7 Days of Reset - How to Close the Year Clean and Enter the New Year Clear

If you're reading this, at the end of the year, there's a good chance you're tired.

Not “I need a nap” tired, but “I’m mentally carrying too much” tired, and on top of that, we just finished the holidays.

Do you really need another New Year's resolution?

Have you even had a chance to pause and take inventory from this year?

What about all of the unfinished business from right now?

All of this needs closure: unfinished conversations, to-do lists, unmade decisions, goals you meant to revisit or accomplish but didn't. Habits that quietly drained you all year long. We drag all of that into the new year and then wonder why January feels heavy rather than hopeful.

I want to offer you something different. It's a 7-day reset.

Not to overhaul your life, but just to close out this year cleanly so you don't bring its weight into the next one. It's simple, it's honest, and you don't need hours a day to do it.

Day one: This is the end-of-year audit.

Day one is about truth, not judgment. Most women skip this step because they don't want to look too closely. Or they're not naturally reflective. But clarity starts with getting real. Here's what I want to ask you. What were your three biggest wins this year? Your three biggest wins. And yes, wins do count. Even if no one else was there to clap, you clap for them. Holding it together during a hard season, that's a win. Leaving something or someone toxic is a win. Resting when you used to push through is a win. One of my biggest wins was hiring a virtual assistant. Best choice ever. This allowed me to increase my productivity and delegate more work significantly. That is priceless.

Next, what were your three biggest lessons, challenges, or failures? These could be learnings. Again, not to shame yourself, but just to start noticing patterns. This could be a bad habit you found yourself repeating or something that you wished you'd done better this year. One lesson I continued to struggle with this year was a recurring pattern. And that is biting off more than I can chew. I bought a home that is more home than I want to maintain. Um, and I sometimes also ask myself, why in the world did I get four puppies? When I'm in my highest energy mode, I've got all of these dreams and ideas and plans, and I put them into action, and then I forget about what it's like when I'm in my low energy mode, and then I have to deal with the consequences. That's something I plan to stop doing next year.

The next question for you: What drained your energy this year, and what gave you energy? You may look at the people in your life, the commitments that you've made, the decisions, your health choices, anything. Just instinctively write down what first comes to mind. When you think about what drains your energy versus what gives you energy, it's a quick audit. It tells you everything you need to know about what to repeat and what to cut next year.

Day two: Closing the loops.

Day two is about mental energy. Unfinished business quietly exhausts us. It's distracting. Every open loop that you have in your life takes up space, mental space, sometimes even physical space, even when you're not consciously thinking about it. If you're anything like me, having a massive to-do list hanging over your head weighs on your mind. Today, I want you to make one list. Not ten lists, one. Write down all of the things you need to do, projects to finish, tasks to check off, donations to make, scheduling appointments or work to be done, purchases that you need to get out of the way, decisions, etc. And here's the key part most women miss. You don't have to finish everything. Get it out of your brain. You're finishing what can be completed and then just archive what can't. Oftentimes, I'll have my big long to-do list. I'll write down everything that is in my mind and I'll realize that a bunch of it is just nice-to-have stuff that goes from one daily to-do list to the next to the next. And I I realize I'm not doing this stuff, so why do I have to put it on the list to begin with if it's not essential and I just get rid of it and if it bubbles up to the top at a later point then I'll put it back on the list. But for now, get rid of that stuff. Letting go of something unfinished on purpose is still a decision, and decisions create relief and space for more. You deserve to enter the New Year without dragging a huge to do list behind you and you'll feel a lot better.

Day three: The Relationship Reset.

Relationships shape your very existence. As I love to say, you're the culmination of the five people you spend most of your time with, so make sure you're being intentional about those relationships. Day three is about cleaning up your relational world. Here's what I want you to do.

• Text five people who genuinely made a difference this year. Say thank you. Express your gratitude.
• Reach out to one person that you've missed. Maybe you haven't had much time lately to invest in your social relationships. Your old friends. Just reach out and say hello. Happy Holidays.
• Have that one conversation that you've been avoiding. Get it out of the way, get it over with. Start the year fresh and let go of at least one relationship or dynamic that consistently crosses your boundaries.
• Finally, schedule actual quality time with the people who matter, who are a positive influence in your life, and who provide value.

And let me say this gently but clearly: You don't need more people in your life. It's about quality over quantity, especially as we get older and we have competing priorities. You need the right people closer and the wrong ones further away. This is leadership in your own life. This is having boundaries.

Day four: Health check.

Day four is not about becoming a new person, losing 50 pounds, exercising every day, or going on a massive diet. It's just about maintenance and fine-tuning. Are you preventing health issues for later or are you actively causing or ignoring health issues now? One of my wins and losses this year was around health. I did schedule some catch-up maintenance appointments at the beginning of the year that I hadn't been on top of. However, as the year went on it got to be Q4, and I let a couple follow-up appointments go. Then of course, my dog ate my Invisalign retainer. I now need to schedule another appointment in addition to the ones I still need to complete in the new year. Some of these items are ongoing, but we still need to schedule them. Schedule the appointment you've been putting off. Stock your kitchen as if you care about yourself. I'm about to receive my first delivery of Hungry Root because I realized I'd been foraging in the refrigerator, eating snacks. But you know you can't exist on Gouda cheese, so I ordered Hungry Root to focus on eating more vegetables and hearty grains. I'll let you know whether I like it. I've tried most home-delivery and pre-made meals, but I haven't tried this one. Now you don't have to go overboard with exercise and diet, but it is essential to move your body in a simple, doable way. Find a way to do that and then get real sleep. You can't build a powerful year on an exhausted body and mind, and pretending otherwise is not a sign of strength.

Day 5: It's time to look at your finances and get your money right.

Day five is about numbers and reality without shame. So pull up your bank accounts. Look at the state of your finances. Review your credit card statements and ask yourself some fundamental questions.

• What did I earn versus spend this year?
• Where did money leak unnecessarily?
• What's one realistic financial goal that you can come up with for next year?
• Can you save more for retirement?
• Where can you stop spending like a total wild banshee?

Take a look to see where you might be overdoing it and where you might be underdoing it. No spiraling, no judgment. But you can't improve what you refuse to look at. And clarity with money creates confidence.

Day 6: Digital Environment Reset.

Your digital environment shapes your thinking more than you realize. Recently, I found myself scrolling on Instagram, which is uncharacteristic for me. I'd be up late into the night. I'm wondering why I'm on this social media app constantly. I noticed that it was pulling me away from reading books, which I do, oftentimes doing work that I could be more productive on and spending time with actual people. Today, let's review your digital environment. 

• Unfollow what drains or distracts you.
• Follow people or voices that sharpen your thinking.
• Fill your feed with people who make you better. Not smaller. Not comparative. Not jealous, not angry, not bored. There are enough reasons in life to be all of those things without having to seek it out online.
• Look at your subscriptions. Cancel all subscriptions you're paying for but aren't using.
• Clean up your inbox.

I used to be one of those people who stayed on top of my inbox, but guess what? I just can't do it anymore. And that's fine. But a couple of times a year, I have to go through my inboxes and archive messages older than about a month. Why? Because clearly, if there was something important in there that was left unaddressed, I would have heard about it by now. This inbox reset allows me to start fresh and gives me a better chance of staying on track going forward. Who wants to be drowning in unaddressed emails? Not me. And again, this is about going into the new year without that heavy weight hanging over your head. Your digital life should support the woman you're becoming, not get in the way. Not be a blocker to your success, not keep you stuck in comparison or constant noise that's draining you.

Finally, it is Day seven: The New Year Blueprint.

Day seven is where vision meets strategy and strategy meets action. We're not going to come up with 10 goals for the year. You can't do everything at once and do it well. Let's choose three goals, figure out what those goals are, break them into quarters, and name the very first action for each. Start scheduling out January. Intentionally set up a simple tracking system. Planning like this takes an hour, while winging it wastes time and typically does not yield results. If you've ever wondered why your goals don't stick, it's not motivation you lack; it's clarity. It's follow-through. It's taking a look at your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, and how they produce or don't produce results. Before you go, put a hand on your chest, take a deep breath, and ask yourself,

• What am I proud of surviving this year?
• What am I done carrying forward?
• What kind of woman do I want to enter the new year as?

Let the answers be messy. Messy's real, and real is where clarity begins.

If this resonated, download the free 7-day reset companion. You don't need to reinvent your life; you just need to close this chapter. Join our community and start living your boldest life today.