10 Feel-Good Projects To Do In The New Year That'll Have You Living Your Best Life

Your closet is home to some of the oldest relics in your possession, even if you never meant to keep some of those things around for very long. Take the first month of the new year to go through your closet and donate the clothes you no longer want or need.

If you're extra like me, you can organize your clothes in ROYGBIV (or rainbow) order, and then organize them by type. A great hack for keeping track of which clothes you actually wear is to hang everything with the hanger facing backwards at the beginning of the year; at the end of the year, whatever hangers are not turned around the correct way are clothes you can part with.

Hoarding does not simply apply to clothes. Books, movies, and random knick knacks can clutter up your space. As the new year begins, go through your house and pull out things that you haven't picked up in a while, whether it's that yoga mat that you promised you'd put to use, or your guitar from middle school that you've been carrying around.

If you've been longing to travel or make a major purchase, but just haven't had enough money to do so, the new year is the perfect time to set up a weekly savings plan. Aim to save even $10 a week so you have a little extra cash at the end of the year.

Sorting out your stash of cosmetics and toiletries can be quite therapeutic, and can make you feel like you have your own personal beauty store in your house. Come up with a way to sort out all of your products in a way that makes it easy for you to find the things you need.

I'm personally a fan of these drawers from The Container Store, which are actually made for shirts but are perfect for beauty products, too. They're clear so you can see inside of them, you can purchase the compatible dividers to make different compartments within the drawers, and they're stackable so you can add on to your storage system as your makeup collection grows.

You never want to be the person who has so many chores piled up, that you can't possibly finish them all by yourself. If you have trouble keeping track of your household duties, a great project for the beginning of the year can be to make a list of chores that need to be done daily and weekly so you have your own personal checklist. Your apartment will never look cleaner.

The start of a new year means that it's also time for you to update your personal goals and dreams. Physically writing things down can have a huge impact on your commitment to them, especially when they're your long-term goals.

Whether you're promising yourself to work out four times a week, or you just want to make more of an effort to call your family every week, writing them out and planning them is a great way to start off the new year.

If you're forever writing things down on pieces of scrap paper that you find around the house, a great thing to invest in at the start of the new year is a journal or planner. Not only will you have a place to write down notes for yourself as the days go by, but you'll also have a little year-long memento at the end of the year to help you remember all of the cool things you did and the random thoughts that went through your mind. I'm particularly fond of Moleskine's 12-month daily planner because it has an entire page for each day.

At the start of the new year, promise yourself to be a little more eco-friendly. Have at least one recycling container in your house (paper grocery store bags work just as well), and if you're feeling particularly dedicated, start composting.

You can also invest in reusable things so you don't contribute as much waste. Most people already own and use reusable water bottles, but you can also make an effort to stop using disposable silverware and straws. This fun set includes metal reusable cutlery, straws (and a cleaner), and chopsticks that are dishwasher-safe.

To help you be productive on all fronts in the new year, you'll need your computer working at full capacity. Go through your downloads folder and get rid of all those random GIFs you sent to your friends, organize your desktop, and update your software. (It's about time you stopped hitting the "remind me later" button.)

I'm a huge advocate of treating yourself regularly, but even I forget to give myself a break every once in a while. At the beginning of the new year, plan out one time a month when you can do something for yourself. (You can even write it down in your new journal!)

Whether you get a massage or just take your favorite yoga class by yourself, give yourself some space to thrive, and therefore feel more productive throughout the rest of the year.