New Year: The Beautiful Minimalism of a Blank Slate

New Year: The Beautiful(ˈbyo͞otəfəl) Minimalism(ˈminəməˌlizəm) of a Blank Slate(slāt)

By Leo Babauta

We have a new year upon us, and while “January 1” is just an arbitrary(ˈärbiˌtrerē) date, for most of us, it feels like a new beginning.

And there’s something beautifully minimalist(ˈminəmələst) about this new beginning — it’s a blank slate, where we can do anything, imagine(iˈmajən) possibilities, become a new person.

In fact, this is available(əˈvāləbəl) to us in any moment: each new second is a fresh(freSH) beginning, a new opportunity, a chance to start over, a blank canvas(ˈkanvəs) to be filled with whatever art we are moved to create.

Let’s imagine this new year as a blank slate. It’s like an empty house: what would we like to put in it?

This is a kind of minimalism. We can start afresh(əˈfreSH), tossing(täs,tôs) out everything and only placing in this empty house what we find most important, and nothing more.

What would you like to do with the minimalist blank slate of this new year?

Ask yourself:

Do you want to fill it with distractions(dəˈstrakSH(ə)n), or keep only the most important work, relationships, commitments(kəˈmitmənt)?

Do you want to be constantly checking social media, or would you like to read long-form writing and books, perhaps create something new?

Do you want to be more mindful? More compassionate(kəmˈpaSHənət)? More whole-hearted in your relationships?

Do you want to be more active, eat more healthy, nourishing(ˈnə-ri-,ˈnəriSHiNG) food? Get outdoors more, find more solitude(ˈsäləˌt(y)o͞od)?

Do you want to have greater focus for your meaningful work? Be more organized(ˈôrgəˌnīzd)?

Simplify your life? Get your finances(fəˈnans,ˈfīnans) in order?

Pick just a handful. Spread them out over the year. Don’t overfill the year with a list of 20 things you want to do — savor(ˈsāvər) the space of your blank slate.

It’s a beautiful time to reimagine(ˌrē-iˈmajən) your life.

https://zenhabits.net/new-slate/