No matter where you go, a perfect #summer should allow time for a little R&R. Take a whole day (or two) to do absolutely nothing alone or with family, suggests Swift Wellness. Go outside and take a hike. Lay in a hammock or deck chair and read a book. Revisit an old hobby or take the time to learn something new. Turn off your phone and social media feeds for a day. #Clean and #declutter the entire house — and #donate the #stuff that’s getting in the way of a calm and #clutter-free mind. “Taking a break can feel like you’re not doing enough and missing out. However, this is far from the truth. Time off is time to re-energize.” #PerfectSummer
Tag: decluttering
Daylight Time Is Spring Cleaning Time
Daylight savings time — still observed in most states nationwide — begins again at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 5. The practice is rapidly declining in popularity, but most readers will temporarily lose an hour to the switch nonetheless.
The transition is increasingly associated with sleep deprivation and upticks in other dangers such car accidents, heart attacks and strokes. Daylight time apparently produces a mini-jet lag that can have subtle but marked consequence on the body and mind.
To reduce daylight time’s initial health impacts, Northwestern Medicine suggests adjusting one’s circadian rhythms by getting more natural morning light, exercising and going to bed an hour early in the week leading up to the change.
Even if you approach DST with little or no personal preparation, there are things you can do around the house to take advantage of the seasonal shift, Apartment Therapy says, and prepare for the longer nights of spring and summer.
First, of course, you’ll want to reset every clock. Then, take care of some of the seasonal chores that make your home safe and comfortable: Change the smoke detector batteries, reverse the ceiling fans to counterclockwise, and rotate or flip your mattresses and couch cushions.
This is also a great time to #sort and #declutter winter clothing. Chances are that those heavy coats and woolen sweaters are already falling into disuse, so make sure all of them are cleaned and stored, eliminating and #donating any that just didn’t make it into the rotation to ClothingDonations.org.
Outdoors, you’ll have an extra hour of light in the evening to #clean the gutters, #organize the garage, powerwash the deck or prepare your garden for #spring planting. Just be careful going up that ladder as your body slowly adjusts to the new time.
The mental health benefits of making your home #clean, #organized and #clutter-free are well-documented — and they may even outweigh the negative effects of losing an hour of sleep and adjusting to the change in light.
Until a proposal to make daylight time permanent becomes law, we’re stuck with it. So make the most of it by using it as a reminder to do the seasonal tasks you’ve been meaning to do. Time’s a-wastin’!
Set Goals to Make Decluttering Actionable
Set goals to help #declutter your home fast and with a sense of purpose, says Blast Aloud; otherwise, you’ll wind up procrastinating. Goals can be based upon a number of items you want to get rid of or keep, the period of time you want to dedicate to #organizing a specific room, how often you want to declutter, or how much space you want to reclaim. Than take action! “There is no way a goal or a plan will automatically execute itself,” the blog says. “The sooner you start taking the necessary action, the faster the whole process becomes. Irrespective of how difficult it might seem to start off, rest assured, it will be easier once you commence.”
Try Decluttering in One-Hour Bursts
To blow through your #decluttering fast, says Be More With Less blogger Courtney Carver, try doing #organizing “bursts” in which you get rid of 100 things in 60 minutes. Set up a box for #trash and one for #donations and set the timer; you’re going to go quickly from space to space and eliminate items from each. Have a list of areas in hand and a number in mind, she says: Count off 10 items from the bathroom, 20 items from the kitchen, 10 items from the car and so on. Before you know it, you’ll have made a big dent in all that useless #stuff — and likely will have assembled a substantial #charitable #donation for #pickup.
Declutter Like a Lion This March
Do you want to #declutter fearlessly — like a lion — this March? Pretend you’re moving, says KCET blogger Linda Ly. One makes tough decisions about what’s worth #packing during a move — and often comes up with big piles of bags and boxes to #donate. “When it comes to deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, ask yourself: If you were making a major move this week, would you spend time or money to move that item?” If you really want to get ruthless, she adds, pretend you’re moving not just across town, but to another city or state. Would you pay good money to ship that dinged-up pan, dusty old #tchotchke or ill-fitting pair of pants across the country?