Reset Your Ballet Life: How to Declutter, Organize & Step Into 2026 Refreshed

There’s something magical about closing out the year with a sense of clarity and intention. While most people wait for spring cleaning, I’ve always found the end of the year to be the most grounding and productive time to get organized. When things feel tidy, refreshed, and aligned, I’m so much more ready to step into a new year feeling confident and focused.

This Year-End Reset is a simple, practical routine to help you declutter the physical and mental clutter so you can start 2026 strong, steady, and inspired. Keep reading or listen to the full podcast episode below! 💖

1. Clean Out & Wash Your Dance Bag

If you’re like most dancers, your bag collects mystery objects, old hairpins, and maybe even a fossilized snack or two. Let’s fix that. 🎒

Start with a full emptying: Pull everything out—*everything*. All pockets, zip compartments, shoe bags, hidden pouches. You might be surprised by what you find.

Wipe it down or wash it: Give the inside and outside a refresh. Your bag works hard… it deserves a little care.

Organize with smaller pouches: Use small zip pouches to group similar items, like:

Hair & toiletry items

Toe pads and pointe shoe essentials

Snacks & electrolyte packets

Add a scent satchel: This is my favorite step. Place a scent satchel in your shoe bag or main compartment to keep your whole bag smelling fresh. Your future self will thank you.

2. Declutter Your Dancewear

Step One: Try on all of it. Yep — all of it. This is where the real reset happens. As you try on each piece, put it in one of these piles:

Pile One: Things you love and consistently wear. These are your go-to pieces. Easy.

Pile Two: Items you love but rarely wear. (Don’t get rid of them—we’ll create outfits later.) 🤗

Pile Three: Damaged items. If something needs a small stitch or elastic replaced, set aside a “repair pile.” Anything truly beyond saving? Send it to a textile recycling program like Trashie.

Pile Four: Items that are in good condition can be listed on Tutulist.com so you can make earn some cash (love that for you!) 🤩 This is a great option for letting go of dancewear that:

...Doesn’t fit.

...Doesn’t feel good on your body.

...You haven’t reached for in months.

(And remember: don’t let your leotards bully you! Just because it used to fit doesn’t mean it has to fit now.)

Step Two: Create new outfits! 🩱

Now for the fun part! Take the pieces you love but don’t wear often and style them into complete outfits. If you don’t wear them by the end of January, you probably don’t love them as much as you thought. Those can be listed too!

By the end of this process, you should have a curated dancewear collection that makes you feel beautiful, confident, and fully yourself. You go, girl.😌

3. Review Your Subscriptions

If you’re an adult ballet dancer, chances are you have a few digital platforms you rotate through. And that’s great! But too many can become overwhelming (and expensive) and in my experience, you really only need one ballet platform and one strength training platform at a time.

In order to choose the right platforms to keep, ask yourself...

– What are my goals for 2026?

– Which platforms align with those goals?

– Which ones am I actually using?

Remember, you can always switch later or supplement with free YouTube classes when you want something new.

Cancel what you don’t use or set a reminder for renewal dates so you’re not surprised by subscriptions next year.

4. Start a Fresh Ballet Journal

A fresh journal is a great way to mark the beginning of a new year. You can use a simple lined notebook and divide it into sections (that's what I did this year). Personally, these are the sections that I used:

– Corrections & Compliments

– Choreography & Combinations

– Reflections

Or you can grab a more structured journal like the Cozy Dancer Journal if you want something that contains guided prompts and pre-determined sections. 📝

5. Calendar Your Commitments

Consistency is so much easier when it’s scheduled. Take a few minutes at the end of the year to:

– Identify your weekly windows of availability and block them off

– Add your studio classes, Zoom classes and on-demand programs to your calendar

– Include links when needed

This step alone can completely shift your training rhythm! 🗓️

6. Stock Up on Ballet Essentials During Holiday Sales

The end of the year is the best time to restock basics you know you’ll need. Many website sites like DanceSupplies.com have great sales throughout the month of December. Consider using those sales to stock up on:

– Pointe shoes

– Slippers

– Tights

– Toe pads or toe spacers

It's so nice to start the New Year with fresh supplies! 🩰

7. Set Your 2026 Goals and Q1 Goals

Think big picture:

– What do you want from your dancing in the new year? (More pointework, performance opportunities, more joy?)

– What skills do you want to develop? (Pirouettes, jumps, flexibility?)

– What mindsets do you want to strengthen? (Body image, resilience, taking risks?)

Then narrow it down: What can you realistically focus on from January to March?

Setting quarterly goals can help you avoid overwhelm and stay motivated throughout the year.

8. Make Time to Rest... Guilt-Free!

Before you sprint into 2026, give yourself permission to wind down without feeling like you "should" be exercising/taking class/being productive. Rest restores creativity, energy, motivation, and joy. So embrace it, and enter the New Year rested and refreshed. ✨

Conclusion

A year-end reset isn’t just about cleaning and organizing—it’s about aligning your space, your schedule, and your energy with your goals. These small steps can make a big difference.

Here’s to a grounded, intentional, and refreshingly organized start to 2026!

xx, Hannah