Spring Cleaning

We recently moved. I loved it. Well, actually I hated the moving part and the stepping further away from my friends part and the changing of bills part and I still have to change my address on my driver’s license. I loved a certain part of it. Purging. I am a professional purger. I get so happy clearing closets and making bookshelves look good. My sister-in-law once got upset at me for throwing things out before she could get a hold of some used baby toys I had. I am of the firm belief that it is the number one thing that can help create breathing room in our society of “more”. I am not a minimalist by any means but I throw things and donate with the best of them. I once had a Babysitter tell me they had never seen a cupboard so organized, especially with someone with two children under two. (I took it as a compliment).

I tend to purge and then think of how I could have repurposed something a few months or even years later. My mother who is very cost efficient, doesn’t deal with this. She fold’s foil paper back up. She was trained that things could always be saved for later. My grandparents grew up at the end of World War 2 and they keep everything! Now there is a plus side but in keeping everything you end up feeling overwhelmed and Stuffed, like Thanksgiving turkey stuffed. It’s no longer good but sickening.

Spring is when I un-stuff my self. I get ride of the heavy burden of things that are weighing me down. Fall is more fun because it’s about buying new paper, pens, books, school clothes for the kids, and healthy lunches for my hubby. Spring is fun with thinking about all things white and tulips and warmth and of course Easter but, we also have pollen, our detox plans, swimsuit shopping, and baseboard’s to clean. For me, our move helped this considerably. I went through every closet and corner. I had my husband crawl in the attics and pull out all the file boxes and sort. Oh boy, did we sort! Old Christmas decor and papers we no longer needed. It was wonderful!!

For those of you who are freaking out right now, I have come up with a few tips to help boost your clearing out and cleaning up projects this spring.

#1 Start with Yourself – First project for any purging is always myself. This helps me tackle other external projects like the garage or the attic if this one is complete first. Do I need to re-vamp a certain area of my health? Am I slacking and feeling dull with my environment or my work spaces? Do I need to cut out any sugar or gluten for a time to clean out my body?

#2 Come up with a few 10 min projects. You can also come up with a few hour-long projects to fit into your week-ends. This breaks stuff up to defeat overwhelm. Ex: throw old stuff out of fridge, dust ONLY master bedroom blinds. Week-end project: change all bedroom sheets and flip mattresses, take winter blankets and comforters to dry cleaners.

#3 Write up a list of every space you want to work on. Ex: living room, kitchen, front closet, pantry, garage, office, backyard.

Before you do this ask yourself some questions: Do I like the environment I am in? If not, can you fix it? If you do like it, then what is it that is bothering you? These two questions will help you build out your rooms list.

#4 Organize your tasks by priority  Ex: Drop zone for mail, fireplace fix, winter jackets, gutters, and perennial plants.

#5 Reward your self!

Clutter can weigh us down and create stress. Simplifying things can make room for what really matters. Starting spring clean is so refreshing!!! It gives you endless possibilities for growth! Happy blooming friends!