Spring is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. We often associate spring with decluttering our personal spaces. Decluttering our life can positively impact us personally and professionally.
In my international best-selling book, From Burnout to Best Life, How to take charge of your health & happiness, I share tips for setting up our environments for success. How our spaces are arranged can impact our productivity which directly impacts our goal achievement.
Organize Your Workspace:
Clear out unnecessary items such as supplies, papers, and personal and miscellaneous items, that impede productivity. Use space efficient storage containers for supplies and other materials that are used less frequently. This will improve efficiency by reducing distractions.
Organize Your Closet:
An organized closet will save you time getting ready in the morning and reduce stress.
- Donate or consign clothing that is the incorrect size, in good condition, outdated, or hasn’t been worn in at least six months. Keep seasonal clothing if you wore it in season.
- Purchase a shoe cubby or a hanging shoe organizer for storage. If you prefer to keep shoes in boxes, snap a photo of the shoes and attach it to the outside of the box for easy reference.
- Place handbags, scarves, gloves, socks, neck ware, belts, and other miscellaneous accessories in drawers or on shelves. Hanging belt, tie, and scarf organizers help free up drawer space.
Organize Your Bathroom:
Similar to the closet, an organized bathroom saves time getting ready in the morning and reduces stress.
- Toss lotions, makeup, cleaning products, and personal care items that are no longer used.
- Use plastic bins or baskets to store like items together (ex: cleaning supplies, fragrances, lotions, miscellaneous personal care items).
- Donate personal care product samples (ex: shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste) to a local shelter or church.
Organize Your Kitchen:
- Go through cupboards, the spice rack, pantry, and refrigerator and discard expired and tempting foods that do not align with your wellness goals.
- Keep healthy foods, such as cut up fruit and veggies, in clear containers, front and center in your refrigerator.
- Pre-cook and portion meal essentials (ex: rice or quinoa, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, and chicken) and store in clear containers in your refrigerator for easy meal prep.
- In the pantry, move healthier snacks to eye-level to encourage healthy habits.
- Fill snack-size containers and bags with healthy snacks to prevent overeating and for easy grab and go as you are heading out the door.
- Organize drawers and cupboards to keep the kitchen tools and appliances that you use most often handy.
Declutter Your Digital Space:
Organize files, folders, photos, and email inboxes. Delete or archive unnecessary emails, apps, photos, and digital files to streamline your digital workspace to improve efficiency and increase storage capacity.
Declutter Your Finances:
Simplify your finances by consolidating accounts, automating bill payments, and tracking expenses. Create a budget, and review weekly, to avoid financial stress and maintain control over your finances.
Take Control of Your Schedule:
- Say no to commitments and activities that do not align with your business objectives or personal values.
- Prioritize self-care by scheduling time for good sleep, exercise and activities that you enjoy. Block time for regular breaks and meals.
- Time block work and personal tasks to avoid multi-tasking and improve productivity.
Prioritize Tasks:
Focus on high-priority tasks that align with your business and personal goals and delegate or eliminate less important ones.
If prioritizing tasks is challenging, an easy way to assess what is most important is to create an accomplishment list. Take a piece of paper and divide it into three columns. In the left column, list tasks that are due today. In the middle column, list tasks that require completion this week. In the right column, list tasks that are due the following week or later. Next, break down the tasks that are due today by completion time. Review all lists each evening or first thing in the morning, before work.
Streamline Processes:
Simplify workflows by eliminating unnecessary steps and automating repetitive tasks. Outsource tasks that are time suckers and take the focus off more important tasks. For example, hire a bookkeeper to keep your tax information organized. Use a virtual assistant to help with administrative tasks.
When we take the time to declutter our lives, we reduce stress, improve productivity and efficiency, and generate greater health and wellbeing.
