I wanted to title this one “Kill, Marry, File at Work” but, guys, it was a stretch.

It’s time for Annual Year End Tie Up Loose Ends Wrap-Up-a-thon.

Be your own best friend and set yourself up for a fresh start in 2026.

Before you end 2025, set aside a few small chunks of time to update what you are tolerating, kill what is never going to see the light of day anyway and leave a few breadcrumbs for an easy start in 2026. Bonus if you do this with a team or a buddy.

Kill!

I’m going to start with kill. Just because you once committed or took it on, if you know something won’t (or shouldn’t) get more of your time please let it go. Have some mercy and just kill it already. Imagine how good it will feel to reclaim your life! Time to drop...

• Lingering projects that never were quite finished (and never will be)

• Anything you aren’t going to get around to (ever) starting

• Something you agreed to do, but really don’t have the bandwidth for (with clear communication to others involved)

• Decline or delete meetings that have run their course, are poorly run or have no useful outcome for you.

‍

Marry and File!

Make a quick brainstormed list of the stuff that needs to be cleaned up, shaped up, wrapped up, shipped out or updated and just needs that final nudge. For example:

• Anything that is a pain in the ass every time you do it and should be automated or streamlined

• Something you’re tolerating but should be better organized, this can be a process, a template, a resource….

• Information sources that need to be updated or refreshed

• Any physical objects that need to be updated like lights, headphones, keyboards. Come on now. Stop suffering.

‍

Break it down and translate into specific tasks.

(Note, if you are neurotypical, you can probably skip this, but I share this for those of us with a spicy brain). Prepare to do this work by listing out each simple step you’ll need to take to accomplish one of the items in your round up from start to completion. Make any vague tasks into specific smaller steps. Maybe toss in an estimated time required.

‍

Could you figure this out along the way?

Sure, but you risk side quests, friend.

‍

There’s  eggnog, Christmas shopping, chats, holiday cookies (not to mention the whole internet) that could all get you off track. Having a checklists provides dopamine hits and a frictionless map to follow along the way. (Or at least a record of how far you got.)  

‍

Timebox and Assign

You aren’t going to find “extra” time, but block out a few times that are likely slower during this season (I suggest Pomodoro chunks of max 60-75 minutes.) Put the tasks (with step-by-step checklist) on your calendar so you aren’t trying to figure out where to start when you have a minute

Lots of music, snacks and celebrations as you finish up loose ends. This is when it’s great to have a buddy or team-wide effort.

‍

Breadcrumbs!

Leave bread crumbs for next year. This is incredibly helpful in getting the new year started. When you’re refocusing in the new year, you’ll be thankful for the hints.

• Leave yourself notes about what you finished, or where you are leaving things.

• List open questions and where you plan to start again.

• List any conversations you need to have

‍

Even if you kill, organize and breadcrumb a few things, your future self with thank you.

And you won’t wake up stressed about something you think you forgot to take care of. You’ll have a nice fresh start in 2026 with a better system, reclaimed time and upgraded tools.

‍