Episode #154 - Spring Cleaning Beyond the Home: Organizing Your Life for a Fresh Start 🌿

Hey there, welcome to organizing with ease, the podcast for busy moms, professionals and families who just want life to feel a little more, well, easy. I'm Diana Moll, a professional organizer, and I know firsthand how overwhelming clutter and chaos can be. That's why each week we're breaking it down step by step, little by little, with simple tips, real life stories and expert advice to help you create a home that feels like a sanctuary. Plus,

I'll bring on some amazing guests to share their best organizing, productivity, and lifestyle hacks. So grab your coffee, take a deep breath, and let's get started. Hello friends. Welcome back to Organizing with Ease. We're shaking things up as we continue our Spring into Simplicity series. We've been tackling physical clutter, home refreshes, and deep cleaning. But today's focus is all about spring cleaning beyond the home. Your routine. your mindset, and the way you move through your day. Spring is a season of renewal and new beginnings, so let's not stop at cleaning out our closets. Let us think about those daily habits, those commitments, those energy levels. This is the perfect time to check in with yourself and reset the patterns that might not be working anymore. Because let's be real. Clutter isn't just physical.

it shows up in our schedules, our stress levels, and even the way we take care of ourselves. So let's talk about some creative ways to embrace spring cleaning in all areas of life. Your routines, your commitments, and your sense of fun and adventure. Yes, spring cleaning can also include having some more fun. Let's dive right in. Ever feel like your days are packed and you're not actually getting much done? Or do you think it's throughout the entire year? Sometimes I feel like that, but no, no, let's just focus on spring, focus on spring. Or maybe your mornings are rushed, your evenings feel chaotic, and you're always playing catch up. This is where a routine refresh can make all the difference. Morning and evening check-ins. Are your mornings setting you up for success or possibly just stressing you out? Is your evening routine truly helping you wind down. A friend of mine realized that she was waking up just in time to get herself and her kids out the door. Can you relate to that one where you have to leave the house by seven and you wake up at maybe 650? So leaving time for zero time for yourself is not a good thing. So here my friend and I, we were talking about things and I said, how about this? Why don't we just kind of shift things? around by you waking up possibly 15 minutes earlier so that you could enjoy your cup of coffee and prep for the day. That small change helped reduce her stress by 50 % and made her mornings more enjoyable. The National Sleep Foundation found that people who establish consistent morning and nighttime routines report 25 % better sleep quality and 40 % less stress.

Great morning starts the night before. So here I'm gonna give you a little bit of a spring clean tip. Think about this. Listen and think. Write down your current routine and highlight what's working and what's not. Pick one small habit to tweak for an easier day. And if you're thinking, that sounds great, but an example please. So for me, one of the best things I've done for myself is to simplify my mornings. It is no secret that how we start our day sets the tone for everything that follows. And over the past few months, I've actually had to make a couple of small but powerful changes that have truly made a difference. Aside from my morning meditation, something I now do every single morning and actually even at night with my gratitude, I've also started set.

stepping outside for those five minutes with my coffee. No phone, no emails, just fresh air, a deep breath, and a moment of pause before the day begins. Of course, Eddie sometimes comes out as well with me, and so maybe the five minutes might last a little bit longer, but that's okay. At first, I wasn't sure how much of this impact it would have on me, but let me tell you, it's been incredible that simple acts

A breathing in fresh air, listening to the birds, and just being present has helped me feel much more clear-headed, energized, and intentional before the day even starts. Why do I love this? It's grounding. It's instantly calming. Studies show that spending about five minutes in nature can lower stress levels by 30 % and increase feelings of well-being. How did I make it work? No overthinking.

I just stepped outside with my coffee, just breathing in deeply, soaking in the quiet before the days of my to-dos kick in. The impact of this is that I feel and I felt when I started even more in control of my day. It's more focused and honestly, just happier. It is proof that small intentional moments can make a huge difference in how we show up for the day.

If your mornings feel rushed or chaotic, this might be the easiest shift to try. Now it's gonna be your turn. Pick again one small habit to tweak for an easier day. We're going to now refresh your commitments. Learn how to say no. Remember, no is a full sentence. How often do we agree to things out of obligation rather than joy? Overcommitting leads to burnout.

And spring is the perfect time to reassess where our energy is going. If you constantly are exhausted because of your juggling your work, your family, your volunteering, your social events, why don't you think about maybe creating a commitment audit? And you're thinking like, what in the world did you come up with that? Well,

It's something just to think about. It's, you know, titles can get exciting, especially if you, you know, have something like this, because you have to think about this. A commitment on it is by listing out everything that you agreed to for the month. What you want to do is you want to be able to look at it and then realize that those commitments, were they really actually necessary? And also, are they aligned with your values?

So if you look at this and you give yourself that commitment audit, it might actually make you start cutting back. And you then will also gain hours per week to focus on what truly matters. A study from the Harvard Business Review found that people who regularly set boundaries on their time experience 30 % higher life satisfaction and 25 % less stress. Every time you say yes to something,

You are saying no to something else. So here is a spring cleaning tip for refreshing your commitments. You wanna grab your calendar and do what I just said, commitment of it. What's draining your energy? What can you delegate or remove? Try it out. You might be pleasantly surprised as to the results. Seasonal self-care, yes, spring cleaning can include more fun.

Let's talk about something we don't always prioritize, ourselves. Self-care isn't just about the bubble baths, though they are actually kind of nice, I do have to admit. But it's about doing things that bring joy, creativity, and relaxation back into your life. So if you've realized you haven't done anything just for fun in the past couple of months, why don't you start a spring bucket list?

Try a new hobby, planting flowers, taking weekend trips to maybe a local park, go to the beach, or just enjoy the season. This can completely recharge your energy and creativity. Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you, and that's by Anne Lamont.

According to the Journal of Positive Psychology, engaging in habits that bring joy reduces stress by 45 % and increases overall happiness. So here's a spring cleaning tip for this one. Why not, you know, you know what's gonna happen, you know what I'm saying, make a spring refresh bucket list. Write down three things you want to do for fun, relaxation, or adventure. Why not?

That sounds like a great thing because of what am I gonna be doing? I'm gonna be doing the same. Reset your home energy. It's more than just cleaning. Beyond decluttering, how does your home feel? Is it a place that energizes you or is it just a feeling of complete overwhelmed? If you can, where you're located, open up the windows, switch up the decor, bring in those fresh flowers. or try citrus scented candles to bring in those spring vibes. A study from the Environmental Psychology Journal found that natural light improves mood by 60 % and productivity by 30%. So if your space feels stagnant, start letting in more light. I have to say, there's something so refreshing about that. The natural light that instantly brightens up my home. not just my space, but it actually puts a smile on me. Like I'm like, wow, this, I'm in a really good mood. This is awesome. So I have a question for you. Do you have actually a favorite spot in your home where you love soaking up that sunlight? Just think about that. Is there a place in your home that you really like to be at because there's the sun? Your home should rise up to greet you. Nate Burke, refresh one space in your home with a seasonal touch, adding

some throw pillows, fresh flowers, or a deep clean of your favorite room. And in last week's episode, we talked about the decor aspect. And if you have pillows that you want refreshing, just remember pillowcases are always a great way to go. The fresh start method, how it applies to your spring cleaning and your life. Where do we want to start? We want to, of course, start to identify your routines, your commitments. or areas in your home that don't feel aligned anymore. Let go of unnecessary stressors, time wasters, and energy drainers. And you're thinking, what, how am I gonna do this? Take at least 20 to 25 minutes, sit down and write them out. Now, if you have your planner and you wanna write them down there for that particular month that we're in right now, which is in April, write it down, set it aside.

If you see it on paper, you'll be able to address those areas and make an action towards it as far as am I going to continue? Am I not going to continue it? Because if you build small, you're gonna enjoy habits that you're gonna be able to maintain and it's gonna be more of a balance and a joy in your life to continue. Because what's gonna happen next is you're gonna check in weekly to ensure that you're sticking with what

works, what you just wrote down, what you just created, you're now going to make sure that it's going to work for you going forward. Challenge of the week is you want to pick one area of your life to spring clean beyond your home. Remember, it's the morning and evening check-ins. Reset them if you need to. Do a commitment audit and say no to something unnecessary. Add one new fun or self-care activity to your week.

And if you're wondering for this week's challenge what I'm going to be picking what area I am going to jump to number three, which is to refresh my spring bucket list. As I have already reset my morning and evening routines and I actually have done my commitment audit. I'm saying I'm going to do something now even more so on my spring bucket list. And I'm super excited because it's

My word for the year is adventure. So I need to make sure that I am fulfilling my word of the year. My book recommendation for this week is The Joy of Less by Francine Jay. A fantastic book about simplifying all areas of life, not just your home for a happier, lighter lifestyle. People who adopt minimalistic habits, decluttering their time, commitments, and possessions, report 45 % lower stress levels and 30 % greater happiness. And that's what we all want. We would love to be much more happier in our lives. Don't you agree? That is the Journal of Applied Psychology. Spring cleaning isn't just about scrubbing those baseboards, but maybe for some of you it is. It's more about clearing space for what truly matters in your life. Whether that's simplifying your schedule, making time for joy,

or just bringing a fresh perspective to your daily routine. Small changes lead to big result. In next week's episode, it's going to be the spring wrap-up, creating long-term simplicity. How to keep up with everything we worked on in April, the biggest lessons from decluttering season, creating seasonal systems that last all year round. And if you have not yet downloaded the frame cleaning checklist, no worries, it's attached in the show notes. Until next time, step by step, little by little, let's keep making progress. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe to Organizing With Ease podcast on your favorite podcast platform and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us grow and reach more listeners like you who are passionate about living their best lives. And remember,

A new episode comes out every Thursday at 8 a.m. So mark your calendar and join us. Until next week, take care and keep shining.