean with zero emails in my inbox.
All photos sorted is a thing I started a few years back because it’s a task that I usually forget to do, and while I’m so busy at the end of the year cleaning everything, I might as well do that too.
I use OneDrive to store photos, it’s pretty cheap and you can do a visual search! Here’s my tutorial on moving your life to the cloud (and why you shouldn’t use Google!).
Check-in with yourself.
You can write a letter, answer questions or scribble a few things down on a piece of paper: how was the year, how did you do, what went right and what went wrong?
Be as honest as possible and don’t forget to be kind for yourself.
Think ahead
What will the new year bring? What are your new year’s resolutions and goals?
What are the steps you can take for a successful road to success? If you prepare this well, it’s not that hard to successfully reaching your goals. With the right preparations, you’re halfway there.
Good luck!