The Big Spring Clean!
June 2009

Spring is a natural time to start shaking out the comforters and pillows and hanging the bed linens on the line for some fresh sun. It is a great time to go through the house, one room at a time and do the big yearly clean, wash the walls, windows, get the dust out of all those awkward nooks and crannies until the room is spotless and just the way you want it. Spring is the time to clear out the dust bunnies from under the bed, as well as any items in the house you no longer want or need. Now is the time take any broken items to be fixed and to toss those that are beyond repair. Donate items you no longer use that are “too good” to give to a charity shop or sell them in a garage sale, car boot sale or consignment shop. If you are too busy or not inclined to give the house a spring clean yourself, hire a professional cleaner and/or a professional organizer to come for the day and give your house or apartment a top to bottom clean or clear out. You’ll be glad you did it as it will give you a big boost of energy! And, this is the ultimate way to attract new and better things and opportunities into your life as nature abhors a vacuum.

Many people naturally feel like doing a cleansing diet in the spring to shed any excess that might have built up over the winter. If this feels right to you, seek a nutritionist for a plan that would suit your body.

In addition to doing a physical clear-out of stuff, if you find you are always running late or feel too busy, you may want to clear out your schedule as well. Here are a few of the best tips for giving yourself a clean slate for the rest of the year:

1. Use the Joy Filter for All Commitments, Business and Personal
   Review all organizations, associations, memberships, committees and social obligations. Evaluate each commitment. Does it still give you joy? If you dread going to a certain meeting and wish you didn’t have to, give notice and politely resign. If you’ve made promises, scout around for someone to take your place so that you won’t be letting anyone down. Do not renew any obligations out of duty. Only do what you genuinely enjoy. It helps if you learn to say “no” gracefully. Have a few handy excuses in your back pocket to use whenever asked to do something or attend something that you don’t really want to do. A simple one that works well is, “Thanks for thinking of me, but I already have plans for that day.” Do NOT add, “maybe next time.” Or, if you aren’t sure, simply say, “Let me check my calendar and I’ll get back to you.” This will give time to evaluate whether the activity or event is something that you want to do.
   
2. Sign up for Online Banking
   If you haven’t already done so, take the time to sign up for online banking and set up all bills to be paid online. This saves time, energy and postage. And remember to set up 10% of your income to go into automatic savings as well!
   
3. Order Your Groceries Online
   If your grocery store delivers, sign up for online shopping and get groceries delivered to your door. This saves about 45 minutes to an hour a week as well as gasoline costs so well worth doing.
   
4. Never Check Email or Voicemail First
   Instead, do the one thing that is most important about the day first. Opening emails can be like opening Pandora’s box. You never know what will leap out and claim your attention. Get your important project or task done for the day first, then attend to your email. If it could wait overnight, another hour or two won’t matter. If you do it the other way around, you may discover the day gets consumed by responding to emails and you never have time for the bigger and more important projects and goals. You’ll get loads more accomplished this way.
   
5. Eliminate or Minimize Your Commute
   A study revealed that a commute of 45 minutes or more to work is damaging to your health because of the stress that it adds to your life. It makes sense to work where you live or live where you work. Now that I own my own business, I have a 15-second commute from my home to an office built into the back of the garage. Working from home is a huge time saver because it eliminates the time, energy and cost of commuting. And I’m on hand in case there is an emergency with the kids which gives me peace of mind. With rising costs of fuel, now is a great time to either move closer to the office or find a job closer to home. And if that isn’t immediately possible, start by asking your company if you can work a few days a week at home. Even one day a week at home will make a huge difference to your productivity and you will get so much accomplished without all the interruptions at the office. Savvy employers realize this and as more companies are concerned about corporate responsibility, now is a good time to be cutting down on fuel consumption. When I worked at Chase in Manhattan, I had to be on the bank floor so working from home wasn’t an option. I was in the habit of taking the subway, but found getting squashed in with every other commuter wasn’t a joy and if there were problems on the line I’d be stuck and late. So I decided to walk. It turns out it only took an hour to walk to work so in exchange for a 30-45 minute unpleasant subway experience, I enjoyed two hours of excellent exercise and a walk through Central Park every day. Took a bit more time, but then I got a good workout in so it was well worth it! As a bonus, I was never late.
   
6. Unplug the TV
   This is potentially the biggest time saver of all as the average American has the TV on seven hours a day. Unplug the TV and hide it in the closet for one month. You’ll be amazed at how much time you’ll free up in the evenings. Use this newfound time to clear clutter, catch up on calls and correspondence, sign up for online banking and otherwise simplify and organize your life. By the end of the month you’ll be in great shape for the rest of the year!

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