As the sun shines and the days get longer, we start to come out of hibernation and feel the need to literally blow the cobwebs away.
Spring cleaning feels like the natural thing to do at this time of year (well for some of us) and making the time to have a good clear out and declutter can be soothing for the soul.
Where to start?
Like any big clean and de-clutter planning it keeps the stress and overwhelm to a manageable level. Below are some tips that should help.
- Schedule time – don’t just start your clean when you have a “spare 5 minutes” check the diary, allow plenty of time to do a thorough job. It might be that you have to find a couple of days, but they don’t have to be consecutive.
- Stick to the schedule – if you’ve allocated days, stick to them. It’s easy to get distracted by other people or activities. Sticking to the plan will get the job done.
- Pre-plan – make sure that you have done a stock check on any cleaning materials you might need. Nothing worse than starting the job and then finding you don’t have the tools for the task. Pre-planning definitely lessens the overwhelm.
- Set the stage – cleaning/decluttering can feel very therapeutic if you are not rushing. Put your favourite music on, listen to an audio book. Treat yourself to a nice lunch, some snacks. Get the windows open and the air flowing through your home. Treat it as a pleasurable experience rather than a chore.
- The tidiest room – it sounds strange but start with the cleanest and tidiest room. That way you will whizz through the task and have a sense of accomplishment that will drive you on. I often suggest to clients starting with the loo or the bathroom.
- De-cluttering -so that you don’t feel overwhelmed it is important to declutter in bite size chunks. This is something you might need to do over time and is better to do BEFORE you start the big clean, less clutter, easier to clean.
The emotional benefits.
Cleaning and de-cluttering can make a huge difference to how you feel, tidy house, tidy mind – there’s a lot to be said for that.
If you would like some more help with decluttering, my workbook available on my website has many more tips to keep you focused and lessen the overwhelm. www.katetilston.co.uk
