Five Ways to Spring Clean Your Life
Spring is here, and this is the time we start taking inventory of our home, cleaning out old clothes, food, and reorganizing our lives. There’s nothing like a fresh start to a new season to bring joy and comfort.
But this year, I want to encourage you to take your spring cleaning a step further. Don't just stop at your home. Take stock of your life and see if anything needs to be let go, revamped, or reorganized. Here are five ways to spring clean your life and make room for the growth and light the new season brings.
Refine your morning routine
Whether you already have a great morning routine or you just roll out of bed and go on with your day, this deserves a second visit. A healthy morning routine is essential in setting the tone for the rest of your day. It’s a way to fill your cup first, prepare your mind and body, and position yourself to be the best version of yourself for the day.
Take a minute to think about what you do in the morning (I even recommend writing it down) and how you feel after your morning routine. Do you feel rushed, frazzled, tired, or generally unhappy? Those feelings let you know it’s time to make some changes. Your morning routine should make you feel happy, fulfilled, and ultimately prepared for the day. Do things in the morning that bring you joy and comfort.
My morning routine consists of all of my favorite things. I read my devotional, drink some coffee, do some journaling, and watch something inspirational. (I’m working on getting back on my treadmill, too). All those things fill me with peace and joy. What can you add to your routine that will bring you the same?
Revamp your relationships
This one isn’t so fun, but it’s necessary. We should always take stock of our relationships to determine who is aiding in our success and happiness and who’s draining it. To determine which friend falls into which category, ask yourself these questions:
Does this person drain my energy? (Are they always like this, or is this just a season because they’re going through something? That’s an important distinction.)
Does this person support me and my dreams?
Is this person honest with me? Do they tell me the truth?
Do our values align?
Can I trust them with my thoughts and feelings?
Can we grow together?
If you answered no to more than 1 one of these questions, it might be time to reevaluate. This spring, commit yourself to invest in the relationships you would like to see growth because they are healthy, and spend less time on those that aren’t.
Recommit yourself to your goals
By spring, most people have already forgotten about or set aside the aspirations and goals they made for the new year. We’ve all done it. But now is the perfect time to revisit those goals and recommit. It’s not too late to change the trajectory of your year and still achieve everything you want. Even if you’re no longer aligned with your previous goals, it’s okay to make new ones. You can try:
Setting a budget
Having a water goal for the day
Setting a workout goal
Tip: Instead of setting goals for the year, try putting them in place for the quarter or season. That way, you set a time to revisit them multiple times a year and ensure they are still aligned with who you are and what you want.
Declutter your technology
We often spring clean our homes, but when was the last time you cleaned out your old emails, text messages, or even social media? And since technology is such a big part of our lives, we should take a minute to clean those out annually.
Having cluttered technology is not much different from having a messy house. It also takes up space in your mind. When starting fresh, we want to make sure our mind has room to be creative and/or think of new things. That’s hard to do with many old emails from 2016 or following accounts on social media that we no longer align with. Here are some suggestions:
Go through your inbox and delete all of your old emails and make sure to unsubscribe from newsletters that you no longer want to get. If there are things that you would like to keep, search on YouTube how to organize your inbox and create tags and filters. That way, you can control what you need but still have a clean inbox for the new season.
Clean out your phone as well. Some of those old text messages may be drama-filled and negative, and you do not need to take those things further into the year. In the season's newness, it’s time to let all that negative energy and talk go. Block who you have to, delete what doesn't serve you, and move on.
Take stock of the social media accounts you follow. Feel free to unfollow anything that doesn’t positively feed your mind or spirit. With so much going on in the world, it’s okay to filter what you allow into your psyche. Remember, your feed feeds you. Make sure what you’re getting is healthy and good.
Clear your schedule
Do you feel overwhelmed or hurried? Every day you have something to do, someone to call, or an obligation you think you can’t say no to? Well, you have our permission to clear your schedule completely. Your time is precious, and you can be more intentional about what you do and when.
Your schedule can and should reflect your needs and priorities. For example, if you need quiet time, plan that in. Take a day where you unplug entirely. Silence your phone or get off social media. Or if you wish you had more time to connect with friends, schedule that in. Have a day or a time of day set aside that you dedicate to checking in and connecting with others.
This season, take control of your time and allow your schedule to reflect what’s important to you.
Spring cleaning can go many ways, but the ultimate goal is to check in on your home, body, and feelings and make sure it reflects not only who you are, but who you want to be.