20 Things to Declutter for a Fresh Start
For those of us who have been running crazy our business for the past 300+ days of the year, and with only a few more weeks to go before we wrap up, let’s spend the next few days decluttering for a fresh start.
Whether it’s physical clutter or mental baggage, it’s time to lighten the load! Here’s a guide to help all of us to declutter like a pro:
1. Unused Gifts
Say goodbye to those well-meaning gifts that have gathered dust! If you’re not using them, it’s time to let them go. Yes, I know what you are thinking! How about regift to others with a new crisp wrappers? No one needs to know.
2. Old Calendars and Planners
Out with the old! Toss those outdated calendars and planners, and embrace the convenience of digital options that keep you organized and on track. I know of suppliers who still gift physical calendars and planners to their clients but a device like Remarkable or the Samsung Ultra Tablet will be great instead.
3. Email Inbox
Time for an inbox makeover! Sweep away those pesky promotions and unnecessary emails that are just taking up space. Your future self will thank you! Search 'unsubscribe' and tick off all those newsletters that you never read.
4. Phone Apps
Take a look at your phone and uninstall those apps that haven’t seen the light of day in ages. Less clutter means more room for the apps you actually love! Anything that is not on the first and second screens of your devices mean they are not as important. Any apps that are in some unknown folders should be gotten rid off asap.
5. Digital Photos
Scroll through your digital photo library and delete duplicates or those blurry shots that don’t make the cut. Keep only the memories that truly matter! Start from that oldest dated photos and remove from there first. Some tools like Google Photos will be able to identify similar photos for you to delete off.
6. Home Office
Transform your workspace into a haven of productivity! Organize those papers and clear out the clutter to create an inspiring environment. Anything that collected dust and never been touched before, is time to pack them into a box. Get a good headphone, earpiece with good noise cancellation functions to clear off the occasional noise. Extra screen to move excel spreadsheets and codes around. Strong and sturdy standees to hold up your equipments and gadgets.
7. Expired Food
Check your pantry and fridge for expired food items. Clear out the old to make room for fresh ingredients that spark joy in your meals! You do not want to be hospitalized just to save that few dollars or even risk getting illnesses down the road.
8. Clothing
If you haven’t worn it in the past year, it’s time to donate it! Give those clothes a chance to shine on someone else. If you are not sure what to replace, just get 5 pieces of the same shirts and pants with dull colors for guys. This will save you a lot of time on what to wear for external meetings.
9. Sentimental Items
Reassess your sentimental stash. Keep what truly holds value and let go of items that no longer resonate with you. Keep those with families and store or get rid of those from your ex-relationships. No point to hold onto something that you wont get back together.
10. Digital Files
Organize your digital documents by deleting unnecessary files. A tidy digital space can boost your efficiency! Get a few external harddisks to store all the important files, even if you are storing in the cloud. It is more important to store in various locations than to have no access when the internet or devices run out of juice.
11. Social Media Accounts
Review your social media presence! Deactivate accounts that don’t align with your personal growth or brand anymore. Those that you always check for messages and communciate with others for personal and work, keep them. Those that you do not use nor view anymore, put them on sleep mode or just delete it off after backing up the files or contents.
12. Networking Contacts
Purge your contact list of people you haven’t connected with in years or those who don’t support your current goals. Quality over quantity! This is tough but is important - look at your WhatsApp, LinkedIn, IG, TikTok, Twitter and anything else on the top 100 people that you been communicating for the past year. Keep them close but store the rest of those who you have not been responding to.
13. Business Plans
Take a fresh look at old business plans and strategies. If they’re not working for you anymore, it might be time to pivot! Update your plans every 6 months with focus on People, Product and Process (See BlackStormco.Asia) to give yourself some thoughts and reasons to run the way you are for your business.
14. Subscriptions
Cancel any subscriptions that clutter your inbox or mind—whether they’re newsletters, services, or memberships that no longer serve you. As above, anything that you been paying but hasn't been used for the past 3 to 6 months, get rid of them immediately. All these will add up to a lot of money which you do not want to waste on.
15. Physical Inventory
Assess any outdated or unsold inventory taking up space in your home or office. Clear it out to make way for new opportunities! Put onto an excel spreadsheet that you can access from anywhere so that you can sell them to get some money back or to shift them around for better uses.
16. Workspace Tools
Eliminate broken tools and equipment from your workspace that no longer serve a purpose in your workflow—keep only what helps you shine! Make sure all these are working well as broken stuff tend to breakdown at the most crucial time when you needed them. Do not be penny wise but pound foolish.
17. Meeting Notes
Organize or toss notes from past meetings that are no longer relevant to current projects. Keep what you need and ditch the rest! Scan them and put them into tools like Google Keep or Notes with the proper filing system so that it be easier to search for them later.
18. Mindset Clutter
Identify negative thoughts or limiting beliefs holding you back, and work on reframing them into empowering affirmations. This is not easy as it takes time but look at what makes you happy and yet practical for you to move forward with your life and business. Read a book, figure out where you are now and why you want to be next.
19. Unfinished Projects
Evaluate ongoing projects and decide which ones deserve completion, which ones can be paused, and which ones need to be abandoned altogether. Those that you have not touch on for the past 6 months should be discarded. Those that you been sitting on it but having second thoughts, look into what you can do to it within a reasonable timeframe, else get rid or it too.
20. Time Wasters
Identify activities or habits that drain your time without adding value, and create a plan to minimize them—your schedule will thank you! List down everything, yes everything that you do on a working day and on your weekends. Identify what are the things that you been doing that do not add values to your life. For example, are you spending too much time infront of Netflix to scroll the screen for hours? Are you spending time to queue up to drink that overpriced coffee? Are you starring at videos from TikTok without any purpose? Get rid of the apps and bad habits. It will save you a lot of time that you can otherwise use to build your Empire!
Decluttering can be liberating! Tackle this list at your own pace and enjoy the fresh energy that comes with a lighter load! Happy decluttering!
