Let’s do some spring cleaning…for your whole life! In this blog post, I share the steps you need to take to de-clutter your life, from your home, to your habits and routines, so that you can start fresh and focus your energy for the rest of the year on achieving your goals and creating a happier and more meaningful life.
Spring has arrived. And with every new season there comes a feeling of chance, of new beginnings.
With all the big changes in my life the last 2 years, I understand at a deeper level the importance of being intentional and mindful of your life – your thoughts, habits, routines and your goals.
Things have drastically changed. The big goals I had a few years ago have been replaced by the same amazing dreams, but there’s a more balanced approach to what I want to in my life.
The main takeaway for you is to remember that you can choose to change your habits, your thoughts, your goals and your life at any given moment. And you don’t have to wait for January 1st or for the start of the month or the start of the new season.
However, you Can still use those moments as an opportunity to make changes. To sit down and reflect : how’s my life going? How am I feeling? What do I need to change? What do I want? And what do I need to do to make those changes happen?
Springtime is when everything feels new and fresh. So let’s use that to inspire us to do the same for our lives.
Let’s spring clean our lives so that the next 9 months, we can make changes and achieve goals and create a happier and more meaningful life.
Who’s with me ?
Why spring clean your life?
There’s a lot of power in cleaning and organizing your space and your home. But why not put the same love, attention and care into our “inner world”.
I wanted to do a spring cleaning not only of my home but of my life. I want to re-think my daily habits and routines to make sure that they are still aligned with my life vision and my goals for the years.
I want to reflect on the work I’m putting into my personal growth to make sure I’m making the time for myself so I can constantly become a better version of myself.
I want to pay attention to how I’m spending my time and energy to make sure I’m using it effectively and wisely. I want to spring clean my physical space as well as my inner home.
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How to spring clean in your life
Since I’m talking about doing a “physical” spring cleaning (i.e. your home) as well as an “mental/emotional” spring cleaning, I created separate action items for each of the different areas in your life that you should be spring cleaning.
Keep in mind that you can do this in 1-2 weekends, or you can spread it out, depending on your schedule. Make sure to not overwhelm yourself because otherwise, you will never get it done. Follow the action items, and consistently for on it for a few weeks, however amount of time and energy you have to dedicate to this.
This is meant to be an inspiring and energizing process!
Spring clean…your home
Your physical space is a reflection of your mind…and that is so true! Think about how you feel after you’ve tidied something up. You feel good… right? Lighter? Relieved?
I want you to constantly think about how you can de-clutter and organize your home so that it’s a safe and inspiring environment for you. The less stuff you have, the less clutter you have, and the less time and energy you will spend cleaning and tidying every day or week. And that energy can be put towards more important and meaningful things like taking care of yourself, spending time with loved ones, or achieving your goals.
[ Action item ] Grab your notepad and walk through your home, and for every room, take notes of what you want to de-clutter and organize. Make it small little areas within each room.
For example…
- Room # 1 : Bedroom
- Area # 1 : Closet
- Area # 2 : Dresser
- Area # 3 : Night table
- Room # 2 : Living room
- Area # 1 : TV-Stand
- Area # 2 : Bookcase
- Area # 3 : Coffee table
From there, you will be able to tackle 1-5 areas per week, rather than tackling everything in one-go, which can feel overwhelming and paralyzing…and then you won’t ever do a spring clean.
Spring clean your…digital life
How many unread emails do you have in your inbox right now? How many apps do you have on your phone that you never use?
We don’t realize how much clutter we actually have in our lives and how weighing they can be on our mental and emotional state.
I want you to start paying attention to how much you are being bombarded with information, and to reflect on how it makes you feel.
I know that on days where I am constantly receiving text messages and calls and notifications, I get VERY anxious. So I want you to think about how you can clear out your “digital life”.
[ Action items ]
- [ E-mails ] For the next 2 weeks, commit to unsubscribing to any emails that come into your inbox that you never read. I don’t want to hear any “But I’ll read it later”. Be cut throat. If the subject was interesting enough, you would have read that email already. Unsubscribe and DELETE to clear our some mental space!
- [ Cellphone ] Take 10 minutes and scroll through your phone and delete any unused applications. You can always re-download them.
- [ Computer ] Take 30-45 minutes and go through your computer: organize any documents or files; delete anything unnecessary; back-up important documents. I want to see a CLEAR and ORGANIZED desktop!
Spring clean your…finances
The idea behind a “life spring cleaning” is to make more mental AND physical space for the things that matter the most in your life, so that you can focus your time and energy on creating a happier life.
Which means that you have to be more intentional with your finances and to gain control over it. Do you know where your money is going? Are you spending uselessly on subscriptions that you’re not even using? Are there any areas where you can cut back on your expenses and be more mindful?
[ Action items ]
- [ Expenses ] Go through your credit card statement to check if there are any subscriptions you can remove
- [ Budget ] Don’t have a budget yet? Create one! There are MANY templates available online. Take 15 minutes to do a bit of research, set it up, and voila! Remember that it won’t be “perfect” from the get-go but the more you make use of it, the more you can adjust it with time to fit to your needs. You just gotta start somewhere!
- [ Set a goal ] Set a goal for how much money you want to have in your bank accounts (in your chequing account and your savings) and then set up an automated withdrawal so that it becomes a no-brainer, you don’t even have to think about it.
Spring clean your…habits and routines
What do you do first thing in the morning? What’s the last thing you do at night before sleeping? What are you weekly habits?
The quality of your habits will determine the quality of your life. If you want to have a quality life, where you feel happy and full of mental and emotional energy, then you have to cultivate the habits and routines that make you feel the way you want to feel!
[ Action items ]
- [ Morning routine ] This is the FIRST thing I want you to do : create an inspiring morning routine. Don’t know where to start? I got you! Check HERE and HERE!
- [ Evening routine ] Adjust your evening routine so that you can have better sleep. You’ve heard it before, no screen time before bed and get into the “resting” mode – read a book, dim the lights! You know the drill. But you gotta do it!
- [ Physical health ] What are you doing on a daily/weekly basis to take care of your body? Do you drink enough water? Do you take supplements? Do you move your body every day? Write down a list of all the things you want to be doing for your physical health (and you know you should be doing) and choose ONE to focus on for the next month. And then the following month, add another. And another…(you get the idea)
- [ Mental + emotional health ] You know what I’m doing to ask…. What are you doing for your mental and emotional health? What would you like to be doing? And what should you be doing? Start small, but you gotta start somewhere. An easy place to start is to journal every day. Don’t know how? I got you!! Check HERE and HERE to see how you can get started in an easy and simple way.
Spring clean your…life
I know that we’ve been technically talking about your life throughout this whole post. BUT I want you to also re-assess your life: Are you happy with where you’re at in your life? Do you have a clear direction for where you want the next 6-9 months to go? Do you have clear goals?
This is a great time to do a life audit so that you can assess where you are, which will help you figure out where you want to go. Because if you want to spring clean your life, then you have to have a clear understanding of any potential gaps that you need to fill and improve.
[ Action items ]
- [ Life audit ] Do a life audit to see where you are in your life, so that you can have a better idea of the missing pieces so that you can then set more inspiring and meaningful goals
- [ Goal-setting ] Once you’ve done the life audit, set goals for the rest of the year! You’ve done a clearing out of your life, so let’s fill it up with inspiring goals!
[ Get started ]
If you’re feeling inspired and motivated after reading this, TAKE ACTION! I mapped out your action items for you, so you really don’t have any excuses. Grab your journal, take notes, and then figure out the 3 things you’re going to do in the next 24-hours ago. Use the inspiration you feel to do something…take control of your life…!
