- Go through everything you own and decide what you want to take into the new year with you. I like the heuristic from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which is to ask yourself about each object, “does this bring me joy?”
- clothing
- things in cupboards, closets, and corners
- papers
- books
- Review what you accomplished in the last year, and compare to what you set out to accomplish, if you know what that was
- Identify any major failings in the last year, missed goals, or mistakes
- Write a bit about who you would want to be, if you could change yourself by wishing
- Write down what you hope to accomplish in the coming year. There may be more than you can really hope to achieve, so triage and pick the ones that must be done, the ones that you are willing to work harder to get done, and the ones that will have the most positive effect on your life if you achieve them. Factoring in all of those things, pick an achievable number to commit to, and some additional ones for bonus points. Identify also those that you will not pursue, not because they are not worthwhile, but because they will distract from the more important choices.