Spring is a great time to refresh and renew.
But it’s always a good time to lighten the load.
That’s why it’s important to do a Spring declutter!
Most of us have way more stuff than we need. Let go of what is no longer serving you.
If you never use or appreciate the item then it’s not paying it’s rent. Time to evict it.
Before you do any Spring Cleaning you need to do a good Spring Declutter.
- Spring cleaning is all of the dusting, sweeping, mopping, wiping, washing, vacuuming…
- Spring decluttering is about clearing out the excess so you have less to clean.
Less to clean – doesn’t that sound nice?
I think we all know that clutter makes it harder to relax.
It provides too many visual distractions.
Not to mention the frustration of not being able to locate the thing you need amidst all of the other things that you don’t.
have you seen my pen?
What you might not know is that clutter can also affect your focus and productivity.
You can actually boost your productivity by decluttering, or at least putting your stuff away.
Out of sight really is out of mind sometimes.
I have 54 ideas for things you can declutter (mostly) painlessly.
Not just where you do your work, but everywhere in your home.
Quick Access
Office
How is it that we do so many things digitally and still manage to collect a ton of paper clutter?
I’m not sure how it happens. I just know that it does.
Get rid of things that you aren’t going to ever use or look at to make space for things you will.
It’s so much nicer to work with a clean space.
Your desk or other work area should be free of anything that you don’t need if you’re aiming to be productive.
Books that are falling apart
Books you’ll never (re)read 
Receipts you don’t need
Note scraps
Old calendars
Manuals you no longer need
Pens that don’t work
Junk mail
Expired coupons
Old magazines
Old supplies 
Filled notebooks you aren’t going to revisit
Cords to nothing
Earbuds and headphones with shorts
Old greeting cards that aren’t sentimental
Old business cards
Bedroom
We hold on to things for so long sometimes.
We intend to sew buttons back on or bring our outfit to be repaired.
But how long has it just been sitting or hanging in your closet?
Be realistic with yourself. Is it ever going to be repaired?
Clothing that has holes
Clothes with stains
Outfits that no longer fit 
Clothes you forgot existed
Socks with holes
Single socks
Worn out shoes
Single gloves
Worn out coats
Old bags and purses
Costume jewelry
Broken jewelry 
Jewelry you no longer wear
Single earrings
Old bathing suits
Broken hangers
Excess hangers
Broken hampers
Kitchen
Of course organizing your food is important, especially since it will help prevent food waste.
If the item is something that is still good, just not something that you want to eat – give it to someone else who might enjoy it!
Sometimes our cabinets seem so full, but if they’re just full of expired goods then what is the point?
Also of course, the never-ending cycle of dirty dishes.
Travel mugs missing lids
Chipped dinnerware
Recycled storage containers
Food that has gone bad
Expired condiments 
Expired spices
Food you’ll never eat
Anything freezer burned
Old magnets
Unused appliances
Everywhere else
Clutter doesn’t really have any boundaries, it can form anywhere.
Possibly the most costly side effect of clutter is wasting time looking for things you’ve lost.
Old kids clothes 
Old kids toys
Dead plants
Broken pots
Expired medicine
Expired vitamins
Stained or old linens
Stained or old towels
Torn or stained washcloths 
Old nail polish
Digital
Decluttering doesn’t just apply to physical stuff either. Most of us use our digital devices on a daily basis.
They are just as easy to get cluttered.
If you’re doing your work on your laptop or computer, you probably need a spring declutter there too!
Take care of your digital space as well so you don’t run out of space – or run into an errors.
Clear your desktop
Go through your downloads folder
Take time to back up your files
Empty your recycling bin
Go through your e-mails and actually unsubscribe or mark things as spam 
Make folders within your e-mail for different categories
Go through your browser’s bookmarks
Defrag your disc drive
Unfollow or mute anyone you need to on social media
Turn off distracting notifications
Benefits
Decreasing physical and digital clutter can also help with decreasing your mental clutter as well as with anxiety.
(If you’re still feeling cluttered mentally I recommend performing a mental inventory.)
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all of the other clutter you might have hiding in your home, but it’s a good place to start.
You can do like Marie Kondo says – thank your items for when they were useful and then let them go.
Donate
I also feel like I should point out that your Spring decluttering doesn’t necessarily mean getting rid of it or throwing it away.
Some things that are no longer serving you can be donated to someone who might give them new life.
Recycle, reuse or regift!
If you don’t rehome things, at the very least put them away in a drawer or a box where they can’t be seen.
If 6 months go by and you haven’t once needed to go into that drawer or box – it’s probably safe to let go of whatever you stored.
OK I know that’s a ton of ideas, a lot of things to remember, so I made up this list that you can just print out! Click on the image to open and download it.
It doesn’t include your digital decluttering, but it includes everything physical for spring decluttering.
If you like this, you’ll probably enjoy my printable vault!
Ok so Disclaimer: I am by no means a minimalist.
But I like to think that I’m a lot less of a pack rat than I used to be.
Some clutter can actually inspire more creativity, but too much clutter can increase your cortisol levels.
Like most things in life, it’s all about balance.
If your home or work space looks like it could be on an episode of hoarders, don’t try to tackle it all at once.
You’ll only get overwhelmed and discouraged.
Set aside an hour or an afternoon to work on one area at a time.
Don’t try to spring declutter your entire life at once.
Ask for help if you need it and give every item a home. Good luck, you got this!
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