A Thrive guide to clearing the clutter, tuning your systems, and stepping into the new year a little lighter.

There’s something uniquely energizing about the very end of the year. It’s not about starting over — it’s about taking a good, honest look at what’s already working and what’s quietly draining the life out of your calendar, your workflows, and your well-being.

A year-end audit isn’t a punishment. It’s a reset button. A breath. A moment to ask:
“Is this helping me… or just taking up space?”

And if you want a companion for this kind of reflection, the latest episode of Everything In Between is the perfect backdrop — Lynne and Braelyn unpack why 2025 became a “learning year,” full of experimentation, clarity, and those messy-but-meaningful moments that shape who we become.

Here’s how to run a simple, meaningful, judgment-free audit of your work life — Thrive style.

1. Start With the Trio: Workflows, Boundaries, Habits

If you try to audit everything in your life, you’ll end up stress-cleaning the pantry instead. Narrow the scope to the three areas that make the biggest impact on your day-to-day:

Workflows

These are the systems that carry you through your week — how you manage tasks, communication, energy, and priorities.

Boundaries

The lines that protect your time, focus, and sanity. (Or at least they’re supposed to.)

Habits

The tiny behaviors that compound into meaningful change… or into mild chaos. Your pick.

2. Identify the “Keepers” (aka What’s Already Working)

Start with the wins. This puts your brain in a better place to make decisions.

Ask yourself:

• What helped me feel calm or in control this year?
• What made my days smoother?
• What habits made me feel more like… me?
• Where did I see real progress with minimal drama?

Your keepers might surprise you:

• A five-minute morning reset before opening your laptop
• A Notion or Monday.com workflow that genuinely reduces friction
• A weekly no-meeting block
• A simple “done for the day” ritual
• Saying no to that thing you used to say yes to out of guilt

Circle them. Celebrate them. Carry them forward.

3. Spot the Drainers (and Be Blunt)

This is where you get honest.

Look for patterns like:

• Workflows that require three steps when one would do
• Meetings that don’t need to exist
• Systems you only maintain out of habit, not usefulness
• Boundaries you set but broke… every time
• Habits that never really became habits
• Commitments you resent five minutes after agreeing to them

If something makes you sigh before you even start it?
It’s a drainer.

4. Drop, Delegate, or Redesign

Once you have your list, choose what to do next:

Drop:

Let it go completely. If it’s not serving you, and no one will miss it, release it.

Examples:

• A complicated tracking spreadsheet no one reads
• A habit that’s more aspirational than helpful
• A meeting you always leave thinking, “This could’ve been an email”

Delegate:

Someone else can take it — a team member, a tool, an automation, or a simple template.

Examples:

• Social media posts on a set schedule
• Recurring reminders
• Invoicing workflows
• Calendar batching
• Email templates for FAQs

Redesign:

Sometimes the thing is good — it just needs a better structure.

Examples:

• Changing a daily habit to three times a week
• Shortening a workflow that’s gotten too heavy
• Turning an open-door boundary into a “reach me between 1–3 PM” boundary
• Reworking your task management so it’s not spread across six apps

5. Check Your Capacity — Not Just Your Calendar

Your calendar may say you have time.
Your energy might strongly disagree.

As you audit your year:

• Notice where you felt stretched thin
• Reflect on where you overcommitted
• Pay attention to what environments drained vs. fueled you
• Consider how your rhythms changed with the seasons (yes, Arizona heat counts)

Future-you deserves a schedule that fits your capacity, not just your availability.

6. Keep What Aligns With Who You’re Becoming

This part matters most.

You’re not designing a life for who you were this year — you’re designing for who you’re becoming next year.

Ask:

• What deserves more of my time and attention?
• What needs to stay in this year and not follow me into the next?
• What habits bring me closer to the person I want to be — not just the tasks I need to complete?
• What did I learn about myself that changes how I work going forward?

Your audit becomes a doorway. A filter. A way to step into the next chapter lighter, clearer, and more grounded.

7. End With One Bold Move

Pick one decision from your audit that feels like a real upgrade.

Not ten. Not a color-coded overhaul.

Just one.

Something small but meaningful, like:

• A daily start-up routine
• A no-work Sunday
• A redesigned workflow for your busiest day
• A new boundary around your most valuable hours
• A habit that genuinely sparks energy or confidence

Build the new year on that one small, boldly intentional shift.

The Bottom Line

A year-end audit isn’t about perfection — it’s about alignment.
It’s about noticing where your life feels tight… and giving yourself more room to breathe.
It’s about carrying forward what lifts you and letting go of what weighs you down.

You don’t need a full reinvention.
Just a thoughtful recalibration.

And that’s something you’re absolutely capable of.

Ready to run your audit?
Grab a notebook, a quiet corner, a warm drink — and start with one question:

What’s worth bringing with me into the new year… and what’s ready to be released?

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