Episode #375 – Out with the Old: How to Declutter Your Space, Inbox, and Mind

This is episode 375 of the Brilliant Balance podcast: Out with the old – how to declutter your space, your inbox, and your mind.

Happy New Year to you and yours! I hope you’ve had a wonderful week or so with the people you love and that you’re feeling a deep sense of peace and gratitude for all that has happened in 2024—the good, the bad, and the ugly. It all gets us to where we’re going in some way, shape, or form. As we close out this year, let’s take a moment to honor everything that’s happened and who we’ve become as we prepare to turn the page to a new year.

Over the last two weeks, I shared a template for a self-guided end-of-year retreat. I’ve loved hearing from those of you who have already done this. The response has been so positive. If you haven’t had a chance to download the guide and go through that process yet, there’s still time. It doesn’t take long, and it’s such a worthwhile exercise to reflect on the lessons of 2024. You can find it in the show notes of one of the last two episodes. If you downloaded it but haven’t done it yet, this is your reminder to take some time for yourself.

Because the response has been so good, I’ve decided to host a workshop in January: a vision and goal-setting workshop called “Clarity and Courage for 2025.” If there are two things that are game-changers for making the year ahead different from the one before, it’s having clarity about what you want and finding the courage to go after it. The workshop will be on Friday, January 17th, at 1 PM. There’s a registration link in the show notes, or you can go to brilliant-balance.com/courage to register. It will be a 90-minute workshop, and I encourage you to block that time.

I’ve purposefully scheduled this for mid-January. We often come out swinging on January 1st, thinking we’ll get everything in order. But life quickly reminds us that we have kids to get back to school, decorations to take down, projects to tackle, and meetings already on the calendar. If this workshop were scheduled for January 2nd or 3rd, no one would come. Placing it mid-month gives us time to show up live and do this together. I’m choosing a Friday afternoon because it’s a great time to take a little chunk of time for yourself.

If we don’t schedule this as a group, it’s unlikely we’ll do it. Life comes at us fast, and so many things compete for our time. That’s why I’m upholding the principle that what gets scheduled gets done. I really want this to get done for us because it’s going to be so good. I’ve learned so much about designing the next level of life, and I’m excited to lead you through it in this workshop.

Today’s episode is about clearing space to tackle new things in 2025. This involves decluttering your physical space, inbox, and mind. Your mental state is affected by your environment. A cluttered environment—be it your home, office, or vehicle—creates a carryover effect to your mind. Creating serenity and order around you can foster the same within your mind. And because so much of our environment is digital, we’ll address both physical and digital clutter.

For physical decluttering, consider a “box or bag a day” challenge. Walk through your space and fill a box or bag with items to be trashed, donated, or put back where they belong. Start with your workspace, then move to other areas like your closet, kitchen, pantry, or car. Tackling just one bag a day can make a big difference without feeling overwhelming. For those who prefer to sprint, you can dedicate a few days to hardcore decluttering instead.

Digital decluttering often starts with your inbox. I’ve done an episode on the “five R’s of inbox management,” which provides tactics for managing your email. One key tip: archive everything older than 30 days to reduce the clutter in your inbox. You can still search for archived emails if needed. Afterward, manage the remaining emails by unsubscribing from lists, automating folders, and using tools like unroll.me.

You can also declutter digital files by organizing downloads, deleting duplicates, and cleaning up your desktop. Social media is another area to reset. Unfollow or mute accounts that no longer align with your values or that negatively impact your mood. Finally, organize your apps and delete ones you no longer use.

Your schedule is another area to declutter. Look at your recurring appointments and identify changes needed to protect your time. Block space for deep work, creative time, or simply downtime. A pro tip: reserve the last hour of your workday to wrap things up, send emails, and prepare for the next day. This helps prevent the feeling of being perpetually behind. Also, block key dates for 2025 now, like vacations and school breaks, to avoid double booking.

Mental decluttering may be the hardest but most valuable step. Start by draining everything from your mind onto paper. Write down unfinished tasks, worries, and decisions to clear headspace. This exercise can be repeated regularly to maintain clarity. Practices like meditation and journaling can also help clear mental clutter and make room for creativity and new ideas.

Think of decluttering as preparation for what lies ahead. By clearing space in your environment, schedule, and mind, you can create the conditions needed to set and achieve meaningful goals in 2025. I hope you’ll join me for the January workshop as we explore clarity and courage for the year ahead.

Thank you for being part of this community. I consider podcast listeners to be the broadest circle of the Brilliant Balance community, and I’m grateful for your presence. Here’s to wrapping up 2024 and stepping into 2025 with hope, positivity, and possibility. Until next time, go be brilliant.