5 great ideas for a fresh start to 2023

Start the new year on the right foot with these ideas from the Business Optimizer team for making a fresh, clean start to 2023 – so you can step into the new year lighter, brighter and raring to go!

#1. Define your goals and make your plan for 2023 – and beyond

How can you get where you want to go if you don’t know where you’re headed? The new year is a great opportunity to think about what you really want to achieve. When you come to write your goals for 2024, what would you have liked to have achieved this year? What will you want to be moving on to? Once you’ve defined your goals for 2023, think about what you need to do to make them happen. This way, you can give yourself some clear, achievable steppingstones against which to track your progress as you work on making your goals a reality this year.

Read our tips for writing a five-year plan

#2. Declutter your desk

Tidy desk, tidy mind? It’s a philosophy many of us have bought into thanks to the organizational tips of online gurus such as Marie Kondo. We think that decluttering the physical space in which you live and work is a great way to start the new year, even if you don’t buy into the idea that doing so will help to free your mind from mundane tasks and other negativity that is holding you back.

Spend some time to toss old paperwork into the trash, tidy your desk drawers and clear every worktop. If you don’t need it, donate or get rid of it. If you do need it, find it a home so you can easily put your fingers on all the tools you use day to day. Even if you don’t gift yourself a completely tidy mind, you’ve still created a much nicer environment for yourself to work in.

#3. Declutter your wardrobe – the sustainable way

Is your clutter holding you back at home too? Clear out your wardrobe in a sustainable way by sending off for a Thrift+ bag. Thrift+ is an online marketplace on a mission to find a home for your preloved clothes. Around 73% of used clothes are sent to landfill or are incinerated. Thrift+ seeks to put an end to fashion waste by making it easier to re-sell your old clothes that it is to discard them. Simply request a bag, fill it with the clothes you want to clear out and send it back to them – and you can raise some funds for your favorite charity in the process.

Find out more here: https://thrift.plus/

#4. Seek inspiration

Getting a fresh start isn’t only about clearing the decks. Which new ideas are you making room for? If you are seeking inspiration for healthy, daily habits or strategies you can introduce into your routine in 2023 to boost your success, take inspiration from the Business Optimizer blog:

• Discover the habits of successful people you could add to your routine in 2023, or
• Discover some of the best books for personal growth for 2023.

#5. Introduce some biophilic design principles into your working space

Did you know that having more houseplants can boost your productivity and brain? That’s the finding of journalist and health expert Dr. Michael Moseley. Indeed, numerous studies have pointed to the benefits of bringing nature into our working environments: reduced stress, greater creativity, improved productivity, and a healthier mind and body. Redesigning your workspace to incorporate ideas of biophilic design is a great way to ensure a fresh start to 2023 – literally! Green walls, houseplants, additional windows overlooking nature, or even pictures of wild, natural scenes can all help to elevate your mood. Or, failing that, why not plan opportunities to take your work outside?

Further reading

Take more inspiration for ideas for a fresh start in 2023 from our blog:

• Random acts of kindness day.
• Remembering the “insanely great” Steve Jobs.
• Why design thinking matters.
• The joy of writing or receiving a love letter.