Time flies. First it’s January, then it’s June! But if you are currently in June or July, that makes now a perfect time for a mid-year reset. A reset at this time offers us a great opportunity to pause, reflect, realign and revitalize.
Use this reset as a powerful tool to see how your intentions, aspirations and goals have evolved as the months have passed. By following all of these steps, you can gain renewed clarity, purpose, and motivation.
There are 10 important steps to this reset. Well, let’s get this mid-year reset started so you can conquer the second half of the year!
Quick Access
Reflect
Embrace this mid-year reset as an opportunity to realign with your values and to let go of things that are no longer serving you. Take some time to reflect on the first half of your year.
Instead of focusing on what you haven’t done, focus on what you have. What were the highlights? The best moments? Things that made your heart soar?
What were your wins in the first half of the year? It doesn’t matter how small – a win is a win. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem to you.
Life happens so there have probably been unforeseen delays in achieving all of your goals. What were they?
You shouldn’t dwell on the negatives, but it can be helpful to reframe some of your more challenging experiences. Take the lessons that you learned and use them to help you grow.
Acknowledge the lessons learned from challenges without judgment or negativity. The past is behind you, creating space for new growth.
One of the best ways to do this is through journaling. The act of writing things out by hand (not typing) engages your brain in a different way than just thinking about things.
Writing things out helps you organize your thoughts and allows you to reflect on them from a certain distance.
Release any guilt or shame you have associated with these times. Embrace self-compassion and forgive yourself. We’re all humans and we all make mistakes. Making mistakes is how we learn and evolve as people.
Remember to always practice gratitude. What are you grateful for so far this year? See if there are any recurring themes in your list.
If you have been reflecting and journaling on a monthly basis, it might be easier for you to look back at each month individually.
If you haven’t, it’s also never too late to start a monthly review process. You can start by asking yourself some monthly reflection questions at the end of each month.
Revisit Goals
Life happens, priorities can shift and things change. A mid-year reset is a great opportunity to revisit your goals. We invest so much time into setting goals at the beginning of the year, yet we often don’t achieve those goals.
Ask yourself: Did you set realistic expectations or did you set expectations for your best self 100% of the time? We are not always at our best every day – our energy and moods fluctuate.
It’s ok to pivot and adapt along your journey. It’s difficult to have a crystal-clear concept of your destination before reaching it, and making small adjustments to your path doesn’t have to alter the ultimate goal.
On the other hand, maybe you do desire to change the destination itself. That is perfectly fine! Your desires and goals naturally shift and change as you grow as a person.
It’s about progress, not perfection. Recognize that you may have evolved as a person over the past 6-7 months.
If the same goals you set at the start of the year still resonate, create a concrete action plan to achieve them. Take those big massive goals and break them down into tiny stepping stones.
If they don’t, it’s time to make new plans. It’s never too late to pivot.
Adjust your Budget
Maybe you had a whole plan and budget set up at the start of the year – or maybe you’ve just been winging it… Either way, now is a good time to take a deep dive into your finances and figure out where each of your hard-earned dollars are going.
Looking at statements from your debit and credit cards can be really helpful. Take a good look at your spending habits and see if there’s any room for improvement, or any unexpected surprises.
Some expenses are unavoidable, but others are up to your discretion. Look for any expenses that you can reduce, or even eliminate. Cutting back on these can free up money for your financial goals.
If you made any savings goals at the beginning of the year, check your progress towards them.
Be sure to think ahead to any upcoming expenses in the second half of the year. Based on what you find, you can adjust your budget to your current financial situation.
Maybe it’s time to cut back and save a little, or maybe you’re in better shape than you thought. Either way it’s good to know about your financial footing in case anything unexpected arises.
Make Appointments
Take a moment to think about all of the appointments you’ve kept this year. Now you’re going to want to think about all of the appointments you’ve been procrastinating on.
Your insurance is likely already taking money from your paycheck each month, why not make the most of it? Prioritize your health appointments. Go get the blood work done, schedule your long-overdue physical and don’t forget about everyone’s favorite: the dentist.
You don’t want to put your health on the back-burner and risk getting sick or developing any sorts of infections, right?
Your health is an essential part of your life and getting these appointments out of the way will help keep you feeling vital, strong and healthy.
Speaking of health, be sure not to neglect your mental health. If you’ve been considering starting therapy, counseling or talking to someone – make that appointment!
Investing in your mental health is just as important as your physical health. It takes both for you to be able to live your best life.
Regular Maintenance
I’m not just talking about your health appointments. There’s beauty maintenance you can keep up to help you look and feel your best.
Book those appointments that you might want to help your beauty last. For example, if you haven’t had your hair trimmed yet this year it might be time.
It’s recommended to not go over 12 weeks without trimming your ends and that time decreases the shorter your hair is.
Or maybe you like to get the occasional mani+pedi, your mid-year reset is a great time to do that.
Let’s get real: Have you been meaning to get your car serviced? Keeping your car up to date on its maintenance will keep you rolling smoothly down the road.
You don’t want to get to the point where your car breaks down and your only option is to bring it in to a mechanic. That will definitely cost you more time and money, which we don’t want.
Rework your Routines
It’s so easy to do a quick web search for the best routines and get millions of responses. But, routines aren’t meant to be one-size-fits-all. They should be tailored to your unique needs and lifestyle.
First things first, what are some ways that you can work smarter not harder? Streamlining your tasks is a way to free up valuable time and energy for the important things in your life.
Routines are meant to be personalized to your own needs and desires. Embrace this time as an opportunity to refresh and refocus your efforts.
There are so many different kinds of routines you can introduce into your life. From morning routines to night routines, and everything in-between.
When you think of routines you might think they’re boring – but they don’t have to be! Routines offer structure and stability.
Instead of strict rules, think of them as guidelines. They help you to manage your time effectively and free up mental space to focus on your goals instead of trivial tasks.
Committing to a regular routine also helps foster discipline and can help you become more consistent. By making your routines healthy, you prioritize both your physical and mental well-being.
Declutter
When it comes to decluttering, the most obvious place to start is your physical space. Take a good look around and honestly evaluate if your environment is working for you or against you.
Get rid of any unnecessary items you have taking up precious space. A clean and organized space can work wonders for your peace of mind and your productivity.
Be sure to dive into your digital spaces to do some decluttering as well. Clutter can accumulate there even more quickly. Delete unnecessary files, old screen shots and spam e-mails.
Unsubscribe for mailing lists that are no longer serving you, or are tempting you to spend your money on things you don’t actually need.
Say goodbye to those random screenshots and blurry pictures clogging up your devices.
Delete anything you don’t need and be sure to organize what’s left. Creating a digital space that is clutter-free and helps you be more efficient.
After that, it’s time to organize your mental space. The best place to start with this is a brain dump. Just take a few moments to empty your mind of thoughts and get them down onto the page.
Write down every single task from the smallest, to the largest. This can help you gain clarity and perspective. Not only that, but it can also help clear up some of your mental space, making it easier to focus.
Friendly reminder that decluttering and getting organized aren’t one-and-done tasks. They are continuing processes and you have to be patient with yourself.
Life didn’t get cluttered in only a few minutes, so it’s going to take more than a few minutes to clean it up. But small consistent efforts will help you create a calm atmosphere in your physical, digital, and mental spaces.
Deep Clean
Another important part of your mid-year reset is tackling the serious deep cleaning. Those little tasks that we often neglect and don’t get to on a regular basis.
Move your large pieces of furniture and give the floors underneath a thorough cleansing. You’ll be amazed at what accumulates in those hard-to-reach places.
In the kitchen your first stop should be the fridge. Remove all of the items, check to make sure nothing is expired and scrub the interior before replacing them. While you’re at it, run a cleaning cycle through your coffee maker and wipe down your cabinets.
In the living room, strip the sofa (if you can) and wash those cushion covers to give them new life. Another often over-looked area is the windows – be sure to wipe those down too. In the bedroom flip your mattress to extend it’s lifespan.
Of course, we can’t forget about the bathroom. I don’t think that’s anyone’s favorite place to clean – but it is one of the easiest to get dirty!
Scrub the toilet, wash the trash can and give everything a serious wiping down. This will help contribute to a clean, hygienic and refreshing environment.
Cleaning up is one of those less pleasant self-care tasks, but it’s an important one. It’s a way to both honor your space and nurture your well-being.
Grab your cleaning supplies, put on your favorite playlist and get to work! The results will leave you feeling truly accomplished and reenergized.
Spruce up your Space
Another great thing to do as part of your mid-year reset is to update your home decor. It’s a great way to express your personal style and revitalize your space.
Looking at your home as a whole, are there any areas that feel uninspiring? Outdated? Maybe it’s just looking a little messy.
Of course adding new elements to your space can be a fun part of sprucing up your space, but spending money on new items isn’t necessary. Simply changing the arrangement of the furniture can make a drastic difference.
Sometimes less is more. Since you should have already cleared out any excess clutter, you will have instantly created more space.
Your physical environment has such a big impact on your mental environment, so you want to create areas that reflect the best parts of you.
If you do have a little funds to put towards the effort though, there are a couple of inexpensive ways to transform a room.
Painting the walls, or just one wall, can make a dramatic update quickly. You can also try peel-and-stick wallpaper for renter-friendly updates.
Accessories like throw pillows and blankets can also bring small touches of color and texture to a room.
With a little imagination and resourcefulness, you can transform your room into a space that reflects your personality and brings you joy without breaking the bank.
Rekindle your Excitement
If you’ve been tirelessly working on your goals since the start of the year, you might be starting to feel a little worn down. Take the time to go back and remind yourself why you started and why these goals are so important to you.
When you revisited your goals you should have not only gotten more clarity on them, but you should also be able to create a comprehensive action plan of things that you can do daily.
You may even want to consider tracking these actions or habits for a visual representation of your progress.
The year may already be half-way over, but there’s also still a whole half a year left! We want to reignite that spark of inspiration to propel you forward through the rest of your year. One of the easiest ways to do that is by scheduling in some fun.
Life can become overwhelmingly busy. We have so many responsibilities to juggle and we fill our schedules almost to the point of overflowing.
However, self-care is crucial to your overall well-being and taking care of yourself will prevent you from burning out. So take a moment and add some joy into your schedule. Your mid-year reset isn’t about all work and no play – it’s about creating balance.
Grab your planner or open up your calendar app and intentionally block out some time for yourself. It’s essential to remember that one of the secrets to maintaining healthy productivity lies in finding a balance between work and rest.
And there you have it, a guide for your own mid-year reset. As you reflect on the first half of the year, let go of what no longer serves you. Remember, the journey is not about perfection – it’s about progress, growth, and self-compassion.
Embrace the process, be patient with yourself, and enjoy the beautiful transformation that awaits. Here’s hoping we all have a second half of the year filled with growth, joy, and all the good things!
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