Spring makes you want to start fresh.
By Coach Juli Shulem — Written on Mar 19, 2015
Are you starting to get spring fever and the desire to tidy up your space is nagging at you? I know it has for me! When spring begins, I find myself re-organizing my drawers and cabinets and purging through papers. I even find this to be fun! Okay, you may not perceive this as a fun activity, but it can be.
Due to being in the business of helping people get organized for thirty-two years, I know that most don't have confidence in putting organizing at the top of their list of go-to activities. While it doesn't fall in the same category as going out with friends or attending a concert, (it's not THAT much fun) it doesn't have to be drudgery either.
So, would you like some super helpful and easy tips to Spring Clean your way to happiness? Try these six ideas to getting some much-needed breathing room and free yourself of unnecessary clutter.
Schedule the time so that you don't "busy" yourself right out of having time to do this. Schedule time to de-clutter right into your calendar so you plan around that time. By making it a priority in this way, you are much more likely to actually do it.
1. Pick One Category To Start.
Begin with this so you have some direction. There are many thoughts around where to start, but you may find it best to start with one category, such as your summer clothes, spices, or books. Or perhaps start with that kitchen "junk drawer" overflowing with who-knows-what!
2. Trash The Trash.
This seems so obvious, but the temptation to try to make a space neat and organized can derail you from the real first step: Getting rid of actual trash-able items! Start by getting the trash out of the way to see what you actually have. And put the trash out in the recepticles, by-the-way, don't just move it to another location.
3. Gather Like Items:
Put them in one place so you can go through that category of things ONCE. If you have similar items scattered all over the house, it will be too difficult to determine what to keep and what you can let go of because you won't know how many duplicates you may be harboring. This awareness of what you actually have can be a real motivator.
4. Decide What To Keep, Not What To Discard:
This is psychologically an easier and more effective way to process what you plan to hold onto. So, instead of going through a drawer or cabinet and taking out what you want to discard, dump the contents of the entire drawer onto a work surface and only put back the few items you actually want to keep. Then toss what is left over.
5. Resist The Temptation To Keep Unwanted Items:
Don't keep things that you really do not need. It's so easy to justify holding onto something for a variety of typically weak reasons. Be mindful of why you are holding onto something.
Clearing your home of things you really don't use or need is one of the most uplifting and freeing things you can experience (and it's free). Follow these steps and see how much you can lighten up your space. Then enjoy, not just the satisfaction of having a clutter-free environment, but all the amazing things you can do with the newly found time you acquire!