31 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge

Now that winter is behind us, we can actually throw open the windows and put away the coats. Spring has sprung and as we embrace its freshness we might find that our home needs a little refreshing as well. Join me in working through those messy & disorganized areas a little each day with a 31 Day Spring Cleaning and Organization Challenge. Feel great and accomplished with this doable plan.

Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We will only recommend products we use, love or think are informative and helpful.

I don’t know how you feel but when my home is out of order, I feel like my life is out of kilter too. Piles and stacks begin growing and finding misplaced items becomes a frequent frustration. So I am about to shake off the cobwebs and dive in to setting things straight again. Want to join me?

31 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge

Instead of looking at the whole mess and wanting to give up before you start, take it in bite-size pieces. One area at a time. One disorganized mess a day. Nothing overwhelming. Tackle one area each day for the month of May and be pleasantly surprised how much you will accomplish.

The areas are loosely grouped together but don’t feel constrained to follow the dates if you want to mix things up. Some areas can be organized and tidied up with a minimal amount of time and effort. Other area will require more time to get it all sorted out. The important thing is to keep going. Be sure to work on something every day.

Organizing tips

Getting started

The goal is to keep from getting overwhelmed causing you to lose interest and momentum. Organizing is a process of acquiring skills, applying them, and being committed to being organized every day. If you continue to take little steps every day you will begin to develop habits that makes staying organized easier.

Before you jump in to organizing your stuff, look around and consider why you have the things you have. Ask yourself a few questions:

• Why do I have so much stuff?
• Do I have space for this item?
• Do I use this item?
• Am I willing to donate this item to make room for a new item?
• Have I used this item in the last year?

Answers to these questions will guide you in knowing whether to keep or dispose of most of your stuff.

Practice the art of purging

We all have too much stuff. Some say we use only 20% of what we have. Before you begin organizing, get rid of what you don’t use. Don’t allow an abundance of stuff to grow and become overwhelming.  Develop the mindset of purging and regularly let go of things. You will feel lighter and may even begin looking for what you can let go. My favorite place to donate is to the Vietnam Veterans of America, Please Pickup. You can schedule a pickup online and a truck will arrive on your chosen date. They accept clothing, household items, small appliances and small furniture.

A place for everything, and everything in its place

This old adage used to make my kids roll their eyes but as adults they now understand its value. To stay organized everything needs its own home. Give an item a home and make a point of returning it immediately after use. It usually takes just a moment or two but saves much time and frustration the next time you reach for it.

Prevent your stuff from taking over your home

Think more carefully before bringing more stuff into your life. Be intentional and decide if it is something that you really need and will use. Organizing is not just tidying up or putting things in piles. Organized clutter is usually still clutter.

Leave space

Have you spent time organizing an area only to find it totally messy in just a short time? Do not over fill an area to capacity but rather leave as much open space as possible making all items easily accessible.

Make your bed every morning

It may seem insignificant, but the short time it takes to make your bed each morning is well worth it. Some of the benefits:

• The room has an orderly feel and can inspire to keep the rest of the room neater
• It establishes a habit that may encourage and lead to stronger skills at sticking with a goal.
• By making your bed, you are starting to de-clutter your space and a de-cluttered space lowers your level of stress. Clutter is a constant reminder of how scattered and unorganized you are being. A tidy space is very calming.
• The room will instantly look cleaner
• There’s just something about a made bed that feels better at the end of a long day. Partly because when a bed looks good, it also feels good.

Those piles of paper 

Don’t let paperwork get the best of you. Handle each piece just once, if possible. That means: Act on it, trash it, or file it.

File your paperwork frequently (weekly is best) so it doesn’t accumulate into a mountain that you dread addressing and ultimately ignore. Before you start filing, separate the pile into categories to easily view and assess each category as a whole.

Keep the Process Going!

You worked hard to gets all of those areas de-cluttered and given each item a place where it is easy-to-reach without a frustrating, time-wasting search. But you can’t stop there or you or will be right back to battling the piles and messes. 

Keep the process going! Discipline yourself (and the members of your family) to put things back in their place right away. With a little time, the urge to “do it later” will not be nearly as attractive than the thought of keeping things organized and tidy.

It is hard, but if you keep the process going, you can organize your life!

A few inspiring quotes to motivate you

• Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up. ~ A.A. Milne
• For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned. ~ Benjamin Franklin
• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~ Leonardo DaVinci
• The most important things in life aren’t things. ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo
• Less is more. ~ Mies Van Der Rohe
• If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.  ~Olin Miller
• Don’t carry what you don’t need~ in your pocket, in your home, in your heart ~ Joshua Becker
• The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are. ~ Mother Teresa
  

   

Subscribe to get your FREE printable!

Get our GPTH Newsletter and get instant access to the Free Printable PDF. You will receive a link to the PDF via email within 24 hours. Be sure to check your spam and promotions folders if you do not see the email in your inbox.

31 Day Spring Cleaning and Organizing Challenge

Tame that CLUTTER! 

Here are some helpful items to tame the clutter throughout your home.

• XL Car Seat Organizer for Kids – Car Seat Back Protector with Tablet Holder
• Refrigerator/Freezer Stackable Storage Bins/Containers
• Cell Phone Desk Stand Holder
• Food Storage Containers ~ 10 Container Set – 20 PC
• Underwear Organizer Drawer Divider, set of 4
• Rolling Storage Cart and Organizer with 12 Plastic Drawers
• Refrigerator/Freezer Stackable Storage Bins/Containers (6-Piece)
• Lazy Susan Turntable for refrigerator, pantry or cabinets
• Under Sink 2 Tier Expandable Shelf Organizer
• Mop and Broom Storage Holder, 5 position with 6 hooks garage storage Holds up to 11 Tools
• Wire Metal 5 in 1 Desk Organizer Set, Letter Sorter, Pencil Holder, Stick Note Holder, Hanging File Organizer and Letter Tray
• Acrylic Makeup Organizer

You might also like…

DIY Wall Mounted Jewelry Organizer

Houseplants