Some people do spring cleaning in, well, spring. I prefer to do it before I start a new endeavor. In preparation for the New Year, you will need to make room for your new adventures and opportunities in your life.

Clean Up Your Schedule

Start with freeing up your time. Do you find yourself on the computer for 15 minutes only to look up and see that 2 hours have passed? Or do you sit in front of the television for one show then get sucked in by the previews of “coming up next”? Pretty soon 3 shows aka 3 hours have passed by and you don’t know where your time went.

Time is a unique gift in that it passes whether you are using it consciously or not, and you can’t get it back. If you want to know if you have any extra hours in the day, record how you spend your time for the next 14 days. Do so diligently in 15 minute increments.

When I did this exercise, I realized that it takes me 30 minutes in the morning to begin doing anything. I dilly dally (the technical term:-) getting out of bed, then I spend 20 minutes sitting on the toilet wishing I could go back to sleep. When I figured this out, I tried to squeeze my morning time in order to exercise, meditate, and get dressed for the day before I head out to work. However, I started to get antsy. So what did I do? I set the alarm for a half hour earlier.

For the New Year you might want to develop new habits like exercising, but you’re be thinking to yourself, “I don’t have the time.” Find out where you are spending your time, and take steps to cut the fat from your schedule.

Clean Up Your Living Space

Another area of clearing is making physical space in your life. Throughout the year, you may have accumulated knick-knacks and trinkets that are now just laying around. You may not have filed your bills and have them accumulating in a pile on your desk. You might also have purchased new clothes, but left the unworn clothes in the closet. Take this opportunity to go through your things, get organized, and create some physical space in your world.

It may seem irrelevant to do this in order to achieve your goals for the coming year. However, having space in your physical surroundings translates into calm, openness, and peace of mind. You will not be agitated by your surroundings. It will become a place where you sprout fresh ideas.

Prune Your Circle

Ask yourself the question that Dick Richards of On Genius recently posed, “Who supports my genius and purpose, and who must be left behind?”

Sometimes old friends fall away without deliberate action when they become out of step with you. On the other hand, sometimes we cling to relationships that drain our energy rather than infuse us with zeal. Rather than do anything drastic like never calling back or confronting a friend, try just shifting your social time and energy to people who are fueling you. Be present with everyone when you are with them. When you do this your circle of friends will morph into one that supports your goals.

Do you have any ways in which you make room for the New Year?

Prepare for the New Year with part 1, part 3, part 4 of this series.