Episode 61: 7 Ways to Organize Your Life & Spring Clean Your Mind
Spring is here and there's new energy all around us! Today I'm sharing 7 ways to organize your life for the Spring season and clean your mind.
Transcript:
Hey there, it's Sarah. It's episode 61 of the Mindful Mindful Productivity Podcast. Said that like, hey there, hey there, hole there. Did you guys ever watch Bobby's World horrible cartoon show? But it always reminds me of that. Anyway, it's episode 61, and today I'm going to be talking about seven ways that you can organize your life and spring clean your mind. This is so good. Jam packed with tons of tips for you guys, so make sure to stay tuned. Let's get into it.
Welcome to the Mindful Productivity Podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Steckler, and this is the place to be to live a more mindful and productive life. If you're ready to turn daily chaos into calm and start your days with intention, then get ready to join me as we dive deep into mindful living and personal productivity. It's time to connect with your true self so you can live the life you want to live. And it all starts now.
So this podcast episode is actually brought to you by one of our listeners. Her name is Gretchen, and she recently sent me an email asking me if I could talk about this topic. So I'm going to it's so interesting. I often get emails from people who are joining my email list. They've opted in for something and they're getting my emails. And I usually get a lot of emails that say, hey, I know that this is probably like a robot or it doesn't even come to you, but I just want to let you know, X-Y-Z. And more often than that, people are really surprised when I respond to them. It's me. And I just want to take a minute to say that it is me and this is just me. And I think it's interesting, too, because sometimes I'm on webinars or something like that and how much now, like, how normal it is for things to be automated, for things to not be really live, but we think they are. And so it's like exciting when we get to talk to a real person. So I just thought it was interesting. But I want to take a minute to read this email from Gretchen because it's so sweet and encourage you to submit.
You can go on my website and go to my contact page and you can always submit topics for the podcast. I'm not always able to always do them, but every now and then I get one and I'm like, oh my gosh, that's perfect. It's totally in line with what I'm working on. Let's do it. So let me read this email from Gretchen. She says, I recently found your podcast and enjoy it so much that I've been going back to listen to many of your other episodes. I find you offer so much useful information about wellness and productivity in a way that really resonates with me. Thank you for great content. I love it. I just finished listening to episode 37 Nine Ways to Get Yourself Organized for Fall. It had a lot of useful tips and thoughtful ideas for adjusting to that time of year. Do you think you'll ever be offering something similar for the spring season? I could really use an uplifting and inspirational Pep talk for the season after the last few months. Thank you again for offering such an excellent and important gift through your work. It's much appreciated. Gretchen, thank you so much for this beautiful, beautiful email, and I'm so excited to be talking about this topic today.
So here's what we're going to discuss today. I want to talk about seven ways to get your life organized specifically for the spring season. And within that, ways to spring clean your mind. I think that you could use these tips any time of the year, right? You could go back and listen to the episode about organizing your life for fall, and those things can be totally applicable. But I think that there's a little bit different energy every season. And I'm actually recording this. It is actually the day after yesterday was the first day of spring on the 20th. I'm actually recording this on the 21st. And it just feels like spring if I can feel that new energy. It's super sunny outside. The Light's been coming in in the morning in a bigger way, like in the winter. It's just like the light never came into my living room. And there's so much more natural light, and it just feels really expansive. And with that new energy comes some opportunity to not only self reflect, but also dive into what we want to work on for the season ahead. So let's dive into these seven tips, and I hope that they're super helpful for you.
So the first one is to clear off as many surfaces as you can. So I'm talking kitchen counters, desk spaces, maybe that dining room table that always tends to get tons of junk piled on top of it. I want you to take some time this week, maybe even ten minutes today, if you can, and just move those things, clear the clutter from the surfaces of your home and your office. Because I am telling you, even if you're one of those people that's like, I like clutter. I work so well in chaos that's when my creativity comes out, I say that too. But let's be real. Things feel so good, and there's like such a new start when things are clear. So take five to ten minutes. It's not going to take as long as you think and clear off your kitchen counters, make sure that things are put away. Give it a good scrub. Same with your desk. Do this at work. If you have a home office space, it makes you feel so good. And it also gives you an opportunity to think about all the stuff that's on your desk. I need to do this right now.
I'm looking around, I've got headphones, I've got some random keys, I've got pens, I've got some Postit notes, I've got things that have been sitting here all week and it's the end of the week when I'm recording this and I'm going, do I want to take this mess with me into the next week? Do you want to take the clutter that's like in and around your home? Do you want to take that with you into the spring season worth considering, right. So take some time to clear off spaces. Also in terms of digital stuff, take some time to clear off the spaces and the surfaces of the things that you see right away. So like your home screen on your phone, do you need all those apps? Do you want to change the background? I always like to change the background of my phone to something fun and springtimey. And same with my desktop on my computer. So this is a great time to do that. That's number one. Number two is to digitally declutter. So get real with first of all, like the photos on your phone. I think this is a big point of inaction for a lot of us.
We take photos, we take photos if you have kids, if you have a dog, if you're out in nature a lot, it's easy to snap photos all the time. So one thing I want to just have you consider as a side note is like the art and the action of taking photos. Sometimes I think we take photos because we fear that we might forget that moment. But next time you go to take a photo, ask yourself like do I really need this photo or would this serve me more by really truly being in the moment? So I try to keep my photos under 1000 and right now there's quite a few that I need to revamp and redo. I actually have a whole course I created like a little mini course about how I keep my photos on my phone organized and how I deleted about 10,000 of them in under 30 minutes. And it's currently like in the vault. I don't know what else to call it, but I'm thinking about bringing it back for a really low price point. So that's something that would interest you. Let me know. But one thing that can be helpful is to delete your photos and then organize them into photos.
And really I really encourage you to instead of just uploading them all to the cloud to actually go through and delete the ones that you're not going to keep because eventually you're going to run out of cloud space or you're going to have to upgrade your digital Dropbox or wherever you're uploading them on your desktop and that's going to be even more overwhelming. So I really like to every couple of weeks or whenever, go through once a week something go through my photos and really get real with the ones I want to keep. Okay. One key element of doing this is to go to your screenshots folder. If you have an iPhone and usually there's just tons of screenshot photos in there you don't need to keep. So that's like one of the first things I would do in terms of digitally decluttering. If you want a bunch of more tips, I have a whole podcast episode where I talk about digitally decluttering that is actually episode five. I talk about how to digitally declutter your digital life and free up mental energy. It's one of the most popular episodes. I reference it a lot.
Also, I was on the let's Purify podcast with Michael Spencer and we did a whole episode about digitally decluttering and it was super awesome. And that is episode 13. I'll link it in the Show Notes of the let's Purify podcast. Go make sure to check out that podcast. Also, Michael's amazing. She has the most calming voice and all of her tips on getting your life organized and decluttering. It's amazing. She talks about things I would have never even thought of doing. So make sure to go check that podcast out. But really take some time to digitally declutter. Think about what you're saving to your desktop, what you're saving in your email. This is a great time to do that work. It's going to make you feel really good because it's like a new time of year, right? It's like a new time to start fresh. Number three is to take a minute to look back on the past quarter of what's been going on.
Right.
So I think sometimes with the new season, we just want to move forward. We want to charge ahead. Like we want to put the past in the past and just go forward. But there's really some powerful work to be done in reflecting on the past. And I think there's a difference between reflecting intentional reflection versus that kind of like stifling nostalgia that gets us stuck. So take a minute to look back on your past quarter, see what worked well, see what didn't. If you use the Mindful Productivity planner, this is a great time to review. Like, I like to go back and look at my past bucket lists for the month for each month and see which ones I did, which ones I don't want to do anymore if I didn't complete them, and which ones I want to continue to do moving forward. And we're getting close to quarter two, right? So that's going to hit in April. And you want to get clear on what's the one big main goal that you want to focus on and work on for the next quarter and write it down. Write it down so that it's like front and center in your mind.
And I really recommend using a planner or using a Journal. I know a lot of people really like digital stuff, but there really is something about putting pen to paper. When you're reflecting or when you're planning out your months and your weeks ahead, there's something really powerful that happens and really you kind of take the intangible in your brain and put it into something tangible on paper. And I just feel like that allows you to more clearly take action and see what you need to do. So that's number three. Number four. This is a big one. I want you to reconsider where your energy is going and has been going and where it's coming from. I truly believe that throughout the year, depending on the season, we get our energy from different places. Like in the winter, I feel like I don't get as much sun, we don't get as much light. And so I feel a little drained in that way. So I tend to eat more hearty root kind of foods. Like, I tend to always eat like more potatoes and soups and more like ground vegetables. It's so interesting to learning about eating seasonally like that.
But that's kind of like where more of my energy comes from some of these kind of like, heavier, richer foods. In the winter, where in the spring I find that because I'm outside a little bit more, because there's like, more natural light throughout the day and like, I wake up in the Sun's, like, shining right in my living room and at night it's like lighter so much later. I tend to go on extra walks in the evening. Because of that, I find that I have more energy and I get more energy throughout the day from those things. So my eating is a lot different. I tend to step forward more into like, more green smoothies. I crave more raw foods and fruit. This is the time of year where I get really excited about making more like zoodles, like zucchini pasta, right? Zucchini noodles and stuff like that. And just like, more foods that are more readily available at the farmers markets, more seasonal stuff there. So take a minute to consider where your energy is going and where it's coming from. And also, this is a great question. These are great questions to ask yourself, what is currently draining you and what is currently lifegiving?
I think it's really easy to focus on the first one, right. About what's draining us. Like, oh, this person, this activity, this thing at work, it's really easy to focus on that, but be aware of that. That's important, right. So that you can change it. But then I want you to ask yourself, what is life giving or what would be life giving to me at this time of year? In the spring, getting outside, more reading, more drinking, more water. What else would be lifegiving? Maybe reconnecting with people. It's so much easier in a lot of ways. I feel like to do more things with people for whatever reason. When it's lighter out in the evenings, it just feels like I'm more open personally to going out and being more social in the evenings, where in the winter I'm like it's dark. That means the day is over. I'm not leaving my house and I don't want to put on pants. But when it's brighter and lighter out later, I'm more open to, hey, do you want to go to dinner or, hey, do you want to go meet at the park? Yeah. Okay. So think about what's life giving and also not just external stuff.
Right. Because there's people, there's friendships, there's relationships that can be draining or life giving. But also too, instead of just thinking, what can I spring clean out of my life? Like in terms of people, I think that it's important to instead of just thinking, I'm just cutting this person out of my life because they're draining. I would ask yourself before that process. Right. And I want to do a whole episode about toxicity and people that serve us and cutting people out of our lives because I think sometimes it's easy to go one way or the other. So I want to do a whole episode on that at some point. But what I want to say is, before you consider cutting or spring cleaning anything out of your life, think about, is there anything that you can do that would shift it into a life giving experience? So instead of thinking, oh, I want to get rid of all this stuff. Right? Is there a way that you could organize it? Could you Marie Kondo it so that it is more life giving before you consider not doing XYZ anymore, is there a way that you could make it more life giving?
Is there something about it in terms of people that you're interacting with? Is there a boundary that you could put in place that would make that friendship feel energy giving instead of energy draining? Right. Sometimes it's all about just having a conversation and opening up that dialogue with yourself and someone else. I can't tell you how many times I felt like, oh, this situation isn't going well, maybe I should pull away or cancel when all it really took was a conversation and some conflict management. Right. To really realize, oh, I was just assuming this or all we have to do is shift up this one thing, or it would actually make more sense to have a meeting at a different time because both of us feel better at this time. Right. There are so many things that we don't always consider when we're spring cleaning or when we're looking to remove something out of our life. It's important to pause and be like, wait, before I just throw this thing away, quote unquote, is there something I can change on my end or ask someone to change on their end that could shift the entire dynamic?
Okay, let's move on to number five. Number five is to make a list of books you want to read or the information that you want to download into your mind this spring. So in other words, what kinds of content do you want to be eating up? Make a list. And this is going to ensure that you're a lot more productive because you're actually going to be doing it. But one thing is kind of we'll kind of piggyback back on digital decluttering just for a second here is to think about the kinds of content that you want to be digesting, so to speak, the kinds of books you want to be reading. And also, what does that mean? That you need to change in terms of your feed. So Instagram, Facebook, your email, what you're subscribing to, who you're following. If all of a sudden, let's say you're deciding, okay, it's spring, I'm really going to change up my nutrition plan. I really want to be focused on more whole plant based foods. I want to be drinking more water. Right. I know a lot of people that have been sharing, like, oh, I'm excited to do that this spring.
One thing that might be important to consider in terms of that's the content that you want to create be eating up in your life is, okay, maybe for now, it's important to go through and unfollow all those junk food accounts or those accounts. I was following these accounts, you guys that have, like, it was just like photos of vegan food bagels from New York. And it was just these close ups of these bagels cut in half with all this amazing stuff in them. And that's like all they were. And I was like, oh, my gosh. And I had to unfollow those because every time I saw that Photo, I got super hungry when I wasn't. Right. So thinking about what kind of goals you want, right? So going back to number three, thinking about what your main goal is for the upcoming quarter and spring, and then within that, you're going to be able to come to this point and think about, okay, what kinds of content are aligned with that goal? What kinds of things do I want to be having show up in all of my feed? So who do I need to unfollow?
If you noticed yourself comparing yourself to other people, or if your focus has shifted for the spring, maybe you want to start following more fitness accounts or start following more plant based accounts. If you're interested in transitioning there. These are all just examples. Or maybe there's someone in your life that is an acquaintance from high school, but all of a sudden they've gotten into something that you're not interested in or just like you don't want to see, you can unfollow them. Right? So thinking about where you want your content to be coming from, what kind of content you want to be reading and incorporating into your mind and make a list. So also too, I like to make a list every quarter of the books I want to read. Sometimes that list is really long, sometimes I don't get to all of them. But I like to know that I have a plan and a list. And sometimes they get shifted or moved to the side because something new will come out or something will come forward in the library that's available. So I'll shift that. But make a list. And that can be really great, too.
So just really considering what you want to do. And also if you're looking to spend more time outside reading outdoors, then tune into Episode 14, because I talk a lot about how you can create and stay consistent with a reading practice and some tips there as well. But make a list of blogs that you want to read. Make a list of documentaries, maybe courses that you want to take or that you need to catch up on. And it's also a great time of year to check in with your local parks and Rec. Most of them have released their spring program, guide or materials by now, and it's a fun time to sign up for a new course. So just asking yourself, what do I want to learn this spring? What do I want to commit to in terms of what I want to learn and all of that? And they don't have to be courses or books. They could be specific Facebook pages or stuff like that that you want to follow to or music playlists that you want to get into or bands that you want to listen to any of that kind of stuff.
Content is huge. And considering what you want to focus on and what you want to receive and digest throughout spring is so key. Okay, we're already at number six. Number six is to get out in nature. One of the best and proven ways to declutter your mind and ease your mood is to get yourself out in nature. Even just seeing the color green can help you to be more productive. So these are really amazing things. But getting out in nature especially because, like, what's your excuse? Right? Like, it's springtime. Maybe it's still a little bit chilly where you are, but it's getting lighter out. It's lighter out in the morning. It's lighter out in the evening. Also, there's an amazing app called Daylight that you can download for free. I have it on my iPhone that lets you know, like, when it's getting late in the morning. So I use this if I want to go on a morning walk or morning run. And they need to know, like, when it's actually going to be light out, but get out in nature. Because I'm telling you, when you go on a walk, it is such a great way to get out of your head.
And when you go on a walk, focus on being in the moment, being present, noticing things. I'll have days where I'm so frustrated. And I will tell Bella we're going to go walk out the grumps. So we basically will go on a walk. And sometimes she's too stubborn to leave the house. It'll just be me. But I'll go outside and when I'm on my walk, I'm not just walking to get to the end of the road or the end of the park. I'm walking to walk and enjoy the process. So I'm stopping and I'm pausing. And there have been times when I have stopped and stood somewhere for 15 minutes because I just became so enamored and amazed with what was going on. I noticed the trees, and then I noticed the leaves, and then I watched the leaves fall from the trees. And all of a sudden I saw these birds, and then I saw different birds, and I noticed what they were doing and they were interacting with me. And it was just such a fun moment. Getting out in nature is a great way to spring, clean your mind and really just relax your brain.
There's an amazing book. I've mentioned it before. It's called Your Brain on Nature, and it talks about all the science behind what it means to be outside and how even, just like, having plants in your home or any of that stuff can really boost your mood and boost your overall health and wellness. This is also a fun time of year to get into, like, plants or flowers. Actually, summer. Last year was the first year that I actually bought my own plants in my own soil and planted plants. And I could not believe how fun it was and how enjoyable it was. So it's a great time of year to do that here's. Number seven. Number seven is to bring in more color to your home. So when we think about organizing our life, we often think about all the things that we can do. And I talked about a lot of those. But another element that's really going to help inspire you and just really boost the mood of your space is to bring more color into your home. So with all that new light and the more light that we see throughout the day also comes new flowers.
There's new buds, there's all these new things happening, and you can bring that energy into your home. So I like to switch up my decor. This time of year, I like to bring in more pops of pinks and yellows and Orange. And you can do this with fresh flowers. You can do this with blankets or pillows or anything like that. And it's just a great way to remind yourself that of spring and feel that way. And I'd love to have somebody to come on at some point to talk about color therapy, because there are so many things that happen with different colors and how they affect our mood and how they affect our willingness to buy something or interact with something. It's really, really fascinating. But also another thing that you can do is if you're a big planner person like myself, this is a great time of year to change up the kinds of colors you're using in your planner. So get into those brighter colored pens, stickers, washi, tape, all that kind of stuff. If you go on to Instagram or Pinterest or if you just look up the hashtag like bullet journals or planner spreads or any of that kind of stuff, you can see people doing these amazing planner spreads with different colors and you can bring spring into your planning.
You can bring those colors into just about everything you do. Wear brighter colors, step into spring and truly embody the energy that is springtime so I hope that these seven tips were super helpful for you. And if you've been enjoying this podcast, I highly encourage you to take a minute out of your day because it only takes a minute and head on over to itunes and leave a review. I recently had somebody tell me oh my gosh I had no idea how easy it was to actually leave a review. The only reason I hadn't left one is that I thought it was going to take a bunch of time but it doesn't take much time at all. So thank you. It really would mean a lot to me. It helps more people find the podcast and as always, you can come say Hi and follow along on Instagram. I'm at mindful productivity blog. You can also view the website Mindful Productivityblog.com and find all of the show notes and more resources there. Thank you so much. I hope that you have an amazing week and I hope that you have an amazing spring. Happy spring.
We're finally here. We've made it through the winter so have a great week and I will see you guys next Monday.
