There is something about Spring that cues many people to think about spring cleaning.  For some it is the change of the season, the spirit of spring renewal and better weather.  For others it’s living in a culture that tells us that Spring is a season for cleaning.  Many ads, Web sites and print media remind us of this.  Whatever the reason take advantage of the trigger of Spring and pursue some Spring cleaning projects this season.

It’s not enough to have the desire to do some Spring cleaning.  Use the desire as a springboard to make a plan and a deadline and then schedule time for Spring cleaning.  Once you know what you’re going to do and when, use our proven process below to help you successfully clean up your space.

Most spring cleaning projects require some amount of decluttering and organizing.  Whether it’s a space at work, a space at home or a space in between (your car), the same principals apply for decluttering and organizing.

• Break your project down into smaller components.
• Work through the space in a clockwise fashion.
• Apply the organizing principle of SPACE*
  • S -Sort.  Bring like items together so you can see what you have.
  • P -Purge.  Do you love it? Do you use it? Do you need it? If the answer is no to any of these questions, what would you do if you didn’t have it?  Use these questions as a framework to help you make decisions about what you keep and what you let go.
  • A – Assign a home.  Everything you decide to keep needs a clear and consistent home.  This makes it easy to find things and even easier to clean up. Keep like items together. Keep things close to where used. Keep things used most often the easiest to get to
  • C – Contain. Knowing what you’re keeping and where it’s going to live decide what types of containers you need to best contain your things.
  • E – Establish new habits.  Now that you’ve done all this work, identify what new behaviors or routines you will use to maintain your organized and decluttered state.  Think short- and long-term.  Consider an approach of tidying up as you go as well as making a monthly or quarterly appointment to spend some time to declutter again and maintain your organization.

The proven approach of decluttering and organizing with SPACE will play a significant part in helping you realize your spring cleaning goals.  Take advantage of our free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your specific spring cleaning goals and projects.  Contact us.

*The SPACE approach to organizing was coined by Julie Morganstern in her book Organize from the Inside Out.