A Spring Kind of Clean
Do you want to decrease stress and increase productivity and peace of mind this year? Then, join Keys to Abundant Life in stepping into spring with a clean house and clear head.
Spring cleaning is a tradition many of us dreaded as children but now embrace as adults. It’s an annual opportunity to organize, rearrange, and downsize our living spaces. This spring, declutter to decompress and clean with the intention of creating space for abundance in your life.
Decluttering Your Physical Space
Start small: The idea of diving into your spring cleaning headfirst can be daunting especially when multiple spaces need TLC. Alleviate some of the pressure by starting small. Set aside 15 minutes daily to chip away at winter clothes that can be donated or documents that can be shredded. Another way to ease anxiety about decluttering your home, is to focus on seasonal chores. As the weather gets warmer, worry less about organizing the holiday décor and more about organizing gardening or grilling tools. This system will help you answer the dreaded question – “Where do I start?”
Benefit: Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between clutter and the stress hormone, cortisol. A cluttered space inhibits your mind’s ability to focus and prioritize responsibilities from professional tasks to household chores, and slowly but surely, they pile up like laundry. A decluttered space reduces anxiety and enhances your mood. Use this year’s spring cleaning as a chance to adopt new daily habits that promote positive thoughts and productivity.
Minimize: Before you can start color-coding and labeling your storage containers, you should first downsize. Going room by room, toss what you no longer want, need, or use. Parting ways with belongings can be difficult especially for those who are indecisive. Next time, consider this checklist to help determine what to throw away, donate, or sell.
- I forgot I had this thing!
- This has no sentimental value and is just collecting dust.
- I can’t fit this anymore/this isn’t my style anymore.
- I have more of this than I can ever use.
- I don’t have any use for this.
Apply the 15-minute limit to avoid feeling overwhelmed by loss. Instead, embrace the new abundance of space for your creativity and positivity to flow.
Benefit: Minimizing creates the space you need for optimal productivity. More space and less clutter reduce visual distractions allowing for clearer thoughts and improved focus on long-term and short-term goals. Not only will you be better able to focus, but you will move through your to-do list more efficiently than ever. Getting rid of unused items in your home and office space will increase your efficiency by reducing the time it takes to find and neatly store items for future use.
Make it a Family Affair: Whether you decide to designate one day to spring cleaning or to spread it out in daily 15-minute increments, make it a family or community affair. Find ways to make it fun for your family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors.
Try this! Host a contest. Give points for every item tossed and donated to see who masters minimizing the most. Increase the competition even more by giving raffles tickets to win some awesome prizes.
Benefit: Sifting through some of your hidden and forgotten belongings is a great way to encourage and foster gratitude. Seeing all the clothes, supplies, certificates, holiday cards, books, or plants you have accumulated over the years is a reminder of your privilege, your continued growth, those that love you, and the fulfillment your hobbies bring just to name a few reasons to be grateful. This year, challenge yourself and those around you to spring clean through a lens of abundance acknowledging that you have everything you need and more.
