Get a Jump-Start on Spring Cleaning

 

Spring is my absolute favorite season.  The days start to stretch longer, the air feels fresher, and the birds seem to sing a little bit louder.  In Springtime, life feels full of promise and possibility.

So why wait until the weather start to brighten up to organize and clean?  That’s time that can be spent enjoying the outdoors again.  Instead, I prefer to tackle all of the little “spring cleaning” tasks that can be done as the year begins.  It helps me to feel more productive and gain much-needed clarity at this time of the year.

It Starts with Goals

I like to set up my goals for the year in January.  I don’t do resolutions, as they seem destined for failure, so instead I simply lay out my realistic hopes and dreams for the coming months, then break them down into small, achievable goals.

Once I have my goals written down, I start to think about what I could be doing right away to set them in motion.  I have trouble tackling things if I don’t feel like I’m starting with a clean slate, so to speak.  I literally can’t focus on making changes when my immediate environment is cluttered up.  Which brings me to the cleaning…

Cut the Clutter

January is such a tough month, and February too.  The cold and gray days seem to stretch and blur together.  I feel blah just thinking about it!  The only environment that I can change and have any sort of control over is in the home, so it’s a great time to cut the clutter.

I dove into our bedroom closet the other day and started tossing the contents out into the room.  It hasn’t been organized since we first got here 6 months ago, so a lot of junk had accumulated.  There were quite a few things to toss in the trash, a few to donate, and plenty that could be consolidated into a storage bin.

Organize and Rearrange

Once I had the closet sorted out I could move on to the rest of the room.  Dusting, vacuuming, and going through drawers and shelves rounded out the clean up.  Papers were organized, books and knickknacks were dusted and rearranged, and anything unnecessary went into the waste basket.  When I finally sat down at my desk to start writing, I felt energized and refreshed.  It’s amazing how much your immediate environment can affect your productivity and your mindset.

I don’t know if there is any way to beat the winter blues when you’re right in the thick of it, but I can at least try to make things better.  Getting a jump-start on spring cleaning can help you to stay focused on your  goals. By getting your home in order, you can be ready to spend those nice days outdoors when the spring season is in full swing.