20 Ways To Prepare For 2020

A new year is almost upon us and during these last few weeks of December, it’s quite common to be gearing up for the year to come. This year, let’s ditch all of those high, unrealistic new year’s resolutions and set realistic, do-able goals. To help you get started, I’ve laid out twenty possible ways to get yourself ready for 2020 so you can ease into your new year feeling confident, prepared, and organized!

1. Make A List Of All That You Have Accomplished In The Past Year

In preparing for 2020, reflection is important. When we reflect on our accomplishments, not only do we give ourselves an opportunity to observe and see how much we’ve grown, but it’s also a chance for us to appreciate the journey. Take your time with this. Go through every month and include all of your accomplishments big and small! If your memory is a little fuzzy, it might be fun to go through your planner or social media to see what you were up too throughout the year!

2. Make A List Of Life Lessons You’ve Learned

Again, take some time for reflection here. When we prepare for something new, it can be beneficial to reflect on what we’ve already done. Think about all the people you met this past year and any important encounters. What lessons will you be taking with you into the new year? What lessons will you leave behind? You might want to use your planner or social media for this exercise as well!

3. Book Appointments

Prepare for 2020 by booking all of your important appointments now (doctor’s checkup, dentist appointment, car service, etc.) so you’re good to go! Keep in mind, that there may never be a “perfect” time for these appointments but they’re important to get done! Make a plan to get them done and out of the way and work on sticking to it!

4. Quit Procrastinating And Complete Any Small Tasks You Keep Putting Off

For example, I broke the zipper off a pair of my favorite boots and have been meaning to get it fixed for months now. Perhaps pick a day to get all of those pesky tasks completed!

5. Spring Winter Cleaning

Who says spring cleaning can’t happen in the winter? I think the new year is the perfect time to purge all your old, unworn clothing to make space for something new! I love it when I clean out my closet and rediscover clothes that are super cute but never worn. Now, I’m much more likely to wear something different (because I don’t really have a choice lol). Go through your junk drawer and your knick-knacks too!

6. Clean Up Your E-Mail

Delete old messages, unsubscribe from any people or organizations you are no longer affiliated with (or do not want to be affiliated with any longer).

7. Clean Up Your Social Media

Unfriend/Unfollow any toxicity or anything that does not spark joy from within you. *side note- STOP COMPARING YOURSELF to others on social media!!!

8. Go Through Your Music

There are so many songs I have on my Spotify playlist that I always just end up skipping. I’ve finally started to delete those songs and give my ears some fresh tunes to listen too (including podcasts!).

9. Let It Go! Let It Go!

You can let go of clothes and knick-knacks but what are you holding onto emotionally and mentally that can stay in 2019? Perhaps it’s fear or anger. Perhaps you need to forgive somebody, or even yourself. Practice letting any heaviness go in order to move into 2020 feeling lighter and brighter.

10. Cancel Subscriptions

Save yourself money and cancel any unused subscriptions to any apps or things that you don’t get much use out of anymore.

11. Go Through Old Photos

I’ve recently started going through all my photos on my electronic devices and began organizing them into albums. As I do this, I also delete plenty of photos (lots of selfies lol). You may even have some photos of exes that you just don’t need to take with you into the new year.

12. Clean Your Car

This is another one of those things I keep meaning to do but never get around to. I am in my car so often so it’s a space that I definitely want to keep clean and neat. I know I just need to do it and be done with it. I also know that once I do it, I’ll feel much better. In the words of Horace, “Don’t think, just do.”

13. Upgrade Your Surroundings

Look around at the things you see and use from day to day and notice if anything could use a replacement. Simple things like a new houseplant, a new pillowcase, or a new curling iron can make a huge impact and a daily difference.

14. Create A Vision Board

If you love crafts like me, you’ll love this one. Gather up some poster board, old magazines, pictures, etc. and fill up your board with pictures and words that are inspiring and motivating to you. Hang your board up where you will see it every day!

I’m A Millennial And I Feel So Out Of Place For My Age

15. Budget/Savings Plan

Ok, this is a big one, at least for me. Clean up your budget and create a savings plan. There are several apps the I use to keep my finances organized. 52 Weeks is an app that guides you through a savings plan specific to you and your needs throughout the year. It’s SO exciting watching your piggy bank get bigger and bigger! Every Dollar is another great app that helps you create a monthly budget. It requires you to organize your finances so that nothing is going to waste!

16. Practice Goal Setting

There are many different ways to practice goal setting, but my way requires that you WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS. Just writing your goals down on paper can feel intimidating as you may make yourself believe that you must complete these goals or you’re a complete failure. Know that this is absolutely, 100% false. Our goals change as life takes us down all these crazy paths but having a goal to start with will get your feet on that path. You can start by creating a one-year goal for yourself. Then create a month by month plan for that goal. If things change halfway through the year, know that that’s OK!

17. Start A New Routine

This doesn’t have to be over the top. You might decide to have a nightly cup of tea, take a walk in the mornings, or try a new skincare routine. I’ll definitely be coming up with a simple morning and nighttime routine that I can stick too!

18. Organize Your Life

In other words, get yourself a planner or use an app on your phone to keep your schedule and appointments straight. I’ve mentioned in past articles that I absolutely love Erin Condren’s planners. You can personalize your planner in terms of design and how you like your week/days/months laid out. She also includes fun stickers for your planner too!

19. Do More Of What You Love

Do more of what you love. What are your hobbies that you’d like to do more of? A friend of mine loves nature and decided to take up bird watching! She takes an hour or two on the weekends for herself to walk through nature and look for all kinds of birds. For you, it could be one yoga class a week, time for reading, or time to spend with family.

20. Make Time For YOU

We’ve all heard the importance of self-care but so many of us still tend to put our own needs aside either for others or for lack of time. Be sure you’re setting aside time every week to take care of you. You cannot help others if you do not help yourself. Your self-care routine might be a weekly hot bubble bath or a ten-minute meditation.

Remember, a good start to a new year comes with great preparation!What will you all be doing to prepare for 2020? Feel free to let us know in the comments below!