Life Hack No. 32 - Wipe it ALL Clean.

As 2022 is coming to a close, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on this year. It's had high highs and low lows for me.

If anyone reads this and you have read other articles or posts of mine, you probably know that I have spent a lot of this year on a plane. I went to Hawaii twice, been to Ireland 4 times in 12 months, and spent time in other places, too. I also went to more conferences and summits than ever. I have never been on the annual eDiscovery conference tour and have never wanted to be on it.

I like travelling. I love learning. But business trips are an "ok" thing for me. Sometimes, a necessary evil; other times, time well worth spending. It's a mixed bag for me, for sure.

I have a drawer full of these United Airlines (and other airlines) alcohol wipes. I acquired too many of them to use on a plane. I keep them anyway because they come in handy around the house or even when they're in my backpack and I want to clean something around me when I am on the road.

If you have ever used them, or been on a plane when someone near you is using them to wipe down their area, you may have noticed that they are pretty effective. The alcohol scent is unmistakable and rather pungent.

So, this got me thinking yesterday about what my last few "life hacks" would be for the rest of 2022. I am hoping to get to 36 life hacks, so I have 3 for every month in 2023, when I might start living a little less out loud here on LinkedIn. I think it'll be time to focus my energy on writing other things as part of a huge goal I set for myself a few years ago.

I am looking forward to a clean slate in 2023. 2022 is what it was. I can't change that. A huge part of me is happy to leave it behind and leverage the passage of time to start a new year in a matter of weeks.

These sanitizing wipes are symbolic to me. They're compact. They're portable. They're extremely effective. As I get started on wiping away 2022 to clear my path for 2023, I am sharing this life hack with you.

A new year presents a milestone to leave the past in the past, wipe it all away, and start fresh with a new mindset, a new routine, possibly a new (small) group of friends, colleagues, and supporters, and get rid of the rest. If it's not a good use of your precious time, energy, experience, skills, etc., my advice to you is to wipe it ALL away. Get rid of it. Set it aside and move forward. Clean it all up and have that scent to remind you that it's not something you want to or can go back to. You cleaned it up. You wiped it away. It's time to move full steam ahead. Embrace it. Enjoy the cleanliness, lack of clutter, new outlook, and new path.

Wipe it away. Flush it down. Move forward and enjoy the ride.