5 Things to Do Before the End of the Year

It’s hard to believe we’re nearing the final weeks of 2020, but here we are!

I know for many people it’s been a rough one.

But you don’t have to close out 2020 feeling resentful and bitter.

Regardless of what you went through this year, I encourage you to do the following five things before the end of the year.

You can’t control what happened, but you can control how you choose to go into 2021.

These things will help align you to your future self in 2021.

Let’s get started.

5 Things to do Before the End of the Year

Use Self-Reflection to Acknowledge what went Well

First and foremost, take the time to reflect on what went well.

This practice really helped me in the midst of so many setbacks and losses over the year.

As an example, here are a few things that went well for me this year:

My husband’s company transitioned to working from home in March. He previously was struggling with debilitating anxiety related to his job, and it has since dissipated. Aside from him finally being at peace, we enjoy working from home together. Our relationship has always been pretty solid, but we’ve become even closer as a result of this change.
I started a habit in May to average 10,000 steps a day and I’m still going strong! There’s an article I wrote about it here if you want to read about how I started doing it. In the six months since I implemented this habit, I have averaged over 10k steps a day each month, and my average for the year is currently in the 8,400 range. Compared to my average last year which was in the 3,600 range.
My freelance writing career is taking off, as is my friend’s digital marketing business that I work alongside her on. It’s so exciting to see my dream of being completely self-employed and remote come to fruition.

When you spend time in self-reflection focusing on what went well, it helps you to see that the year wasn’t as bad as you thought it was.

There were some wins.

Appreciate the wins.

Build off the wins.

If you need more help in this area, check out my previous article on gratitude (trust me-you will feel SO much better when you do these gratitude practices I teach).

It is really important to acknowledge the good in all seasons of life.

Appreciate what went well and embrace the growth experienced from this year.

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Complete the Chapter on the Things that Don’t Serve You

If there was ever a year to say goodbye to anything that didn’t serve you, it’s 2020. (But if you’re reading this in the future, any time is the best time to let go of things that don’t serve you!)

Quarantine had a great way of showing us what truly mattered and weeding out anything that didn’t.

One thing you can do to enter the new year in alignment with your future self is to complete the chapter on anything that doesn’t serve you.

It could be a toxic relationship, a dead-end job or a bad habit.

Anything that doesn’t serve your future self needs to go!

Today, if you’re reading this knowing you have a chapter of your own to complete, I encourage you to do it before the year is over.

When you leave behind what doesn’t serve you, you open the door for opportunities and blessings you never thought possible.

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Set One Big Goal Right Now

Setting goals is exciting and fun-but only if you do it the right way.

Goals help grow and stretch us. They help us step out of our comfort zones and take us to places we never thought possible.

Unfortunately, many people “set” goals on January 1^st by posting on their social accounts to their following, saying what they are going to accomplish.

Then, a week later, the goal is already forgotten about.

It’s why I advise against New Year resolutions-they typically don’t work.

People get excited and caught up in the New Year, and our culture exacerbates this idea of becoming this new person now that it’s the new year.

But the truth is, you can choose to become a new, improved you, TODAY. The date on the calendar doesn’t matter.

You need to actually write your goals down and make them specific, timely, and relevant.

I recommend getting a goal-setting planner, but even writing your goals down on a piece of paper works just the same.

You just want to keep it somewhere where you can see it every day and not let it get lost in a desk drawer.

Think about what your ideal year would look like in 2021.

Where do you want to work? What are your relationships like? Are you taking any vacations? What do you want to learn to do? Do you want to get married or have kids? Go back to school? Save money or buy a new car?

After getting an idea of what your ideal year would look like, set one goal for the coming year.

A popular topic among goal setting is losing weight, so let’s use that as an example.

You’ll want to avoid setting a goal “to lose weight next year.”

Instead, set a goal to lose a specific number of pounds, by a specific date, list how you’re going to make that happen, and create a check-in system.

So, let’s say you want to lose 30 pounds by June 1^st. You’ll want to devise a check-in system to track your progress. A good idea would be to weigh in once a week on the same date and time and record it underneath your goal.

You’ll also want to list how you’re going to lose the 30 pounds. What physical activity will you do and how will you adjust your diet to make it happen?

This is where a lot of people trip up-they set a goal based on wishful thinking, but don’t take the time to plan how they’re going to do it. Between that and not writing the goal down and viewing it daily, they get caught up with everyday life and let their goal slide into oblivion, and nothing changes.

I wrote an article about goal setting here if you want a deep-dive into goal setting.

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De-clutter Your Life

I’ve found one way to seek clarity is to clean and de-clutter my house.

A messy home or clutter is a direct reflection of what’s going on in the home owner’s mind: clutter!

Get yourself ready for a new year by cleaning and de-cluttering your house.

Go through your house one room at a time, one drawer at a time, one closet at a time.

A few months ago I went through my closets and drawers and pulled out a bunch of items I hadn’t worn or used in a very long time. Some of the items were best donated to Goodwill, so I put those in one pile.

The other pile were items that were still nice and looked fairly new, and I started selling them on Poshmark and eBay. So, not only am I getting rid of items I no longer use, I’m making a little extra cash as well!

There is something so freeing about getting rid of items you don’t use anymore that are just sitting around and creating clutter.

A clutter-free home makes for a clutter-free mind and life.

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Make Peace with the Year

Regardless of what the year brought you, don’t go into 2021 without making peace with this year.

I personally had some unfortunate and even devastating things happen.

Many nights were spent on my porch (even now, in the cold), making peace with this year, and being grateful for what is good.

Always hold on to what is good and true.

Make peace with 2020 and enter into 2021 with a clean slate and peace of mind.

Doing so prepares you for new opportunities.

Before You Go

Don’t go into 2021 with the weight of 2020 on your shoulders.

Take the time for self-reflection so you can remember the good.

Let go of anything that no longer serves you.

Set one big goal to get excited for a new year of possibilities.

De-clutter your space and your mind in the process.

And before the clock strikes midnight on December 31^st, make peace with the year 2020.

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