1 Creating Space Through Organization

1) Organizing Your Space with Cleaning

While searching YouTube for ‘new year preparation,’ I stumbled upon a short video by Hwajung Choi. In the video, she said this:
“After Christmas, there are only five days left. That’s when I always clean. I believe in the power of cleaning.”

Her words really resonated with me. I’d been too busy getting through the year to think about organizing my home at year-end. Days like that piled up, and it wasn’t until moving day that I’d face things I didn’t even know we had, only to move them along with us. That cycle kept repeating. So this year, I made a commitment to clean the house with my family at year’s end. Cleaning means more than just physical organization. According to HiDoc News, organizing and cleaning your home can reduce stress and promote psychological stability. It seems like the perfect activity for a fresh start. If you have documents piled on your desk or old clothes in your closet, pick a day to organize and create some mental space.

2) Mental Organization Through Year-End Settlement

If cleaning is physical organization, then mental organization is ‘year-end settlement.’ It’s the same term as the year-end tax adjustment we do at the start of the year, but the ‘year-end settlement’ I’m introducing means reflecting on your year through questions.

When you search for year-end settlement on Tumblbug, several projects come up. Just like last year, I purchased the ‘Year-End Settlement’ diary published by DAY-OFF again this year. It’s a format where you reflect on the past year by answering short questions—it takes just an hour and makes a lovely keepsake. This time, I bought it with friends. While writing in a daily diary is difficult, reflecting on the whole year at once feels slightly less overwhelming. A British psychologist says that expressing emotions through writing clarifies them and has a calming effect on anxious feelings. I also felt my mind clearing up as I wrote my 2024 year-end settlement diary. If you’re feeling uncertain about the year ahead, or if the past year was a bit tough, try writing a year-end settlement diary and face the roots of your emotions.

If even an hour feels like too much, try following Careet’s ‘Daily Diary Challenge Starting January 1st’ chart and write just one line a day. No one knows what impact a small effort might have on your life.

2 Setting Your Mindset

1) Finding Inspiration for the Year Ahead Through Books

If writing feels like a chore, getting inspiration for the new year through books is another excellent approach. Let me introduce two books that are precious to me.

The first book is “Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day” by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. It’s a book I turn to when I feel my daily routine is running inefficiently. This book provides practical tips for managing your schedule efficiently so you can spend more time on things you love. As you read, you’ll think, ‘At least one of these is worth trying.’ Just discovering that one thing makes it worthwhile.

The second book is Virginia Satir’s “The New Peoplemaking.” While it’s often called a parenting book, I think it’s closer to a self-help book. The core message I take from it is: ‘To take good care of my child, I must first take care of the child within me.’ The child within me refers to the parts of my heart that couldn’t grow because of past wounds. We unconsciously ignore these wounds, but they stay deeply embedded and interfere with the present. As you read this book, take time to reflect on the emotional wounds you weren’t aware of and take another step toward growth.

I’ve introduced the two most precious books from my bookshelf. Do they make you want to read them?

2) Switching Things Up with Movies

I don’t watch movies often. But when I’m emotionally drained or need a pick-me-up, I turn to films. And when a movie really speaks to me, I’ll revisit it from time to time. Here are some movies from that collection that feel right for moments of transition.

If what you need right now is laughter, I recommend “Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary.” It’s about high school girls who learn of a school ghost story and play a creepy game of hide-and-seek. You can watch it casually, jumping at the occasional scare and then chuckling afterward.

If you’re gearing up for a new challenge, I recommend the Indian film “Dangal.” It’s based on the true story of Indian female wrestlers. In India, wrestling was exclusively a man’s domain. It’s a story about building a world for female wrestlers in that environment, and it’ll give you the courage to think, ‘I can do this too!’

If you’re worn out by close relationships, watch “Marriage Story” and let yourself have a good cry. Watching the lead couple fight while confronting the worst in each other is, ironically, cathartic—you’ll feel your own negative emotions lift.

3) A Light Take on New Year’s Fortunes

If spending time on books and movies feels like too much, how about checking your new year’s fortune just for fun? S Life Insurance and N Bank’s new year fortunes are so popular that people wait for them every year. These days, you can even get simple fortune readings through ChatGPT. If you search for free fortunes online, you’ll find plenty of sites.

Pick the site that looks best, enter your birth date, and check your results. Then remember the parts you like best. Use the good fortunes to give yourself a little pep talk: ‘The year ahead is going to be great!’ It can be a fun little ritual to kick off the new year.

* Sources
- Benefits of cleaning https://news.hidoc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=42852
- Benefits of journaling https://www.koreadaily.com/article/20240114184810207