Here’s to a new year. Shout out to a blank slate. A new year to right old wrongs, to begin anew, to try new things, to………. well, you get it….. change.

Change can be frightening or it can be energizing. No one likes to be forced to change, it invalidates us, frightens us, makes us angry, but when we are the ones to enact change, it becomes exciting, energizing, hopeful. And nothing offers hope like the beginning of a new year to change the things we didn’t like about the previous one. I’m here to help. That’s what bloggers do. We help. Help define decorating styles. Help with learning how to refinish furniture.  Help with decorating ideas and tips and tricks. This post isn’t any of that.

But I do want to offer some tried and true tips in getting this new year off to a great start. So here’s my list:

• SLOW DOWN As in, savor the moments. Enjoy each and every day for what it brings. Don’t dwell on the future.  Dwell in the present.
• GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Learn techniques to combat insomnia, to help you fall asleep faster. Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Declare it a technology free zone. And get rid of exercise equipment, the bedroom is for sleeping and relaxing, not building muscles. If your office is in your bedroom, shut off the computer. Invest in pretty baskets or containers to store files, get a desk that is pleasing to the eye, no plywood on blocks or college dorm furniture. You’re past that. (Unless you’re in college and then at least make it pretty and personal). Get a real desk. Keep a treasured photo on it, a pretty lamp, flowers. A functional area can also be beautiful. The two are not mutually exclusive. Clear off your desk before bed EVERY night. Buy the best, most luxurious sheets you can afford. Invest in a  new mattress if one is needed. Install a sound system and play relaxation music. Educate yourself on what helps someone fall asleep.  Don’t go to bed in an emotional turmoil (this is time tested advice). Sleep is essential to life. Make sure getting sleep is a priority.
• LAUGH MORE. Take pleasure in the absurd. Watch comedies regularly. Read books by authors who make you laugh. (I highly recommend Janet Evanovich.)  Cultivate funny friends, hang out with those who make you laugh. Stop taking yourself so seriously.
• MAKE LISTS.  Yes, I know this sounds lame, but trust me, it works. It helps quiet your mind. It will help keep you organized. Go old school and keep a planner that you….  gasp! WRITE in. Or if you are a diehard techie, install an app on your phone that includes a calendar and a note taker. Before bed, prioritize your to-do list by day, week or month. Making that list frees the chaos from your mind and will help with the afore mentioned; get enough sleep.
• DO MUNDANE OR DREADED CHORES FIRST. Why????? Why oh, why must I mop the floors, clean the toilets, paint that room, make that phone call, (insert whatever you dread) FIRST? Because it will fill you with an immediate sense of accomplishment and any chore after that will be a piece of cake. Maybe not cake, but it will be easier. You will go through your list of things without a cloud of dread hanging over your head because the worst chore is DONE! Woot!
• GET RID OF THE CLUTTER ON YOUR DESK, in your closets, your pantry….in fact, DECLUTTER period. Studies have shown that cluttered spaces add to feelings of depression. I always say, a cluttered home breeds a cluttered mind. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like my mind cluttered more than usual. It’s already cluttered with decorating ideas. So, make a plan to do one area at a time. Tackle the junk drawer first, that will inspire you to clean off your closet floor, (put those cute, expensive shoes away!) which will inspire you to clean out all those containers of mystery left overs in the frig, and in turn will energize you to throw out expired spices, cosmetics and boxes of expired cake mixes from the pantry. And on and on you’ll go and WOWZER! Soon you’ll have a clutter free home. I can’t help with the decorating thoughts swirling around your brain, but at least they’ll be swirling in a brain with a clean, uncluttered house.
• GET RID OF EXPIRED MEDICINES. Call your local pharmacy and find out where your nearest medicine disposal site is. DO NOT THROW THESE IN THE TOILET OR DOWN A SINK. They end up in the water system. Instead CRUSH them and put them in a container and place them in the trash. Better to go to the landfill than end up in the water system.
• CLEAN OUT YOUR EMAIL, TEXTS AND DIGITAL PHOTOS. Delete fuzzy, out of focus shots or duplicates. Keep only the best and then sort those into digital files with titles so you can always find that stupendous photo of your dog in all its cuteness.
• START PREPARING TO FILE YOUR TAXES. If you are like me and hang on to 100 year old receipts and have 20 years of bank statements, now it the time to clean out your files. Keep only 7 years worth of paper statements. Receipts older than 30 days go into the trash. Have a file for tax prep.
• STOP PROCRASTINATING. Putting off doing things you need to do doesn’t make them pleasant, it just creates dread and guilt. (see do mundane chores first above)
• BE ON TIME. Don’t be that friend who is always late. It’s inconsiderate and shows a lack of respect. If you know you need 45 minutes to get ready to leave, start getting ready 60 minutes ahead of time so that you can find your keys, your purse, whatever. Allow for traffic. Be the one who gets there with time to spare. Relax while waiting for your appointment, friend, etc. Catch up on emails, texts, or read something engaging.
• ENGAGE IN SOME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Just take a walk. Daily.
• BE A GOOD LISTENER. PRACTICE EMPATHY.
• YOU DON’T HAVE TO WIN EVERY ARGUMENT (WHAT?? but I need to my ugly twin says) Don’t listen to that twin, listen to the pretty one, the one you are going to be.
• GET RID OF TOXIC PEOPLE. This should be a no-brainer. Sadly, most of us hang on to people and relationships far past their expiration dates. Get rid of those people.
• LEARN TO SAY NO. There is no rule that says you have to be a super hero. Make this the year to carve out more time to just be be YOU.
• READ A BOOK. At least once a month, put down your phone, step away from the computer and immerse yourself in other worlds.
• CHOOSE A NEW ARTIST TO EXPLORE IN AN UNEXPECTED MUSIC GENRE. Every month. By the end of 2017 you’ll have added a lot of previously unexplored audio beauty to your life. Music does soothe the soul and all that. (Your kids or Grandkids thinking you’re cool is a neat side effect.)
• GET INVOLVED. Choose a cause you’re interested in. Volunteer. Help make the world a better place, even if that world is limited to your local town.
• BECOME PASSIONATE about life, about the world we live in. Become a steward. Nurture a belief that every thing, every form of life in this world matters.
• PRACTICE KINDNESS. Spread it. Nurture it. Make this world better by the simple act of being kind. Let’s make 2017 the year of kindness.

That’s my survival guide, my primer on what to do in 2017. I hope you add to it.  Now go forth and conquer. It’s a new year!