6 Things to Do Before the Year Ends
By: Ayesha Athar
Tags: Self Improvement, New Year Resolution, Life Lessons, Growth, Personal Development

Let me tell you outright; life is unpredictable. I’ve learned this the hard way, especially this year. I always thought life had to be perfect, the future had to be obvious, and the present not so mysterious.

Now, I think differently. People with their lives straightened out, complete to a T, and spoon-fed throughout, miss out on knowing the meaning of life. I’m not one of them, and I’m proud to have known life more than those who have everything.

Because when you start from nothing, you respect the addition of something, then you slowly learn the value of everything. That’s the experience you miss when you start with everything.

For one, this year has been a rollercoaster ride. I’ve had my fair share of difficulties meeting the daily life problems, not to forget the pandemic and natural disasters.

From having issues of sticking to a regular work routine to meeting the deadlines of unpaid bills, I’ve been through it all, evidently making 2020 the worst year ever.

It has affected us all in one way or another; learning the reality of what could happen in certain situations and things we take for granted hasn’t been easy.

But as they say, this too shall pass, has been my motivating chant to keep going. Therefore, you wouldn’t feel complete without ending the year on a pleasant note.

And there are a few things you can do to cleanse the toxicity of this year out of your mind, body, and soul.

Don’t Stop People Who Don’t Want To Stay.

This year has been faithful to unmask a few people close to me, and I’ve parted ways with them.

It’s not easy! You may have doubts. But the thing is, you aren’t getting much from the worthless and toxic souls around you, neither love nor peace, so what’s the use? Those who genuinely love you will stick till the end.

Stop giving yourself a hard time by asking them to stay; let them go. It’ll be worth it and far less painful having them around than having them out.

Stop Depending On People To Save You

The hardest lesson: people who once acted as life-saviors may not be so for long, and it’s okay.

If they’re constantly reminding you of when they helped you and doing their hardest to embarrass you, it’s best to leave them and be independent.

Stop depending on anyone for rescuing you. Because at the end of the day, it’s just you.

Give In To A Good Cause

A study carried out by the Harvard Business School to explore the benefits of charity found out:

Happier people give more, and giving makes people happier, such that happiness and giving may operate in a positive feedback loop (with happier people giving more, getting happier and giving even more).

Before moving into the next year, do an act of kindness for something to remember by the last month of 2020 and bid goodbye on a positive note.

The good deed should be within your means; it doesn’t have to be anything big or small. As long as you’re doing it from the heart, that’s what matters.

For instance, donating clothes to the needy you no longer need, buying them a month’s groceries, inviting them over for a full day’s meal, anything like that is a kind act.

Helping those in need would make you thankful for the possessions you take for granted, of the comfort and luxuries that don’t come easy to other people.

Declutter The Nonsense Out

I’m not a big fan of decluttering, but when you get into it, you’ll realize you’ve been hoarding nonsense all this time.

I’ve been decluttering and organizing the storage spaces in my house.

I have only a few areas left to tackle, but I’m already witnessing the organization turning into a reality. And the relief that comes with doing a thorough purge knows no words.

I had 27 pairs of useless shoes in my footwear arsenal, which I drilled down to 7 staples. I have given the rest away to charity.

Similar to my story, give your makeup stash, old photographs, and old knickknacks that are only a waste of space a clean.

It’s time to stop holding onto things that only bring dust and emotions.

Organize Your Phone

I can’t stress this enough. My inbox is a whole new level of mess. Ever since I’ve started Medium, my drafts section amounts to a sizeable number of 300.

My inbox has over 1000 emails. As for the social, sent, and promotions tab, don’t even ask.

I’ve been on edge ever since I’ve found out about the worsening condition of my inbox. This time, I’m not moving into the next year until I’ve cleaned out the junk, lol.

I know the year will still move on, even if I do nothing with the inbox.

I lack clarity in my online work routine, and my inbox is one enormous factor. If you feel the same way, it’s about time to give your inbox a sweep.

Process

Don’t go blindly into it. I wouldn’t recommend mass-deleting. Instead, carefully go through past emails, invitations, notifications, comments, newsletters, all that jazz, and clear them accordingly.

I recommend creating a folder called ‘’important’’ for emails you want to keep. The others no longer necessary should go in the trash.

Those you’re unsure about, you could keep in a made-up folder named “unsure.” You don’t have to rush. Start by working on each folder a day.

You can keep emails that require immediate attention in the inbox. Stay consistent with these practices to maintain a headache-free inbox.

Unsubscribe from newsletters and subscriptions that no longer seem interesting to you.

Take A Break

Don’t overwhelm yourself with these tips and get stressed. Follow them one by one every day, and you’ll reach there before the year ends.

Focus on improving your life and values; instead of wasting precious time on social media, useless, non-productive tv programs, and movies.

Take a break from the online world and revel in the actual world. Make yourself a cup of tea, read your favorite book, and chillax.

You deserve all the free time to make up for how hard you’ve worked this year.

Pat yourself on the back by indulging in self-care and getting your priorities right. You have yet to reach January to start afresh.

Summary

Stick to people who value your company and love you for “you.” With much of the toxic and useless things out, you’ll be more than prepared to tackle what the next year brings.

And I sincerely hope it brings good news for all of us.