Episode #155 - Wrapping Up April: Keeping the Spring Refresh Going 🌸✨

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 00:01

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. Bring forward creating sustainable systems for an organized life. Welcome back to Organizing with Ease, and today we're closing out our Spring into Simplicity series. Can you believe we're wrapping up another month?

It just feels like yesterday we're talking about seasonal decluttering, refreshing routines, and bringing more simplicity into our spaces. Now, take a moment to reflect. How does your home feel? Do you feel lighter, more control, and even more energized? Spring is about renewal. And with all the work we've all put in, it's the perfect time to ask ourselves, how do we make sure these changes stick?

Decluttering and organizing aren't just tasks we just check off a list, even though we would like to, they're habits that, when done consistently, create a life that feels calmer and more intentional. That's why today we're talking about sustaining the progress we've made, setting up long-term systems and preparing for a fresh start in May. So you might want to ask yourself why sustainable systems matter. Well,

Getting rid of clutter is just the first step. The real challenge is keeping it from what? Creeping back in. Studies show that only 20 % of people maintain organization efforts beyond six months because they don't create sustainable habits. I had a client who would go out and go on these decluttering sprees every few months. Are you one of them? Do you do that as well? But her home would always revert back to chaos.

She finally realized that it wasn't about getting rid of the stuff, but it was about changing the way she interacted with her space daily. By making small, consistent shifts, like a 10-minute nightly reset and seasonal check-ins, she was able to break the cycle of the clutter creeping back in. It's not about having less, it's about making room for what matters by Brian Gardner.

The power of the seasonal resets. One of my best ways to say this, but to prevent clutter from building up again is to actually schedule seasonal refreshes. Spring, deep clean and declutter seasonal items. Summer, reassess outdoor and travel gear. Fall, prep for back to school and holiday organization. Winter, clear out excess before the new year.

73 % of people feel less stressed after doing a seasonal declutter because they feel more prepared for the months ahead, according to the American Institute of Stress. Think about your wardrobe, for an example. Have you ever gone through your closets and realized you're still holding onto things you never wore last season? A seasonal reset keeps your space functional and fresh without requiring a massive overall. And just remember,

Clutter is Postponed Decisions by Barbara Hemphill. So now you're probably thinking, well, how do you create this long-term organizational systems? Well, to maintain the progress you've made this month, we need to be, and we need to have a realistic and sustainable plan for keeping these things organized. We wanna start with establishing an easy reset routine. Keeping your home organized shouldn't feel like a full-time job.

But then again, sometimes we feel like it does. Implementing quick daily resets can make a difference. Remember, it's the small things that make a big difference. For an example, again, the morning reset, make the bed, put away items left from overnight, clear your kitchen counters if you didn't get to. Evening reset, again, a 10 minute tidy up, running the dishwasher, setting up for the next day.

People who spend just 15 minutes per day maintaining their home are 60 % less likely to feel overwhelmed by clutter. And what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while by Gretchen Rubin. Creating a functional home flow. Organization isn't just about bins and labels, even though we all love to see the end results of how they look, right? But it's about setting up your home to work

for you. Again, the entry clutter. The way when you walk into your home, setting up a drop zone for those bags, for the keys, for the shoes, instead of leaving them scattered. If it's not your entryway, maybe it's the entryway from the garage into your mudroom. Same thing, bags, keys, shoes. Kitchen efficiency. Store frequently used items within easy reach and keep the counters clear.

Is it hard? Absolutely. Is it easy for all the clutter to pile up on the kitchen counters? Absolutely. What we have to keep in mind is one of the small things that makes a huge difference in our daily organization is what, again, it's that 10 minute pickup. It's just the 10 minutes, especially at the end of the day, can reset your entire space and your mind. So I'm gonna give an example because I think this is one that we go through every day. It's that junk mail.

that shows up daily. If we let it sit in the entryway kitchen counter, it multiplies fast. But here's where that two minute rule comes in. If it takes less than two minutes, do it now. Toss the junk, shred what's sensitive and file the rest. That's a simple action. When repeated daily becomes part of your natural routine. So you stop seeing it as a task and instead it

just flows into your day. And that's what makes organizing feel easier. It's not about the big overhauls every time. It's about building the habits that work for your lifestyle. Your environment should inspire you, not stress you out. That's what we want to hear. Homes that follow organization flow principles report 30 % more productivity and 40 % less. daily stress, according to the Stanford Behavioral Research Lab. The first start method applied to long-term organization. It's about keeping your space organized for what? For good. So of course where we're gonna start is to find and distort. We're gonna identify the problem areas that tend to attract the clutter. Ask yourself, is this system working? Do I need to adjust anything? You really do need to ask these questions.

then you put simple routines in place for sustainability. Daily resets prevent future overwhelm. If the mail piles up on your counter every week, the solution isn't decluttering, it's creating a system for sorting and managing paper as soon as it comes in. Remember something, this is something that I always like to say, your future self will thank you for systems you create today.

So for this week's challenge, let's do something a little different. Instead of a decluttering challenge, I want you to do a reflection reset. Ask yourself, what was the easiest part of spring organizing this month? What areas still need work? And why do you think they're harder to tackle? And what felt good to let go of? Here's a fun part of all of this. You grab a sticky note. and you write it down, just that one thing you wanna keep doing in May that helped you feel lighter in April. So why not? I think that's kind of fun, something a little bit different. But I do wanna be honest with you, my spring refresh wasn't just about organizing my home, it was clearing my mental space. Just adding that one thing that I did to my mornings that has just been such a game changer.

stepping outside with my coffee, but of course, and just breathing in fresh air for five minutes. That pause paired with my light morning meditation helps me set the tone for the day ahead. Making it a lifestyle, not just a spring clean. So let's take a moment to do a recap because it's not just that one time tool. It's a system that you can revisit every season. or whenever life feels cluttered or out of sync. Before we, one can change a space, you need to understand what's in it and why it's there. So we're gonna use the entryway again. We're going to look at it, walks, you know, when you walk into your entryway, we're gonna observe what's landing there. Like what are those items that are there daily? Is it the shoes? It's the bag? Is it the unopened mail?

This step isn't about judging yourself. It's about getting clarity. One of my clients had nearly five identical black cardigans buried in different parts of her closet. Why? She couldn't find one when she needed it. So she kept buying more. Is this something that you've done? Listen, it's okay. No judgment, none whatsoever. But you have to remember something. Once we sorted them out, what we did was she then only kept two, she actually loved and gave the rest to a girlfriend of hers. So there we have it, solution to the problem of the five identical black cardigans. But at least she bought the same ones because those were the ones that she liked. This is now, we have to understand something again. It's how we go into reducing and evaluating these things, right? This is where we have to let go, but not just randomly because then you really need to evaluate it.

Did I use it the last six to 12 months? Is this the sentimental ask? You have to ask yourself, do I love this? Do I feel guilty for keeping it? Again, the same thing applies to if it's an aspirational like art supplies or gym gear. Does this reflect who I am now or who I used to be? The average household contains over 300,000 items, yet only 20 % are used regularly from the, and that's from the LA.

or Los Angeles Times. Now you're probably asking, now what? Well, we want to then figure out where the transformation and how does that really happen? When does it actually happen? And that's when we create the systems that make sense for your life. This is where we start with the bins, the baskets, the drawer organizers, the hooks, the labels, or designated zones for the keys, for the tech, shoes, kids' backpacks. Once you get this flow,

so that everything has a home that fits the space. Remember, making the solution is easy to follow. Even for your kids, spouse, roommates, this is simpler, and it is, because why? The more likely it's all gonna be used because you created it for yourself and for your lifestyle. So when does the magic begin that keeps this system that you've created going? Remember, you don't have to be perfect.

but you do have to check in regularly. You do have to do that five minute reset before bed, five to 10 minutes. Once a week, walk through one area, tweak anything that's getting messy, make a rule like, the one in, one out, or one in, five out, whatever works for you to keep things from building back up. After organizing, you will realize that it does make a difference.

It really does. The secret of your future is hitting in your daily routine by Mike Murdock. Again, it's not about perfection. It's about having a structure that brings ease into your everyday life. It gives you permission to let go of what no longer fits and makes room for what does, whether that's more space, more clarity, or just breathing room. And if you have not yet downloaded the spring cleaning checklist, it's attached into the show notes for today. My book recommendation is The Minimalistic Way by Erica Lane. This is a practical guide to simplifying life by focusing on what truly matters, whether that's in your home, schedule, or mindset. People who adopt a minimalistic mindset, decluttering physical, digital, or mental clutter, reports 50 % less stress and 30 % greater productivity. And that's by the Journal of Applied Psychology. What's coming up next is our May series.

Simplify your days. Now doesn't that sound good? Now that we've cleared out the clutter, built better systems, let's focus on making everyday life easier. Let's keep making progress step by step, little by little. Tune in next Thursday for our May series. Take care, until then. 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 bright.