We declutter closets, garages, and inboxes–but forget the internal junk. Every year comes with its own mess, and if you’re not intentional about what you keep, life starts to feel like a storage unit you can’t walk through. These aren’t just material things. They’re habits, relationships, mindsets, and digital baggage that take up real energy. Consider this your annual audit.
Clean it out. Clear it up. Make space for better. Here are 18 things to clean out of your life every year.
1. Outdated Goals
Not all goals deserve to follow you into the new year. Some were rooted in a version of you that doesn’t exist anymore. Hanging onto them just out of habit can quietly create stress and guilt. Revisit what you’re chasing–does it still matter, or are you doing it out of ego, pressure, or inertia? Letting go of a goal doesn’t mean failure. It means you’re growing into better priorities.
2. One-Sided Relationships
You know the ones–you do the texting, the planning, the emotional heavy lifting. Every relationship hits seasons of imbalance, but if it’s chronically lopsided, it’s a drain. Loyalty is admirable, but don’t confuse it with self-neglect. Energy isn’t infinite. Make room for mutuality, not just maintenance.
3. Clothes That Don’t Fit Your Life
Not just size–but lifestyle. If it’s been over a year and it still doesn’t match how you live (or want to live), it’s time. Clothes carry stories–old jobs, old roles, old versions of you. Clear them out and give your closet permission to grow up with you.
4. Digital Clutter
Apps you don’t use. Screenshots from three phones ago. Subscriptions you forgot you had. Your digital space is real space–it affects your focus, your time, and your peace. Schedule an annual sweep. Unsubscribe, delete, organize. Your brain will thank you for the mental white space.
5. Guilt You Already Paid For
We all mess up. But if you’ve already apologized, made it right, and learned the lesson, you don’t need to keep dragging the shame around like luggage. Guilt has a purpose–it keeps us accountable. But when it turns into self-punishment, it becomes clutter. Drop it.
6. Expired Beliefs
The views you were raised with aren’t always the ones meant to carry you forward. Whether it’s how you see yourself, others, or what’s possible–interrogate it. Beliefs are powerful, but they’re not always accurate. If something is holding you back more than holding you steady, it’s time to upgrade.
7. Junk Drawer Habits
You know them: checking your phone first thing, saying “yes” too fast, doom scrolling past bedtime. These are the invisible leaks of your daily life. They’re not always catastrophic–but they add up. Pick one every year to eliminate or replace. That small tweak can lead to serious change.
8. Friendships That Only Exist in Nostalgia
Just because someone knew you way back doesn’t mean they still belong in your present. If all you share now is the past–and every hangout feels like a museum tour–it may be time to let go. History isn’t a strong enough reason to keep pouring energy into something that doesn’t feel alive anymore.
9. Old Versions of Yourself
This one’s internal. Are you still identifying with a version of you that played small, made excuses, or lived on autopilot? Let that go. Growth means shedding outdated self-perceptions too. Speak about yourself the way someone rooting for you would.
10. Emotional Baggage You Mistake for Personality
Being guarded, sarcastic, or detached might feel like “just who you are”–but sometimes, those traits are actually trauma strategies you’ve gotten used to. Every year is a chance to ask: Is this really me, or is this a defense I no longer need?
11. Cheap Commitments
These are the plans, favors, and social obligations you said yes to because you didn’t want to deal with the discomfort of saying no. But every yes costs time, energy, and sometimes peace. Make “no” a respectful tool, not a last resort.
12. Self-Talk That Sounds Like an Enemy
Pay attention to the way you talk to yourself when you mess up. Would you say that to someone you care about? If not, it doesn’t belong. Your inner dialogue is the tone of your life. Rewriting it is one of the most powerful clean-ups you can do.
13. Half-Read Books and Half-Baked Projects
It’s not that these things are bad–it’s that they silently nag at you. The open tabs in your brain pile up. Let go of the guilt. Archive what you’re not coming back to, or finish one and call it good. Either way, free yourself from the mental to-do list.
14. Sentimental Clutter
You don’t need to keep every ticket stub, every broken gift, every relic from an old life. Sentimentality is lovely–but when it starts to feel like an emotional landfill, it loses its meaning. Keep what still gives you warmth, not weight.
15. Performative Positivity
You’re allowed to be frustrated, confused, tired. You don’t have to “stay positive” all the time to be a decent or hopeful person. Real growth isn’t about being chipper–it’s about being honest. Ditch the toxic optimism. Embrace truth with resilience instead.
16. Resentment You’ve Been Nursing
It’s easy to justify–especially if the hurt was real. But resentment doesn’t keep them accountable. It just keeps you emotionally tied to something that drains you. Forgiveness isn’t approval. It’s release. Clean it out, even if the other person never says sorry.
17. Passive Waiting
Stop waiting for permission, the right timing, or someone else’s validation. You’re not a placeholder in your own life. If it matters to you, start where you are with what you’ve got. Action, even small, beats passive waiting every time.
18. The Idea That You’re Behind
There is no one timeline. Social media lies. Everyone is figuring it out. The idea that you’re “behind” is often just a reflection of someone else’s path–not yours. Measure progress by your growth, not by their highlight reel. Let that pressure go.
Ask Me Anything