The Annual Brain Declutter – Seven Steps to Close the Year Mentally

I usually dedicate a weekend in November or December to sorting out old stuff, decluttering, and preparing the apartment for cleaning. I want to do this before I start decorating for the holidays because it gives the home a fresher spirit. As I mentioned, most of us get stressed the last few weeks before the year-end. We wish to focus more on family and friends during the holidays, and at the same time, work pressure usually increases. 

During my corporate career, we always had “comp season,” where you might also be working on performance reviews and trying to accomplish new projects. I’m currently in what I call “the Post-It Phase.” Yes, I had to admit it, but this is the time of year when even my elaborate planning system and prioritization get a bit messed up.

I also think there is hardly a time of year when it gets light so late and dark so early, and because of all the consumerism around Christmas in Europe, even I get easily weak and buy a lot of stuff I don’t really need just to deal with the emotions that seem to grow grander during this time of the year. And we have “Weltschmerz.” please don’t get me started on all the silly ideas I get from watching Christmas movies and “Downtown Abbey” again. Ideas like “Let’s polish the silver in case the Great Aunt comes for high tea.” and “Where are my sherry glasses?” would pop into my head out of nowhere. I admit: I ordered new Christmas PJs, too, for all the sleepovers I plan with all the other kids I know. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Start somewhere

When I looked at the literal chaos on my hard drives and Google Drive, I felt deficient about the Annual Brain Decluttering. Last Christmas (I gave you my heart), I reduced my team temporarily so that I could pivot from running projects in the Global Mobility field to an even stronger focus on coaching and training. This year, (to save me from tears), I’m doing most of the admin work with my new assistant, Tom Robot. (You should try to talk to ChatGPT as if they were part of your team. It feels less lonely.)

Still, it brings several unfinished businesses: 

• documents and books in the draft stage, 
• piles of paper prints from the last project that need professional discarding,
• and, if you know me, you’d be surprised to hear that: printed resumes.

I would also like to finish open ends and projects and reduce the “Pendenzenliste” (one of my favorite Swiss German words that can be translated into the list of pending tasks) before starting on new projects. So, I went to my vision board and added the 25 priorities I had determined with the 25 Priorities Kanban method mentioned previously.

Here are seven Brain-Decluttering Practices to declutter your mind, home office, and apartment so you can see the lighthouse in the fog again. (Remind me to discuss my planning process in a post in January.)

1 – Organize Files

Before I dive into cleaning my apartment, there is clutter in my home office that needs attention. This year (after reading Ali Abdaal’s book Feel Good Productivity), I have approached everything with more fun and mindfulness, and I thought I’d take you along on my decluttering journey.

Too much paper can weigh you down and hold you back. Getting rid of paper will make you more productive. You might have noticed that when you don’t feel in your comfort zone, you need something in writing to hold on to. You can reduce complexity by having a plan or calendar of events on the wall. 

Reduce stage fright by writing down and scripting speeches, calls, videos and other talks. You can throw away those papers once you are done. Or, if you need to hold on to them, run them through your scanner.

Avoid tasks that do not add value to your work, business, or clients. Some of you spent hours sorting emails or filing documents in the old days. I find all my documents on the laptop using the search function or our elaborate system (it’s just an Excel sheet with links to the respective document). 

However, occasionally, these systems need decluttering and organization. Think of your files and folders online and plan how you want them organized so you can find everything you need more easily. I suggest building the system on a Google Sheet and using numbers to organize it better. Also, instead of deleting, use an “Archive” folder first. Start with the desktop and move everything from the desktop to Google Drive (or Team Drive).

You can move documents into folders or archives if you need to declutter visually. I prefer to link to unfinished documents and content in the respective Master Sheets. When I could not sleep recently, I also deleted all my personal and professional emails that were older than one year. I also reviewed the larger files and deleted most of the ones I don’t use anymore. I upgraded security and checked my passwords (Now, I don’t know the primary PW anymore, but yes, we are safe…). Then, I removed all apps I don’t use regularly from my smartphone. 

2 – Use a sound accounting system such as BEXIO 

I cleaned out the drawer where I collect paper receipts that must be entered into our accounting system and scanned all the receipts with the bexio Scanner App.

My auditor from WINSTON WOLF will then be able to book the costs directly in the system. I still keep a paper backup, but the process works digitally (finally).

The system also integrates with all the Swiss banks and banking applications such as TWINT. If you are based in Switzerland, this is a good choice.

Now that you have reduced your digital chaos and gone to an analogue method to structure your priorities (25 Priorities Kanban).

3 – Apply the Four Box System 

The four-box system is straightforward. You need to have four boxes and give them precise functions: Box 1: Give Away, Box 2: Recycling, Box 3: Treasures, Box 4: Bin (Hausmüll). You need to ensure that you throw away the bin immediately. You can put all your treasures in a box, put them in your attic, and leave them there until your next cleaning exercise. I find it more and more helpful if I label what’s in a box in case I ever look for something I need. Having a small space makes you do that. You probably keep your treasures in the living room if you have more space. 

One important tip when working on this process is to limit de-cluttering to half an hour daily. Set the clock and reward yourself afterwards, for example, by buying flowers. Letting go of clutter means learning to rely more on your brain. Please tell us how you sort out your clutter and find order in your life!

4 – Reduce Physical Clutter

Get a big moving box and remove all the clutter from your desk. If you like to keep cards, photos or painted pictures of your kids, nieces or nephews, hang them up. Hang everything up that has a hook. Hanging stuff makes you look more organized. We have a lot of IKEA hooks, and I will replace some with more beautiful hooks. It seems we already have Black Friday deals. Waste disposal and recycling in Switzerland is complex, and you might need to do a PhD before understanding how it works. For my sanity, the easiest way to follow up on the annual brain declutter is by taking old but nice clothes to the Brockenhaus as a first step.

https://tigel.ch/

https://www.zuercher-brockenhaus.ch/

As a second step, I ordered the recycling centre to come to my house directly so I had a deadline. Also, I sold my car in 2018, and I think it’s the most sustainable option to do this.

https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ted/de/index/entsorgung_recycling/kontakt/kontakt_kunden_service_center.html

Also, it allows collectors to go through exciting items the night before. I have stopped trying to give away and sell items on FB Marketplace or Ricardo because it is too much of an effort for me. 

5 – Standardize Wardrobe, Meal Plan and Grocery list

Simplify at home. Reading articles and watching videos on productivity made me standardize my wardrobe, meal plan and grocery shopping list (I keep them in the tasks app).  Place matching clothes together on the rack. I try to have all clothes “ready to wear” because if I go out in the dark, I might not see specific colors, holes, or stains. If the clothes are still good, but I haven’t worn them for a while, there’s a high chance I won’t wear them again, so I will give them to the “Brockenhaus” places.

In Seefeld: https://tigel.ch/

At HB: https://www.zuercher-brockenhaus.ch/

So anything stained, holed, or old has to go into the “Altkleidersack” (old clothes bag). The art is to throw the old clothes into the bin where they belong, where they will be picked up for charity right after you take them out. Otherwise, clothes and other clutter have a sneaky way of returning to your home. https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ted/de/index/entsorgung_recycling/entsorgen/was_entsorgen/textilien.html

Also, while we are at it, let’s replace all iron and plastic hangers with wooden ones. It’s much better for our clothes to hang on wood and looks much nicer. Let’s work towards reducing plastic by ordering cleaning supplies in bulk. Take a walk outside for at least an hour and consider what you want to do next.

6 – Color-Code Anything

I use an immaculate and colour-coded physical filing system in our office. It helps me find files that I need to see printed and grab the correct file when I am on my way to a client. Most of the time, though, I work without paper, but remember that there are specific papers you must file, especially as a business owner.

I use the same color for my accounting folder every year, but because it’s not my favorite colour, I once changed from a grey folder to grass green. My workbook drafts come in yellow folders, and program drafts are blue. 

7 – Clean and Reward Yourself with Cheese Fondue and Glühwein

To make the declutter perfect, you can also clean everything almost like you clean during spring cleaning. I am not an “Expert Hausfrau”, and there are great YouTube videos on the topic, but I can confirm that psychologically cleaning your home is good for your soul and mental well-being. 

I am much more motivated to clean when I know I have lovely plans afterwards, so during “Advent”, I go out more than usual and meet up with my friends, colleagues, and clients at the Wiehnachtsdorf.