Resetting Your Home and Office for Success after the Holidays
You probably know that I don’t identify with the classical “Hausfrau”, so cleaning for me needs to be a Zen practice, a redecoration exercise, or it turns into a major decluttering job. As I work from home and invite clients to join me for sessions in my home office, I try to maintain a minimum standard during the week, but before and after longer breaks, I feel a need to clean the place thoroughly.
1 – Clean the whole home after vacation
Sometimes I motivate myself by watching a few cleaning videos on YouTube first. I still have jet lag from India, so this Sunday morning I will dedicate to resetting my home office, cleaning everything once, and then get into the work I have been procrastinating on before the holidays (book editing is almost as motivating for me as cleaning…).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coh4wZEWR_w
2 – Refill the Cleaning Supplies
I use large, environmentally friendly containers for cleaning supplies. I noticed they don’t need a refill as often as I expected, but I refill all the bottles now and use two, so I have no excuse when one runs low. As I like to decorate, I am thinking about how I can make these plastic bottles more appealing while working on this task. Maybe a project for 2026.
3 – Allow yourself enough breaks in the process
For me, these cleaning exercises work better when I have a “free” day (without appointments or commitments) and when I have a deadline. I know clients will be coming to my home from tomorrow, so I have to reach an acceptable stage by the end of the day. At the same time, I had a plan to get back into work and also wanted to prepare for Monday’s meetings. I think if you tackle tasks that feel a bit uncomfortable, it’s a good idea to reward yourself after a few hours and not take them too seriously. I’m going by “better done than perfect.” I can always improve my cleaning skills over time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=091TD6Fg8_s
4 – Plan Your Mission Walks
In the winter, you might not be able to get rid of your Brocki items right away, so I have started a bag in the cellar of clothes and potentially other items I want to bring to the Brocki when the weather gets better or when I need a “Mission Walk”. There is currently space for empty bottles and containers that I would normally take to the recycling station every Saturday.
5 – Be Honest about Procrastination
I have a confession to make: I have been procrastinating on finalizing an important manuscript for the last four weeks. Yes, it was the holidays, but I believe this is a deeper issue, as I also see it with clients.
Some of us are great at big-picture vision, first drafts, rough sketches, and overall design, but not so good at finishing the details. I needed all my energy to finish what finally took around six hours of focused work. I had to tell everyone that I would be offline. I cooked potatoes for three days and basically locked myself in the apartment.
So, you might also have a few projects and tasks from the last year that need dusting off and finalizing. Maybe you are like me and could use the spirit of January and new beginnings to finalize your life’s work or a passion project. Maybe it is time to get started on your resume and LinkedIn profile, maybe you finally want to set up those networking meetings you have been talking about for weeks now, or maybe you know it’s time to get back into the dating game to find that partner you wanted to look for last year.
Whatever you do, start with a weekly practice and a low threshold, because the likelihood of succeeding is a lot higher with practice than if you set your resolutions too high.
And if you haven’t started on your 2026 intentions and goals, it might be time to download and print the worksheet here. Please mention “2026 Success” when asking for access.
A new Global Mobility book is expected soon:
If you wonder what I am working on, I suggest you sign up here. http://eepurl.com/dpfrrf
If you are on this list, you will always be invited to all our book launch parties in Zurich, Switzerland, and you will be the first to know about our new publications. We usually only send you a quarterly update of our activities and upcoming launches (3 to 4 emails a year). Hint: It has to do with #GlobalMobility. More soon. Thank you for listening. 🙂 👩🎨 ✍ 📚
Resources and Ideas
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/roundup-cleaning-organization/
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/how-to-organize-cleaning-supplies.html
