Spring is a time for renewal, rebirth, and re-energizing. So let’s just call it by what it really is:
A time to clean out the clutter!
Most of us start with the basics. Opening the windows. Dusting the blinds. Shutting down the fireplace. Cleaning out the garage and the shed. Then you have that first mowing and weed-eating. You sweep off the deck and put out the lawn furniture that’s been collecting spider webs and dead stink bugs. Finally, it’s time to get ready for those summer afternoons you’ve been missing.
Spring is also a good time to do some other cleaning. Here are my suggestions:
- Go through your Facebook contacts. Clear out the folks that you don’t really want to be friends with. Eliminate the ones who post stuff that you get annoyed at or skip over anyway (“excited to be at our lake house this weekend drinking Margaritas!” or “honored to be speaking at the Society of Hoarders convention this morning!”).
- Go through your In-Box. If you haven’t viewed that old email you’ve been holding onto, delete it. See if you can get your In-Box to a one-page view without scrolling.
- Go through your LinkedIn profile. Update it with your most current achievements.
- Review and update your resume. You never know when you’ll need it.
- Get rid of that big stack of business cards you’ve been meaning to look through. If you haven’t contacted that person or at least put them into your contact manager, you never will.
- Go through your “My Documents” folder. Get rid of outdated files.
- Archive those tax papers you collected for your 2014 taxes.
- Burn and shred stuff you don’t need.
- Update those playlists on your iPod.
I’m sure there are many more areas you can do some Spring Cleaning on. Just make a list and make it happen.
