With us all being homebound right now and with the weather changing, many of us may be getting the itch to clean and make a change. I know for me, working from home right now, I’m confronted with the urge to change things around, and purge some belongings. At the same time, my capacity to do so is limited due to my time constraints.
This week I wanted to share two tips about “spring cleaning” that are accessible and manageable to do in small pieces. Let’s be real, the lists can be endless, and in a time where we are receiving information overload, less is more. Some of us, like me, have time constraints, some of us have all the time in the world, and some of us have even less time juggling parenting, jobs, and teaching.
Choose One Thing a Day
By choosing one area/thing a day to focus on, it becomes more doable and accessible. For me, during the week, that has often looked like my kitchen. Daily. On the weekends, I choose one room to focus on, and then break it down even further. For example, if I choose my bathroom one weekend, I prioritize my goals and try my best. I may start with the tub/toilet, and if I have the capacity and time, I extend it to my sink/counter. If you are cleaning and going through your clothes, it is important to note that many places right now are not accepting donations due to COVID-19.
Spring Clean Your Online Presence
Sometimes, when I feel motivated but may not have the capacity, I like to challenge myself to go through emails and delete them, or organize my inbox into folders. Additionally, this might be a time to review your history online. As a millenial, I’ve had much of my late adolescence-early adulthood documented online. Every once in a while, I like to take a trip down memory lane, cringe by myself and go through and organize old photos from 2006 Facebook albums, old Tweets, and old Instagram posts.
I want to acknowledge that although we might have the itch right now to clean and make changes, it is also important to have self-compassion. We have to remember that right now, we are living in a crisis and while we cannot do our favourite outings and activities, our energy may feel more depleted as many of us are in survival mode right now. It’s okay if you don’t get to any of this and all you do is rest. You do what you need to do. What are some easy, simple tips in spring cleaning that you would like to share? Comment below.
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Written by Alana Kaplan, Project Manager for the I Am Resilient Project.