On a mission to kick-start 2017 in the best possible way? It’s time to look beyond your sock drawer! Here’s how...
Declutter your head
1. Swap multitasking for microtasking
Imagine you’re juggling lots of balls. Now think about what your hands have to do to keep the balls up in the air. It’s much less taxing to focus on just one ball at a time! Microtasking – doing one specific task for a short period of time and devoting your full attention to it – is a more mindful approach that will leave you feeling less frazzled.
2. Prioritise your to-do list
Reducing a long list of tasks to an achievable length, and being able to tick things off quickly will make you feel less anxious. First, leave off anything that’s not really important. Next, separate quick tasks from longer ones – and when you have 10 minutes spare, tick off one of the shorter tasks.
Declutter your home
3. Focus on the happy
Take a tip from Marie Kondo’s book on decluttering, Spark Joy (Vermilion, £10.99), and go through your things, one by one, assessing each item to see whether it brings you joy. If it doesn’t, say goodbye to it. There’s something uplifting about being surrounded by things that bring you cheer.
4. Make spare minutes count
Look for mini opportunities to declutter small areas of your home in any spare time you might have. If you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, for example, use those couple of minutes to clear out your cutlery drawer.
Declutter your heart
5. Learn to forgive
Try to resolve, or forgive and let go of past hurts. This is healing and can remove emotional blockages between you and another person. According to a recent study, being a forgiving person may help to minimise stress-related problems, such as difficulty sleeping and low energy.
6. Focus on positive people
Rather than thinking of culling negative friendships, which can feel harsh, simply prioritise spending time with people who nourish and support you – that way, the right friendship balance will fall into place.