Reset with a Spring Cleaning

Yes, I’m one of those people. I enjoy Spring cleaning. In fact, I don’t just do it in the Spring. There are several times throughout the year that I will clean, re-arrange, and de-clutter. I love organizing my closet – making piles to giveaway, organizing drawers, throwing things away, etc. I love bins, decorative boxes, and baskets to put things in. I have a label maker. Spring cleaning makes me feel accomplished and productive. Just looking at the final product makes me happy. So, I asked myself – what would it look like to Spring clean my life?

 

This article is sponsored by Neely Coaching & Training

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Time to Re-Pot Your Way of Thinking

This time of year, I like to plant flowers for my patio. Sometimes it’s necessary to repot a plant to give it more root space to grow. Repotting was what I thought of when I heard the actress Jamie Lee Curtis being interviewed about her upcoming 65th birthday. She talked about it being a time of excitement and reflection as she is seeing her own personal evolution of being less hard on herself – accepting what she looks like and owning what she thinks and feels. Curtis finished with a very empowering message – instead of being fixated on the future, she lives very much more in the present moment. 

I have shared what I heard that day multiple times. It was inspiring. It was powerful. And I thought – why should I wait until I turn sixty-five to embrace this mindset?

Ask yourself: 

Where do I need to re-invent or re-boot my thinking? How can I focus more on the present?

Rearrange and Rebuild as needed

I don’t set new year’s resolutions. I set intentions for the year. My intentions are not so much about what I am doing but who I am becoming. Spring cleaning looks like setting aside some time to sit outside with a cup of tea and reflect on how connected I am with my true self. Am I focused on what’s important and accomplishing what I set out to at the beginning of the year? 

Another thing I like to check in on is my annual bucket list. This is a list of things that I want to learn or do before the ball drops at the end of year. I don’t put too many things on this list, and they are personal. Which also means they usually move to the bottom of my priority list. So, this is my way of not losing sight of them. This year’s list includes one on one dinners with members of my family, hosting a sound healing session, and setting boundaries for a more joyous and simple existence. 

Ask yourself: 

Am I using my strengths and aligning with my core values to move forward? If not, what do I need to do differently? 

Where have I gotten off-course focusing on my joy and growth? How can I make sure those things happen?

Stack Your Habits

Feeling good about the habits you have created so far? Ready for the next thing? The more you do something, the stronger and more efficient the connection becomes. You can take advantage of those strong connections to build new habits. James Clear in his best-selling book Atomic Habits talks about “habit stacking.” One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit. For example, “after I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes” or “after I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.”

Ask yourself: 

Where can I stack habits and increase my success?

Spruce Up Your Home

Martha Stewart once said, “your home should be a reflection of how you want to live right now, and for the next phase of your life.”  I’ve lived in my house for a long time now. Recently, I looked around and asked myself if it still felt like me. If someone who didn’t know me walked in, what would my space tell them about me? Is my home my happy zone?

I like motivational messages. There are signs throughout my house and even little notes in bathrooms and bedrooms. I love candles that elicit a good smell and create an ambience for balance, harmony, and relaxation. I love photos of people and places that I care about. I like crosses and crystals. 

I do not, however, like clutter. I am a book fanatic. This also means that I quite often must weed out my ever-growing library of books to create space. I was joking with a client recently that I cannot leave the house with a cup in the sink. I like to periodically take a day and go through my closets and storage areas to organize and dispose of things. 

I want my workspace to help me to feel productive, accomplished, and motivated. You will find multi-colored post-it notes and file folders, a bucket f pens and pencils, a place to put my phone, and corkboard to display notes, quotes, and reminders.

Ask yourself: What do you need to give away, add, or change to make your space yours? How do you feel when you walk into your space?

Tidy Up Your Network

When was the last time you assessed your network to see where you needed to build or maintain your connections?

• Make a list of who is in your network and who you would like to have in your network.
• Evaluate each relationship from 1 (does not exist yet or is not strong) to 5 (strong with mutual trust and respect)
• Using the same scale, evaluate where you want the relationship to be.
• How would you categorize each person – advocate, role model, connection, or saboteur?
• What are your opportunities? (gaps in network roles, limit time with saboteurs, how many contacts you have connected with in the past 6 months, when was the last time you attended a professional event, etc.)

Ask yourself: 

What specific actions will you take to close any gaps in your network and re-connect with your contacts and by when?

Purge Time and Energy Wasters

One of my biggest pet peeves is people and things that waste my time and steal my energy. Being mindful of how I’m spending my time and where I’m putting my energy has become imperative to both my professional success and my personal happiness.

In my career, I am intentional about pausing periodically to determine if I’m getting a return on my investment. This is not necessarily a financial investment as I have learned my time and energy are just as valuable. The return could be in new business or returning clients and it could also be in decreasing my stress and increasing my peace of mind. I have gotten better at noticing when I may need to do something different or let something go. I am also using my increased self-awareness to work smarter like blocking time after facilitating a workshop knowing that my introverted self will appreciate the solo time to replenish. 

Personally, I’ve realized how noticing where my energy gets a boost and where it is depleted helps me to set boundaries. I try to take a mid-day break to make sure I can step away from my work, drink some water, and clear my head. I have made a commitment to prioritize self-care into my schedule like massages and reiki. Instead of using evenings and weekends for administrative tasks, I block time during the workday. 

Need some motivation? Think about how it will feel when that person or thing is no longer causing you stress and frustration and how your life will be different. (in a good way)

Ask yourself: Where do you notice your energy going up or being drained? What do you need to let go of or change? What boundaries do you need to put in place? 

 

As I’m writing this on my outside patio, watching my dog chase the birds, appreciating the buds on the trees and the flowers pushing their way up through the dirt, I’m ready to do some more Spring cleaning and hit the reset button. How about you?

 

Debby Neely is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation who specializes in leadership coaching and development. Her business, Neely Coaching & Training, supports both formal and informal leaders in realizing their potential and in getting results.