Try as I might, I can't think of anything I don't prefer when it's FRESH! Freshly done nails, freshly touched up roots, freshly cooked food (okay, leftovers are pretty good, too), and one of my personal favorites: freshly washed sheets. Of course, not all fresh starts are materialistic, and there are plenty of ways to clear your mind and make room for new beginnings in your life - and what better time to do so when it's spring and life just feels more in bloom than ever?!
Here are five ways I plan on refreshing and recharging my life this spring!
- Obscure Cleaning Tasks: AGH - chores! I know, I know! I'm starting off with this one to get it out of the way, but just think of how goooooood it feels to get these tasks done? Some of the more "obscure" (ie. not your normal vacuuming and dusting type chores) cleaning tasks I like to tackle in the spring include: removing my fabric headboard cover and bed skirt and giving it a good wash, cleaning out my medicine cabinet/fridge/cupboards for any products that are expired, and moving those that are soon to expire close to the front, sanitizing my toothbrush holder (think of how much water runs into it and sits in the bottom - yuck!), sanitizing all the remotes, phones, light switches, door handles, etc. in my home.
- Organizing My Apps and Photos: I have over 20,000 photos on my phone right now, and at least half of them are completely useless to me. I use an app called Photo Cleaner that picks out photos that are poor quality or very similar, and it's a really good way to cut down on pictures you don't need and add valuable space to your phone. Every once and a while I'll use this app and clear out a few thousand pictures, and it feels GOOOOOOD! This spring I plan on going through my entire library and getting it nicely organized. I'll also clear out any apps I don't use and organize them all into categories so they're easy to find.
- Sorting My Email Inbox and Desktop Files: Emails and documents accumulate so quickly, and it's easy to get behind in keeping them sorted. Eventually, you might end up missing important messages from people or being unable to locate files when you really need them. I use categories in Gmail to sort all of my messages, but sometimes I let them sit in my regular inbox for too long before I get around to actually sorting them. But this spring, I am going to go through allllll of my emails and make sure everything is in its perfect place, so my inbox is nice and clean and ready for whatever else pops into it! (Bonus points for deleting the thousands of spam emails that you probably have!) I save a LOT of stuff on my computer. I have thousands of graphics and documents, etc. and like my email, I HAVE created folders for them, but I'm not always great at making sure they end up there. A clean desktop and nicely sorted files minimize distractions when I open my laptop to start working, and they also make sure I can access what I need quickly and keep track of client documents easily.
- Clearing My Mind: I know that's a broad statement, but here's what it means to me: I like to write down any "blocks" I'm experiencing in my life so I can address them. This could be habits that are holding me back, relationships that don't serve me, guilt for things that are out of my control, or deep-rooted feelings I have put off dealing with. Once you have these blocks laid out in front of you, it's easier to create a plan for breaking through them, and it might also reveal things to you that you didn't even realize were getting in your way. Dealing with these blocks could mean meditating on them and working to release guilt or expectations, or creating affirmations for yourself for handling things that aren't easy for you, and addressing relationship issues you have with someone (or ending the relationship altogether). If you know there are habits that are holding you back in some way, it can be really frustrating to feel so stuck in these rituals, but not know what to do about them. Personally, I spend way too much time playing games on my phone. I'll sit down to "work" and immediately pick up my and before I know it, I've lost an hour of valuable time. To combat this, I set timers for myself where I work and leave my phone in another room. Every once and a while I still need to remind myself to do this, so I'll leave a note on my laptop screen that says "FOCUS!" as a reminder to do what needs to be done.
- Social Media Purging: When I consider how much time I spend each day on social media (usually Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter) I also think of how many opportunities I have in one day to either bombard myself with positivity and things that make me happy on social media. Alternatively, that's a big chunk of my day that could be spent surrounding myself with images and information that aren't doing me any good. I don't know about you, but there are quite a few people I follow on these accounts who just don't do it for me. I either don't relate to their content at all, or I follow out of obligation because they follow me, or I actually find them rather insufferable and seem to get a weird satisfaction from groaning at their posts (oops!). Whatever the reason is, there are clearly much better ways to spend my time! So, why not do a spring cleaning of your social media accounts? Unfollow, unlike, block - do whatever you have to do to make your social media feeds as pleasant as possible. Focus on content that makes you laugh, smile, or feel better about yourself, rather than the content that makes you want to gouge your eyes out!
Okay - these are my five spring cleaning tasks I'd like to complete! What do you plan on tackling this spring?
- xo C
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