Spring Cleaning with Real Life Impact
Spring Cleaning Time!
Decluttering your life is so much more than cleaning out closets (although that helps too). Here are some relatively easy, practical ways to create space physically and mentally.
Decluttering Your Life
Our inner state often reflects our outer environment. So if you are constantly surrounded by clutter, disorganization, and a flood of stuff, it can be hard to cultivate your inner calm.
However, cleaning out some of the less obvious places in your life, including your social media, commitments, work space, diet, and to-do list, etc., can have an enormous impact and potentially take less time than cleaning out that overstuffed closet that has been calling your attention for a few years.
Here is a list of practical, yet big impact "spring cleaning" areas, along with an approximate time commitment for each. These are compiled from my own experiences, my clients, and leaders in the field of stress reduction.
Social Media - 10 minutes - unfollow anyone that makes you feel "less than". This includes influencers, celebrities, family members, businesses, and neighbors. Celebrities and influencers (and some regular folks) post filtered, photoshopped, and staged photos. In real life their hair and bodies do NOT look like that, their homes aren't that beautiful, and their experiences aren't as fun as they want you to believe.
Scroll through your accounts and unfollow anything that makes you feel bad about your appearance, your financial situation, your relationship status, or where you are in life. Since I've unfollowed these types of accounts, my feed is filled with inspiring messages, very real posts that balance the positive with the negative, and resources that support my everyday life such as local restaurants, places to visit, etc.
Commitments - 15 minutes - write out a list of all the commitments you have in life right now. Volunteer projects, things for organizations you are a part of, career obligations, events for your kids, family members, friends, and colleagues.
Evaluate which one is the least fulfilling/most stressful and REMOVE IT. It may require an uncomfortable conversation, a way to gracefully remove yourself over the coming months, or a delegation to someone else. By removing one commitment that takes up your energy and focus, you will create space to do more of what brings you joy.
Your Workspace - 20 minutes - clean off the surface of your workspace and the area in your direct line of sight. Maybe you don't have time for a deep clean right now and organizing all of those files and pictures feels daunting. Put it all in a basket out of sight knowing that you can return to it later. Allow your work area to feel spacious, clean, and inspiring.
Your Eating Habits - 10 minutes - get rid of one thing that brings you down. It can be the convenient yet over processed snack you grab when rushed, the cookies that make you feel guilty each morning, the chips that cause you to eat the whole bag, etc. This isn't an overhaul of your entire diet - this is cleaning out just ONE thing. Literally throw it in the trash and don't rebuy it.
To-Do List Tasks - 10 minutes - look at your to-do list and see if there is anything on there that you keep moving week over week, but never get to. It clearly isn't super urgent, and yet you let it hang over you, creating invisible pressure/stress that you don't need. Decide to remove it from the list or put it on a shelf for a period of time.
Whether it is cleaning out the garage, joining a club, scheduling that meeting, etc. - make an empowered choice to either do it now, let it go, or move it to a concrete time in the future. The relief from knowing that you won't even consider cleaning out the garage until July can do wonders to free up mental space and energy for other things on your list.
NOTE: DO NOT POSTPONE IMPORTANT THINGS such as your doctor appointments, time to visit with family, or time to talk to your financial advisor regarding your retirement planning. Take off the things that have little impact on your health and future to make space for the bigger impact things.
Relationships - (can't estimate time for this one!) - evaluate if there is someone in your life that drains you. Who are they? Do they deserve your time and attention? Will your life be better or worse without them in it? Are there ways to limit the amount of time you spend with them?
Evaluating relationships can be tough. Not everyone is meant to be in your life forever. People change, circumstances change, life happens. Holding onto someone for the sake of your history together instead of your potential future together is a losing battle. While difficult, taking an honest look at the people in your life and making the tough calls can give you back so much of your energy and focus.
In summary, spring cleaning can be a full-on purge if you want it to be. But it can also be these practical, less obvious ways to clean out the things that aren't serving you so you can bring more fun, space, and joy into your life.
Find a way to clean out at least one area of your life and see what possibilities open. Head into the season lighter, happier, and ready for the natural cycle of growth.
Cheers to spring cleaning your life,
Sharon
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