It's the End of the Year - Clean Off Your Plate!

Since most businesses wind down, or go on hiatus, during the last week of the year, we have a rare opportunity to catch up on neglected tasks. On the second to last day of the year, my community hosts a "Clean Off Your Plate" event. We gather at our office, New Work City, to complete all the things we've been putting off for too long, so we can start the new year with a clean slate.

Here’s a quick guide to some items you might want to clean off your plate:

Overhaul Your Email
I wouldn't suggest that you try to respond to all the emails in your inbox, since that's something you probably spend some time on anyway. Instead, focus on how to optimize your inbox better. Can you set up new filters and folders so you can limit what hits your inbox and distracts you from other things? Do you have a bunch of newsletters and alerts you've been meaning to unsubscribe from? Is there a bunch of junk that can be banished to a "read later" folder to make way for the more important correspondence?

Perform Computer Housecleaning
Is your computer desktop littered with so many icons that it's impossible to tell what's what? Time to clean house! Reorganize, prioritize, delete, and move what needs to go elsewhere so you don't feel overwhelmed every time you minimize a window.

Order Stray Business Cards & Contacts
Need to file away new contacts you've made recently (or not so recently)? Haven’t yet followed up with people you said you'd be in touch with? Now is the time to plow through the backlog.

Finish Drafts
If you blog, you might have any number of unfinished blog posts waiting in your queue for completion. Take a couple of hours to focus on getting those posts across the finish line – or to decide that the post should be put to the pasture.

Process Receipts
Do you have a growing pile of receipts stacking up in your room or office? Last year, a couple of my community members brought piles of receipts in, spread them out on a table, and sorted and filed them in a few hours. Months of delay were erased, and spring tax returns made infinitely easier.

Sell Your Junk
If you're at all like me, you have at least three items taking up space in your house that you've been meaning to sell on eBay or Craigslist but never got around to it. Take some photos, post that stuff up, and get some cash while making more room in your domicile.

Thank People
It's the end of the year, a good time to reflect. Taking some time to write notes to colleagues, close friends, and loved ones to share thanks and appreciations can be healthy and moving for both you and the people you reach out to.

After all, it's not all about business and productivity, right? Maybe you can use your Clean Off Your Plate Day to simply reflect on your life and how you can achieve a better balance.

If you're in NYC, please join us for our second annual Clean Off Your Plate event. If you’re elsewhere and would like to organize a similar event, let me know.

*** This post comes from Tony Bacigalupo, co-founder of New Work City, a co-working space in New York City, co-author of I'm Outta Here, and a partner at Shift 101, a workspace consultancy. Tony’s fieldwork feeds into the knowledgebase of the Behance Team, who run the Behance Creative Network, the 99% productivity think thank, the Action Method project management application, and the Creative Jobs List.