[LIFE DESIGN] Four Steps to "Sew-Up" the Old Year and Prepare for the New
I used to get depressed about the end of the holiday season, dragging my feet into the new year with the momentum of a sloth. But now that I have my end of year rituals in place, I look forward to this time of year.
Here are the four steps I take to sew up my old year 🪡 so I can put old things to rest and embrace the new goodness headed my way!
Listen/watch the podcast episode here.
1. Complete: Incomplete projects have a mental weight. They are like the many open tabs on our computers, sucking up energy whenever we think about or spot them lying around the home or office. Decide what things you want to complete so that you can lighten your load as you enter the new year. Some things to consider: debts to forgive, projects to complete, crafts to finish, items to repair, relationships to mend or end (interesting that only one letter separates those words!), organizing/cleaning your space, editing/donating your belongings. Life is a trip, only carry the luggage that you intend to use!
2. Reflect: Capture what you've learned! I have two practices for this. One is completing an annual review. You can't figure out where you're going if you don't know where you've been, to paraphrase Maya Angelou. You can get my Annual Review template here: tinyurl.com/BYWDannualreview . The other thing that I do is review the roughly 100 books I've read/listened to and write down any that I want to review in the coming year. Brain Science estimates that we only take in about 10% of what we read the first time, so if I really like a book, I reread it so I can capture more of that yummy learning! I create a page in my paper planner titled "Books to Read" to capture this information. If there was a podcast/movie/show that I want to relisten/rewatch, I'll include that on this list. What did you learn this year that you'd like to deepen your understanding of?
3. Prepare: A paper planner is a priceless planning tool. There is so much brain science behind the benefits of taking handwritten notes and making handwritten plans. I personally don't believe this value can be duplicated digitally. This doesn't mean I don't use digital tools, but my paper planner is the foundation of my day. I like to set it up so that it's ready to go on January 1st by taking the following steps: write down all the recurring items like birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, bills that aren't on autopay, dates to buy tickets to events I like to attend annually, etc. I then sit down with my family and we sketch out travel plans. I connect with my closest girlfriends to plan our annual trip. Then I go back and sketch in the dates for any goals I've set for my year such as number of speaking gigs, books I want to write, content I want to create, and comedy shows I want to perform/produce. I like to have these "big plans" penciled into my planner on the first to "keep the important things important" so that when things go sideways (as they always do) I still know what my focus should be, even if I need to manage my expectations or change the dates of my goals. What is important enough in your life that you want to make space for it before "daily life" gets in the way?
4. Celebrate: I love the holidays so much, I used to get depressed around the new year because it meant that the holidays were as far away as they could possibly be. I've found that doing step 3 above helps to mitigate this lethargy. I also have a couple of other practices that help build a bridge between the joy of the holidays and the coming year. The first is my $10,000 Danish. I can't tell the whole story behind this Danish, but you can hear it in the podcast. Listen/watch the podcast episode here. The short story is that I like to make this very time-consuming and mind-blowingly-delicious recipe in the week between Christmas and New Year so that my family can enjoy it on January 1st as we watch the Rose Parade. It's a fun way to marry the years and gives me something to look forward to. The other thing I do is I always make sure I have an event to look forward to in January like a comedy show or a historical dance (two of my favorite things to do.) What tradition can you create or event can you plan to help bring the joy of the holiday season into the new year?
By doing these four things, I always feel ready for the new year with excitement and momentum. I hope they help you as well. Happy New Year!
Listen/watch the podcast episode here.
Next Episode
Dec 25, 2025: Release the Old So You Can Embrace the New
Jan 1, 2026: Let's Do an Annual Review
Resources:
-My favorite planning tools http://tinyURL.com/shopbywd
-Get Organized 2026 https://tinyURL.com/getorganized2026 (Use code PODCAST for 25% off VIP package)
-Website: http://BYWDreams.com
-My books: http://TinyURL.com/BYWDbooks