Spring cleaning is definitely great for your closet, but you can apply the “new season, fresh start” mindset to more than your wardrobe. Think about all the facets of your life. From your friends, to social media, to your activities, you may find that things are out of balance on multiple fronts.
This spring, take the time to declutter the things in your life that are holding you back. Here are three steps to get you started.
Table of Contents
Break Up with Digital
This is probably the hardest, because nobody wants to feel disconnected. But there are ways to clean out your digital life.
First, think about the apps you actually need on your phone. If you haven’t touched the app in two weeks, get rid of it. On Apple devices, this will simply save space on your phone. On Android devices, deleting old apps could even make your phone more secure.
For your social media, consider deactivating instant notifications on your device. Not only will this help you stay less distracted while you try to focus on other things, but it can help you determine which social media apps you truly need to keep installed.
Go through your photos and clear out those that you don’t truly need. Or, go ahead and consolidate them into one place on your computer or external drive.
Have 700+ unread emails? Yup, you need to clean those out at some point. Take a few hours and sort through them, making sure to only keep what you need. Archive anything you don’t need to see in your inbox.
Move Forward, Not Backward
Do you have any nostalgic items in your space that are doing you more harm than good? Maybe it’s photos with a former friend, or gifts from an ex that still make your heart hurt when you see them. Or perhaps it’s stuff from high school, and instead of reminding you of good memories it triggers something.
Whatever it is, think about whether you’re ready to let go. If you’re not ready, that’s okay. But reflect on whether these things are keeping you in the past, rather than freeing you to move forward.
At the very least, if something is actively upsetting you in your living space, put it out of sight ASAP.
Free Up Your Schedule
Do you ever feel like you’re running from activity to activity with no time for yourself? Declutter your schedule by thinking about which things you’re involved in and how important they truly are to you.
I know, this can be tough for ambitious women, but newsflash: You don’t have to say yes to everything. If you’re not enjoying the meetings you’re going to, the volunteering you’re doing, or even the things you do socially with your friends… say no! You’ll be a lot happier when you feel truly committed to the things you do, and it’ll be more meaningful when you actually say yes to things.
Have you tried any of these tips? Are you going to?
What elements of your life do you think need decluttering? Share your “spring cleaning” resolutions in the comments!