How To Reset Your Life In 5 Steps

Today I’m writing from my childhood bedroom in Texas.

Whenever I’m about to plan what’s next, I like to pause and acknowledge the past first. I have a process I go through pretty much every year, and I’m going to walk you through it here.

When you’re just living your life, it’s crazy how fast one year turns into five, then ten. Then you look around and you’re a different person.

I truly believe you need to be an intentional part of that process and decide who you’re becoming.

So I’m sharing some of the tools I like to use in my planning process. They make it more enjoyable and help it actually stick.

A New Year’s Routine To Reset Your Life

1. Mental Declutter

The first step is a mental declutter. Get all the thoughts out of your head and onto paper.

One way I’ve personally done this is by creating a worry sheet.

Worries are clutter for your mind. They’re tripping hazards that roll around in the background of everything else you do.

In my bullet journal, I wrote some of my worries on colored splotches I scribbled out with a Midliner. But I took it a step further than just writing down what I was worried about.

I also wrote down why I shouldn’t listen to those thoughts. Sometimes I have data that directly disproves the thing I’m worried about.

Here are some prompts you can journal about:

• What things have been causing you anxiety?
• Where did your stress come from over the past year?
• What projects or tasks have you been investing your time into?
• Who did you nurture relationships with over the past year?

2. Audit Your Year

Now that you have all the data from your year, the second step is to analyze it. You’re going to audit your finances, projects, and relationships.

The planning part comes later. You just want to evaluate what was a good use of your time and what wasn’t.

I have spreadsheets and graphs that show me what was a good use of my time and what helped me grow.

The most important part of this step is pruning. Once you acknowledge what didn’t pay off, you have to actually prune it going forward and stop adding it back to your schedule.

It’s a bit like pruning the branches of a tree that aren’t providing fruit, so the rest can get more nourishment and grow stronger.

It’s the same with your time. You have a limited number of minutes in your day and a limited amount of energy, so it’s important to prune the things that are no longer paying off.

3. Visualize Your Next Year

Step three is all about visualization. Take time to think about what you want the next year to look like.

Ask yourself:

• How do you want to be spending your time?
• What do you want to be doing?
• Who do you want to be with?
• What changes are you hoping to embody?
• Who do you want to become?

Be realistic and honest about what you truly want to experience and how you’re going to get there. A lot of times we just go with whatever we think we “should” go with.

Some years there isn’t a whole lot of change, and that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be a total overhaul every time.

But it can be healthy and cathartic to sit and visualize what the new season will look and feel like. Putting yourself in that position helps you plan more effectively.

Your “why” is the power that gets you from point A to point B. You’ll be more motivated to pursue your goals when you have a purpose that actually connects with you.

4. Create A Plan

Now take everything from the previous steps and turn it into a plan. In most cases, that’s going to require scheduling.

I like to say, “If it’s not scheduled, it isn’t real.” Having a rough schedule laid out gives you the kick you need to actually get moving.

Ask yourself as you sit down to plan:

• What kind of tasks do you want to be working on?
• How do you want to structure your tasks and order of operations?
• What do you want other people to be taking on, task-wise?

Creating systems is just another form of planning, and the 15 systems that have simplified my life can help you reset yours more easily.

5. Get Your Environment In Line With Your Plan

This final step is the one so many people leave out. We can get stagnant and stuck in a rut because we haven’t cleared out our physical space to make room for our plans.

Your environment can make or break your success. If you’re not intentional with the things you surround yourself with, it can drag you down.

That’s why I’ve dedicated my career to talking about holistic, clutter-free spaces. A supportive space brings out the best in you and helps you make real, tangible changes in your life.

If you want more concrete ways to create a space you’ll love, check out my free masterclass, where I share my personal clutter-free formula.

Thanks for joining me in my planning process. I hope this helps you reset your life and get the most out of whatever’s ahead.

If you want the bigger-picture version of all this, from schedules to physical space to mental clutter, that’s exactly what I cover in how to simplify your life.