What Are You Making Room For?

I’ve noticed in both my professional and personal life that as we move into a new year, the natural impulse is to "add." We add new goals to our lists, new habits to our mornings, and new expectations to our calendars. But in my work as a wellbeing coach and consultant, I’ve found that the most effective way to actually move forward isn't by adding more—it’s by being more intentional with the space we already have.

We often feel overwhelmed not because we are incapable, but because our internal and external environments are simply at capacity.

This is more than just a feeling; it is a measurable cognitive strain. Research into environmental psychology has shown that our physical surroundings have a direct, significant impact on our psychological wellbeing. A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that clutter creates a psychological "attachment" burden that triggers procrastination and increases stress. Essentially, when we are surrounded by things that no longer align with our current lives, we are constantly spending mental energy on the past rather than being present for what is happening now.

I have been practicing a version of this intentional edit for some years now. Whether it’s before the New Year, the start of a new season, or a birthday, I find that taking the time to clear my space is what grounds me. I do this because I’ve seen the direct benefits: lower stress markers, sharper focus, and most importantly, the room to actually live the experiences I have been working towards.

Creating space isn't about deciding that the "old" is bad or that we need to live in a void; it’s about making sure we have the capacity to hold our future growth. It’s time to stop thinking about what to add and start looking at how to be more intentional with what we keep.

The New Year Edit: An Intentional Checklist

Home

Curate your wardrobe: Keep only the pieces that reflect who you are today. Donate or gift items that haven’t served you in the last year.

Reset your surfaces: Clear the visual "noise" from your kitchen counters, desks, and side tables to allow your mind to settle.

Audit the kitchen: Clear out the pantry. A kitchen that feels less overwhelming makes it much easier to step in and cook nourishing meals.

Digital

Cleanse your apps: Delete anything you haven’t opened in the last 30 days. If it’s not a tool or a source of genuine inspiration, it doesn’t need to be there.

Protect your focus: Mute non-essential notifications. Only allow the alerts that truly matter to interrupt your day.

Filter your inputs: Unsubscribe from email lists that no longer align with your growth or values.

Mindset & Time

Edit the To-Do list: Identify tasks that have been sitting on your list for months. If you aren’t going to do them, delete them and release the mental weight.

Commit to your priorities: Choose three main focuses for the next quarter. Give yourself permission to let the rest go for now.

Protect your white space: Block out "non-negotiable" time in your calendar for rest, recovery, or unplanned movement.

My question for you as you start this year: What are you holding onto simply because you haven’t yet decided to be intentional about letting it go?

References

Roster, C. A., Ferrari, J. R., & Jurkat, M. P. (2016). The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Ferrari, J. R., & Roster, C. A. (2018). Delaying Disposal: Examining the Relationship between Procrastination and Clutter. Current Psychology.