With so many competing demands in life, it’s challenging to decide which goals to truly pursue and identify what elements are essential for achieving them. Can you relate?

That’s why I developed the “Back to Zero Reset” – a powerful planning and organizational method to bring clarity out of chaos.

My Inspiration

The inspiration for this idea uses the analogy of an overdrawn bank account. What should be the first financial priority of someone with an overdrawn account? 

Get that balance back to zero! Stop the overdraft fees, fear, and anxiety. Getting back to zero is just the first part of the goal. True, lasting victory comes from then figuring out systems and habits to prevent falling back into overdraft territory.

This is easy to see also with credit cards. I have never read of anyone who has achieved true financial freedom while carrying a credit card balance.

It’s the same idea with credit card debt. Are you part of the 45% of American families carrying a credit card balance? Getting out of debt is critical if you want to be financially free. Step one is getting out of debt by paying off those cards and resetting your balance to zero.

Back to Zero is easy to measure because your balance will literally be zero. However, the ultimate goal is implementing strategies to remain debt-free and avoid repeating the same cycle in the future

Back to Zero means first establishing a baseline and then maintaining that baseline. This two phase back-to-basics approach intuitively makes sense for finances, but it can apply to other life areas too.

Let me illustrate what I mean.

Think of the futility of trying to batch cook a month’s freezer meals when your kitchen is a disaster. 

You made a meal plan, you bought all the groceries, and you’re ready to start. The internet promises this will only take 2 hours. The truth is two hours is what you need to clean your kitchen enough to even start! How do you think this will turn out?

You wind up tired and defeated and declare this batch cooking thing is stupid, takes too long,  and is too hard. 

Back to Zero in this case would be to clean your kitchen, refrigerator, and freezer before you even go to the grocery store so you are starting with a clean slate. It does not mean you have to deep clean the oven, or under your appliances before you attempt this. Those ideas are procratsa-distractions and shoulds that keep us from success. Perfection is not required. 

Why use back to zero reset?

I use this concept as a mindset shift to help me set myself up for success. It also challenges all the procrasta-distractions on my to-do list. These are those things that I think I “should” do or extras that are not necessary to my success. 

Back to Zero is a way for me to assess my current circumstances realistically before jumping into anything new.  It helps me deal with what’s already on my plate before starting something else. By using this process I find an acceptable baseline as my starting point. If I didn’t, I would just increase the overwhelm and decrease the odds of progress. 

Try my 4 step framework.

Does this technique sound like something you want to try? Here’s the four-step framework I follow. 

First, determine your goals. What is your focus area? Name it. What is your zero or baseline in this case? What is victory? How will you know when you have succeeded? 

Next, do a brain dump of all the eleventy billion to-dos running through your head. Everything you can think of. Get it out of your head and down on paper. 

Then go through your list and select the items that are truly important to accomplish your task. The brain dump will list a bunch of shoulds, future goals and dreams, distractions, and unnecessary tasks. Cross those out.

What’s left is what you need to do to get back to zero. Sort the relevant tasks and priorities and get to work. 

Here’s an example.

Say I want to change my bathroom. It’s time to paint and get a new vanity and new flooring. However, I have a problem with the room always looking messy because there’s always so much stuff on the counter! What is the point of spending all the time, energy, and money fixing it up without fixing this underlying issue? 

Why is there clutter on the counter? It’s because the drawers are filled with magic lotions and potions, extra supplies, medications or supplements I no longer take, and who knows what else. I have no room to put up what’s on the counter. Lack of storage is not the issue. Too much stuff is. I need to clean out the drawers and decide what I can get rid of before trying to organize what is there. 

My Back to Zero plan would be to go through all the vanity drawers, medicine cabinet, and linen closet. Throw away, recycle, or give away all the excess. Then after a good deep clean, I can get the drawers organized and maybe buy some countertop organizers if needed. Operation Clean Counters is complete! 

Baseline Achieved

Now I should be at the baseline level of having cleared-off countertops. Getting to that point – the Back to Zero phase – was crucial. However, true victory involves the second phase: Implementing systems to easily maintain those cleared countertops going forward.

For me, true success wouldn’t just be the one-time deep clean and purge. It would mean having habitual practices and organizational methods in place to prevent those counters from getting cluttered again. Things like:

• Designating specific homes for frequently used items
• Doing weekly “reset” declutters
• Being more discriminating about what new products I bring in
• Having a donations box for unused items

Only then could I claim lasting victory over the counter clutter issue. The Back to Zero reset was step one, but keeping that new baseline is the ultimate win. Once I have set my desired baseline, then it’s time to improve the room with new paint and flooring. Maybe even a new vanity. 

Your Turn

What changes do you want to make in your life that would benefit from this mindset shift? Try it and you will find Back to Zero is a powerful technique to focus and bring clarity out of chaos.