Spring is in the air. With it comes a period of rebirth, renewal and recharge. During winter, you naturally cocoon and bunker down to ride out those long, cold months. Then spring comes, and with the blossoming flowers comes the urge to create space for newness in your life as well.
Some people are natural organizers. For them, spring cleaning is an easy job. For many others, it’s a daunting and stressful endeavor. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s all in the way you look at it.
Spring cleaning can be an arm twisting act that you do when your life gets into such disarray that you can’t find your bills, let alone your favorite clothing items in all the clutter. Or, it can be a way for you to clear out what’s holding you back from life and allow you to move into the lifestyle you deserve.
So how do you decide what should go?
Before you begin
The first step is getting your head on straight. How you feel about the things in your life says a lot about how you’re living your life. Do the items that surround you make you feel suffocated or nourished?
Give your home an intention and let the intention shape what fills the space.
Next, recognize that clutter tends to stem from unconscious feelings of lack. Either thinking, “I won’t have enough” or “I am not enough.”
Both come from a “lack” mentality that keep you drowning in things that you don’t feel currently worthy of using.
Sentimentality is also an issue. It’s easy to want to envelop yourself with relics of the past. But, you need to ask yourself, “What exactly am I holding on to, and why?” (Read more about the benefits of minimalism.)
Some keepsakes should be kept, but many others might just be holding you back. When you surround yourself with too many items that represent who you were, you don’t leave space for who you are becoming.
It’s worth going through and creating space for the new to show up. And when you bring new things in, make sure they suit the person you are becoming.
Your intention is set, and you know the vibe you are trying to create in your space.
Now you can get down to the nitty-gritty.
Step one: Declutter
Pick an area of your home and start to declutter. Remove the trash, bunches of old paperwork and expiring or never used toiletries, makeup and even cleaning supplies. If you haven’t used it in six months, toss it out. Or, when possible, donate it so that someone else can get some use out of it.
The same six-month rule goes for clothing and really anything else in your home too. If you haven’t used it, do you really need it?
Once you’re rid of the miscellaneous items, you can begin the real fun.
Step two: Decide what to keep, what to get rid of
Decide what you will keep and what you will toss. In each room, create a pile for each of these, plus one for those maybe items you’re unsure of but will deal with later.
That’ll help you become aware of everything you have. When your home is too cluttered, you can’t do that. As you go through things and put them into three categories, you can take mental (or physical) inventory. This part is essential.
Going forward, you want to be able to see or at least know where your things are. As you go through your items, get rid of the things that don’t match the person you are becoming/want to be. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, physically and metaphysically, as well as any items containing cruddy energy, like a gift from that ex you were hesitant to part with.
Keep going back to your intention for your space. With each item, ask yourself, “Does this bring me joy?” and “does this fit the energy I want in my new life?” Keep the things that feel like the beautiful you, you are becoming, and then wear/use those things so that you have the opportunity to inhabit that space fully.
Step 3: Reset your space
After you’ve shed the things that are no longer serving, you can start to repopulate your space with those things that do matter.
Remember not to re-clutter the space back up. If you find that happening, then more decluttering is needed, go back in for a second pass of shedding. The goal is to create physical space around you. Try and leave table tops open and drawers organized. Don’t put things under your bed or in too many piles around your room. When you free up space around you, you’re saying that you’re open to the good that is coming next.
Leave space, and see what comes back to you.