• Hi! I’m Monica
  • The Facebook Group
  • Blog
    • Daily Life
    • Instruction
    • Recipes
    • Spiritual Book Club
    • Yoga Challenges
    • Happiness Project
  • Private Yoga Lessons
  • Resources, Yo(gi)
  • Contact

The Yogi Movement with Monica Stone

Ready To Start Your Practice?

Enter Your Name & Email To Get Your Guided Meditation, Yoga Practice, Journal Download & 14 Days of Freedom!

7 Easy Steps To Start The Year off With A Clean Slate & Clear Mind

December 25, 2013 By Monica Stone 7 Comments

With 2013 coming to a close, it’s a good time to set goals, resolutions, and start the year off with a clean slate. We live in a time where it’s go-go-go all of the time!

My to do list and emails that keep piling up in my inbox seem neverending! The saying is true, ‘the more you have, the more you have to worry about.’ Everyone deals with this life-overload differently. Some become scattered and confused, others react with anxiety and irritability, or perhaps you just get overwhelmed and find ways to procrastinate. I know I have been victim to all of the above!

The first step to thinking clearly is purge the things that are no longer serving you. Everything is a reflection, so the less clutter your have in your home, the more space you’ll create in your mind. As humans, we tend to hold on or attach to things, but why not donate that shirt that you completely forgot about, or that book that you don’t even recognize because it’s covered with dust? It’s a pretty freeing feeling when you can learn to live simply. And, you’ll see that by creating space and organizing your life, you will help clear your mind so you can easily work towards and accomplish goals. As a result, you’ll be calmer, happier, and be able to help others! Let s begin

1. DeCLUTTER Your Home

What does your home look like? Are there papers built up, clothes everywhere? Set a day or weekend aside to unclutter and deep clean your home…

  • Clean out your cabinets and closets: Throw away or donate anything that is no longer serving you.
  • Come up with a filing system for your papers:  Create folders and files for all of your mail, receipts, and loose papers laying around. Make sure they are easily accessible so that you can quickly file papers away.
  • Bins-Bins-Bins – My sister hired an organizer for her home, and one of the main things I noticed was that she used a lot bins! I tried it out, and now I swear by bins! Go to Target and and buy a bunch or different colors, fabrics, and sizes. You can organize all of your closets and cabinets with bins by separating everything into categories and adding labels, which will make everything easier to find. They make everything look nice, and give you a space to organize so you’re not just randomly throwing something somewhere in a closet or cabinet.
  • Organize your junk drawers: While you’re at Target, grab one of those sectioned off bins for drawers. That way you have a drawer with dividers where you have a space to find loose change, screws, magnets, wires, mints, business cards or whatever else you throw in a junk drawer! It can be fun and scary to see what you find as you clean this out!

2. Do A Deep Cleaning of Your Home

  • Clean the floors: Sweep & Mop – Don’t just push the dust to the corners with your swifter, but really get in there and clean out the nooks and crannies. 
  • Clean the counters: Move everything out of the way and use a toothbrush in the corners and any build up around the sink
  • Wipe down the windows, baseboards, the insides of the cabinets and get the dust off the walls, and doors.
  • The Bathroom: Spend some time cleaning the walls and tub of the shower. I always use comet when I’m deep cleaning. Does the job! What do you use?
  • Clean The Refrigerator: Get rid of anything old, but also take out the drawers and wipe everything down. I promise that if you take everything out, you’ll find things in the back or on the side cabinets you completely forgot about. Eeeek!
  • Get The Places You Forget: Clean under the stove and behind and under the refrigerator. That can also be a pretty scary scene, but if I can do it, so can you. 
  • Make your bed: makes such a difference!

3. Clean Your Car

  • This is another place we all spend a lot of time, so you should think of it as an extension of your home. If you’re someone who loves to wash your car manually, Awesome! But, if you’re like me, you’ll take it to the local car wash and tip the guy for going the extra mile (pun intended).
  • Tiny Tip: Leave some cleaner and a towel in the trunk of your car, and just do a quick wipe down of the inside of your car to give it that fresh feeling every few days!

Get orgnaized 4. Make & Keep a To Do List

Get your life organized! Everything can build up and become overwhelming, so here’s a checklist of things that I help me incredibly:

  • Pay all of your bills once a month: It’s SO Important that this is the very first thing you do when you get paid! Try to pay them on the same date every month, but you might split it up, which is what I do. I get paid twice a month, so the first paycheck I take care of bills (electric, car, insurance, etc), and the second I take care of rent. Sit down and create a budget & schedule to always have your bills taken care of so you never have to worry about late payments or creditors calling. 
  • Answer Emails: don’t let your inbox get out of hand! Stop everything, and let’s with a clean it up right now. Delete all of your junk mail no matter how long it takes. Answer any outstanding emails, and create folders or flag emails indicating if follow up is needed. From this point forward, unsubscribe from anything that you have no need for, and keep your inbox organized and as low as possible.
  • Set Up A Cleaning Schedule: If you’re like me, you have a hard time keeping things clean. I have no idea how it happens, but by the end of the week, dust builds up and I have a pile of papers on the counter and clothes all over the bed. I literally have to schedule it in! Try to schedule daily and weekly tasks for cleaning. For example: I make sure that I always have my dishes done and counters cleaned before I go to sleep, and I file my papers the 15th of every month. Another way to do it is clean a room a day, or schedule a different cleaning task during the week. It might look like this:
Monday: Clean Floors
Tuesday: Clean Counters, Baseboards, & Windows
Wednesday: Dust, File Papers
Thursday: Clean Fridge
Friday: Laundry
You Get The Picture
 

5. Organize Your Computer Files

Don’t let your computer files and folders get out of hand! One of the worst habits to get into is to just ‘save as’, and say, “I’ll organize that later.” I’ve done that, and reorganizing is frustrating and tedious! Don’t make the same mistake I did, and get in the habit of organizing now. Create files and folders for all of your work, and just make sure you take the time to save your files and images to the right places the first time, so that you don’t end up with a crazy scattered desktop with images and files all over. Clear The mind 6. Make A Vision Board 

I went over this in a previous post, but this will help you organize your scattered goals and dreams. You’ll list your goals in a picture form, and this way you can better visualize yourself living out your dreams, which will help you believe in yourself and motivate you to make them happen for real! Read about it here

7. Meditate

We live in a society where our minds are constantly stimulated by computers, smart phones, social networks, the television, and video games. On top of that, we have so much going on that we don’t really have the time to digest everything that we experience. That’s why it’s vital to take at least 20 minutes a day for yourself. Meditating will create a pattern of calmness and teach us how to slow down the mind. Right before you get ready to hit the sheets, set aside those 20 minutes to meditate before bed. Don’t know how to meditate? I gotcha covered here!!!

I hope I left you with some great tips to keep your mind clear, and start creating your dreams for the new year! You can really use this list for anytime that you need to make some changes in your life, not just the new year, so feel free to bookmark this, put it in your pocket (A great organizing tool), or pin it so you can refer to it in the future! 

Also See:
Great Quotes to Kick off 2014
Yoga, Blogging, & Health Goals for The New Year

What did I miss? How do you clear your mind? I’m counting on you to share your organizing tips on how to live less scattered life in the comments! The more the better! Thanks!

Filed Under: Daily Life

Monica Stone

About Monica Stone

Monica is a lover of all things yoga, a vegetarian, an avid tea drinker, and never gets sick of soup and noodle dishes. She teaches yoga, practices daily, and runs a Spiritual Book Club in Orlando, FL. She likes to challenge the strict rules of yoga, and makes it accessible for everyone - especially people who suffer from daily life and work stress.

« Starting A Meditation Practice: Beginner Tips for Quieting The Mind
I Set My Goals For The New Year, and Think You Should Too »

Hi! I’m Monica

Monica StoneWell hello there! I'm Monica. I'm a yoga & meditation teacher (and junkie). I teach yoga practices that are quick and effective for the busy person who just needs a few minutes of quiet time in their day. Click around and you'll find quick meditation tips for calming the mind to simple stretches to relieve stress and tension. If you are sick of being intimidated by yoga or just confused by all of the different styles out there - then this page is for you. Yoga helps me daily & I know it will help you too! I'll show you how! Welcome to The Yogi Movement :)

Start Your Yoga Practice With Me!

Join the 14 Day Yoga Challenge & Get Your Free Yoga & Guided Meditation Download & Journal With Daily Activities to Find Balance, Clarity, and Purpose.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Testimonials

  • Jaime ShearerJaime ShearerYoga Student Since 2012

    Monica is dedicated to her own practice and the true path of yoga - the one of personal experience - which makes her an outstanding teacher. She is warm and easy to talk with, and she allows the student to have their own experience on the mat. She explains postures and breath in ways that are understandable so that the student "gets it." She makes yoga real and tangible in ways that truly serve the student. Work with Monica. You'll be glad you did.

  • Jacob AbercrombieJacob AbercrombieYoga Student Since 2011

    have always wanted to try yoga, but was always nervous. Monica took that fear away and made me feel like i was the only one in class with a room full of strangers. She is able to work with multiple students during the same move and still make it a personalized class for one.

  • Serena JonesSerena JonesYoga Student Since 2010

    Monica has been a highly influential teacher to me. She creates a safe environment for learning and practice. I have always felt grounded in her classes, and she pushes me beyond my own expectations. She inspires and motivates! I can't imagine my life without sharing a path with her!

  • Angela OrofinoAngela OrofinoYoga Student Since 2011

    Monica is a caring, wise, thoughtful, and talented yoga instructor. She has an in-depth knowledge of the philosophy and spirituality of Ashtanga yoga. My previous yoga experience had mostly just been at my local gym. Luckily, last year I found Monica. She has been guiding my practice at least once a week since then. As a newcomer to Ashtanga yoga, Monica made me feel comfortable and had the patience to teach me the basics. She also encouraged me to start an at home practice so that I was able to obtain a deeper understanding of Ashtanga. Monica is always encouraging and lets me know in subtle ways when she feels that I am ready to move deeper into my practice. I feel that the growth in my practice over the last year has been tremendous. Not only do I notice the change in me but others around me do as well. I am so grateful to have found Monica!

  • Sasha TamarSasha TamarYoga Student Since 2012

    I’ve come across many a yoga instructor over the years, but Monica stands out as genuinely amiable, as she glows with an infectious inner light, and highly devoted to and passionate about her practice. Her dedication to Ashtanga as a lifestyle is very clear, and creates for a contagious motivating force. Every time I’ve practiced with her, she eagerly transmits her devotion and passion of Ashtanga and meditation to everyone in class; she makes the most fledgling beginner feel at home, and simultaneously challenges the more advanced students. While I only practice Ashtanga with her, I know she provides therapeutic yoga sessions as well as meditation. And, if her methods of guiding students out of the Ashtanga vigor into the more meditative savasana are indicative of her meditational techniques, I’d recommend her to anyone

Check Out The Latest Posts..!

How to get out of a rut and back to your old self again by Monica Stone, Yoga Instructor in Orlando, FL at theyogimovement.com
Most of the yoga you do should be outside of the studio by theyogimovement.com
Here's how I modify my ashtanga practice yoga with shoulder pain or injury..
Have you ever heard of the 4 seals of dharma? They are the 4 things that make you a buddhist, and all emotions are painful is the first one. That sounds crazy! What about love and happiness? How is that painful? Well haven't you ever had love and lost it? What if you got a brand new car & then got into a car accident right after? Or simply, what if you won an award, and then a few hours go by? The high goes away, right? All emotions lead to pain... but here's why it's actually a good thing... keep reading...
Two years ago I quit my day job. I didn't have a plan, and I started losing money fast! I did everything to run and grow my business, but it was so hard on my own. I don't suggest not having a plan. All of those people who preach quitting your day job do not tell the whole story. Let me help... !
There are so many misconceptions about why we practice yoga postures. I want to erase all of the rules and requirements and bring the fun back into yoga. Yoga is for everyone, and it works for you however you need it. Read more about my theory here!

All Blog Posts Here…

Check Out My Sauce Site! Learn to Make Incredible & Simple Sauces With Me!

Proudly Partnered With:

FitFluential Is Fitness Found


Legendary support for a lifetime of practice with the Manduka PRO

Insta-Love

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No connected account.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.

Copyright © 2023 · glam theme by Restored 316

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Contact
  • Policies
  • Web Site Agreement / Terms of Service