Me, Myself & My Best-Self

Clear the Clutter: Embracing a Fresh Start for the New Year

• Claire Bennett

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Ever find yourself drowning in a sea of digital clutter and to-do lists that stretch on like a bad movie? Let's change that. Your quirky guide, Claire Bennett, is here to share the secrets to starting the new year on a fresh note. This isn't your run-of-the-mill life overhaul; it's about savoring the small wins and enjoying the journey to becoming the best version of ourselves. We'll chuckle over unsubscribing from those pesky emails, find joy in pruning our to-do's, and learn the art of saying goodbye to the old to make way for the new.

Join me as we tackle the mess both in our inboxes and under our beds. Discover how to sift through the digital detritus and physical pile-ups with a simple mantra: use it or lose it. Whether it's deciding the fate of a year-old document or finally delegating the daunting task of leaf removal, I'm dishing out practical wisdom to streamline your life. And, bonus, we'll do it all with a smile. So grab your notepad (digital or physical—no judgment here) and let's get organized for an adventure in decluttering that promises to leave you lighter and ready to seize the year ahead!

Speaker 1:

Hey there, curious minds and self-improvement dabblers, welcome to me, myself and my best self. The podcast where we casually navigate the maze of personal growth without the hike. No promises of overnight transformations or grand life revelations here, just real talk, relatable stories and a few laughs as we figure out this whole becoming our best selves thing. I'm Claire Bennett, your guide through the maze of life's quirks and challenges. Let's wander through it together. No pressure, no perfection, just a touch of curiosity For those that celebrate. I hope you all had a great Christmas.

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I love this week of the year, the tranquil gap between Christmas and New Year Of some main relation. In the downtime. I find empowerment in utilising this period to embark on a journey of organisation and rejuvenation, a time to declutter and make space for the new year ahead. I like to declutter both my professional and my personal life. It enables me to start the new year with a cleaner slate. This episode is just a few tips on how I declutter digitally, physically and mentally. So let's start with professional remit and your computer and your laptop and that digital stuff, mainly because most of it you can do sitting down and it doesn't cause too much mess. Now the first thing I do is unsubscribe from newsletters and promotions that I no longer have an interest in. Just this one act can keep your inbox clear and easier to manage, or for some companies that I still might want to be contacted from time to time, then I can just go in and change the preferences on how I want them to interact with me.

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The second phase of this is getting rid of paper files. Even though over the last couple years I've really tried to go put everything digitally, you still end up with paper. So quickly go through the stuff that I can get rid of, I shred, and the other stuff that I want to keep. I either try and scan it and create a document or I will file it and put it somewhere where it's in easy reach and I know exactly where it is. Then for digital files, I go into each folder and I sort by date in ascending order and review any documents that are over a year old. I don't spend too much time, I just make a quick decision. The question I ask is will I ever open this document again or not? And if it's a not, then just delete it. It just makes it easier to find stuff.

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I also like to spend some time reviewing my to-do list. Now I have a to-do list on my phone and just keep adding stuff to it as it comes to mind. So what I do is I review my to-do list and I file it under one of four headings. But first headings be priority, so the stuff that I do need to get done. The second is schedules. So this might be something that I don't need to do right now, but I may need to do it in a month or two months. So, for example, when I was over Christmas, my mum mentioned something that she'd like for her birthday. Well, my mum's birthday is not till July, so it's no point putting it on the to-do list now, so I'll just schedule it for a month before my mum's birthday to remind me what I'm going to buy her.

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Then two of my favorite headings delegate. So is there anything on my to-do list that I can delegate Now? For me, one of those items is my garden. So my next door neighbors have beautiful trees, but obviously every year around this time the trees shed, so I have a whole garden full of dirty leaves. Now I'm really not going to get time to do it, so I'm probably going to delegate that job. Find someone online that can come around, spend a couple of hours and clean my garden.

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Then my fourth and favorite heading is delete. My delete is usually stuff that I've had on the list, hoping I'd find time to do it at some point and to know what is quite liberating deleting stuff. My delete list items such as go and see a film or theatre or and half the time it's actually over. And lastly, I organize my physical space, my office, the place I actually spent most of my time. I clean it and get rid of things. I get rid of objects that I no longer need or want. When I'm getting rid of objects, I always ask number one do I use it? Number two, do I need it? Or and number three does it bring me joy? If I answer no to all of these questions, then it gets binned or donated.

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I also review the bookshelf. I have a bit of addiction to books. I still like physical books. There's something about a physical book. These are probably the hardest thing for me to get rid of, but I still do a quick glance at the bookshelf to see if I can get rid of any. I give myself a rule of getting rid of at least two books. I then do a quick clean and my professional declutter is complete Now, because I do keep on top of it throughout the year or I do this as a yearly ritual, to be fair, it doesn't take too much time and it just makes me feel like things are clearer to go into the new year and things are a little bit tidier. For me it just feels, just takes away that little bit of anxiety or stress.

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Then it's on to my personal declutter Again. I start with my digital presence. I look at my phone and I delete any unwanted apps on my phone and my iPad. I look at my subscriptions and delete any that I no longer need. This is a good win, as you can also save some money with this one. I also leave WhatsApp groups that are dormant or that I no longer participate in. I also delete texts and close any internet tabs. I also spend some time rearranging the apps so that the ones I use the most are on the front screen and group together apps. For example, messaging apps are all together or car parking apps are all together. I also find that moving them around helps to become more conscious about how I'm using my phone on a daily basis.

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Then the physical stuff in my house. I do it room by room and I literally take one drawer or one cupboard at a time, take it all out and decide what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of Again. I do do this regularly well, a yearly basis, so it doesn't take me too much time. Again, with objects, I ask do I need it? Do I sorry, do I use it? Do I need it and does it bring me joy? And if it's no to all three, then it goes In my kitchen. I do a check of all the perishable items and also ask the question is it in date? I always find one or two things in the kitchen that are out of date, also in the kitchen.

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If I've not used something in the past year, then I decide if I'll ever use it again. I always have gadgets that I've brought over the years thinking it will make my life easier, where in reality they just make their way to the back of the cupboard. I like to donate these things, as I'm sure someone better than me will make good use of it. Also, don't forget the freezer. Yes, things do perish in the freezer. Now, in the bathroom this is one of my favourite parts is my makeup and beauty products. I always seem to accumulate stuff that I never use. With stuff that is still sealed, I donate, and for open products, I ask family or friends if they want to try it.

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Now on to the wardrobe. My rule with clothes is that if I haven't worn it in the last year, it is likely I'll never wear it again. There are some caveats of this, such as outfits or weddings, etc. These I have done hang on to for a bit longer Now. A trick that I use for my wardrobe is, at the beginning of the year, I turn all of my hangers facing outward and then, as I wear the item, I replace it back in the wardrobe with the hanger facing inwards. Then, at the end of the year, I can easily see what I've worn or not worn. I also have a summer and winter wardrobe, so don't forget to sort your summer clothes as well.

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I also get rid of things that have holes in them or that are frayed. This is usually my socks, so I get rid of them. I don't need to go into the new year with holy socks. I also clean out my handbags and my coat pockets. It's amazing what you can find in them, but I'm not someone that finds money that I've forgotten about. My pockets usually consist of old tissues and dog poo bags empty ones.

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Of course, I even sort out my cleaning products. I always find products that I've bought and not used. So I either place them somewhere where I'm going to use them or I get rid of them. This is also the same for other household items, such as light bulbs, where I no longer have a fixing that uses that light bulb, or random items that have made it into the junk drawer. I often find old cracker presents and stuff like that that I thought I'd keep just in case. But get rid. If you haven't used it, get rid of it. Another section that people often forget is medication and vitamins. Make sure they're still in day or, if I open, that they're still usable.

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My dogs even get decluttered. Well, they're dog toys Mainly. I get rid of the toys that no longer have stuffing or a head. So once I've gone through all my physical items, all the cupboards, all the rooms, I then start to look at how I can automate the year ahead. I say, for example, last year I set up a subscription for dog food with four dogs and need a lot of food regularly. So I worked out how much food I needed per month and set up a monthly subscription. It has saved me a lot of hassle and I always have dog food. I always believe that it. Also I believe that it saved me money, as I no longer go to the pet shop and come out with dog food and a new toy, a new lead or a bag of treats. This is the same for my milk delivery. You always go to the shop for just milk and come out having spent more money than intended. So I started a milk delivery so it gets delivered three times a week. I worked out how much milk me and my husband consume. Plus also for a milk delivery is quite environmentally friendly, so it makes sense as I give the glass bottles back, don't have to keep empty in the recycling. So this year I'm also looking at doing this with my household cleaning products and item and other items I order regularly.

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Also this year my husband and I have decided to set up a joint Google calendar and email address. The email will be used for joint things a household bills, services, etc. And the calendar will be used to add all our personal appointments. Now for us this just means when we organise stuff, we know what each other are doing. So, for example, if a friend of mine wants to see me, I can pick it on a date that my husband is also out, or if a friend wants to see us both, I can check to see if we're both free. This collaboration, I think, will enhance efficiency, minimise scheduling conflicts and hopefully, will bring some more time that we can actually share together.

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But have a look. See what else you can automate in your life. See what else you no longer have to make a decision about. We make so many decisions every day. So if there's something we don't have to think about because it's automated, then go for it. It means that we'll have more time next year to do the things that we want to do. So they are my quick decluttering tips. So, as we step into the upcoming year, let's carry forward the essence of decluttering, not just for our space but in our lives. May the act of letting go creates some space to enable you to allow joy and purpose and meaningful connections. So that's all for this week's episode. I'm going to wish you a fantastic new year, filled and hopefully it will be filled with clarity and simplicity and boundless possibilities. Thank you for joining me this week. Don't forget to subscribe, share and stay tuned for more insightful discussions Until next year or next week. Do clutter your life and save for the beauty and simplicity. Hope you enjoyed the episode and we will speak next week.