It’s no surprise that springtime brings a freshness and an opportunity for a mental page turn. (OK, except if you’re in Seattle and other parts of the country where it seems like the moment we start to thaw out, we’re met with mud and sludge instead of green grass, sunshine and spring blooms.) But hey, I choose to think we are more patient people than most, since we get the opportunity to cultivate patience by waiting until May or June for that first springtime bulb to surface. Here are a few things we can all do to welcome our inner spring cleaner, and they aren’t weather dependent.

Sober Spring Cleaning To-Do List:

1. Closet Cleanse: If you haven’t worn it in a year, donate it. Yes, even that “I might fit into this again” outfit.

2. Tackle One Room at a Time: Don’t try to declutter your entire house in one day unless you’re auditioning for a superhero role.

3. Digitize Paperwork: Scan important documents. Trees are for hugging, not for cluttering your desk.

4. Sell or Donate Unused Items: If it’s gathering dust, let it gather compliments in someone else’s home.

5. Ditch Expired Products: Check expiration dates on everything. Yes, that includes the salad dressing from 2015.

6. Revamp Your Bookshelf: If you’ve read it and won’t reread it, it’s time for the book to find a new audience.

7. Kitchen Gadgets Audit: If you haven’t used that fancy kitchen gadget since you bought it, it’s time to say goodbye.

8. Spice Rack Inspection: Herbs and spices lose their flavor. If it tastes like sawdust, into the bin it goes.

9. Freshen Up Your Fridge: Out with the old, in with the new. This includes that science experiment you call leftovers.

10. Declutter Digital Space: Unsubscribe from emails you never read. Your inbox isn’t a junk drawer.

11. Sort Through Makeup and Skincare: Makeup has expiration dates too. Respect them unless you’re going for a vintage rash look.

12. Reassess Decorations: If it doesn’t spark joy or sarcasm, it’s time to go.

13. Organize Your Photos: Physical or digital, keep the memories, not the blurry oops-shots.

14. Evaluate Your Furniture Needs: If it’s just collecting junk or dust, it’s time for it to collect someone else’s.

15. Clear Out Your Garage: It’s supposed to house your car, not your collection of “might need this someday” items.

16. Update Your Bedding: Out with the old sheets. Your bed should be a cloud, not a reminder of the 90s.

17. Assess Your Shoe Collection: If they hurt your feet or your feelings, donate them.

18. Tidy Your Workspace: A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind. Plus, where else are you going to put your new novelty pen?

19. Sort Through Your Jewelry: If it’s turning your skin green, it’s not the emerald you thought it was.

20. Reorganize Your Pantry: Alphabetize, categorize, or just make sure you can see everything at a glance.

21. Minimize Your Tech Gadgets: That old phone from 2008 isn’t “vintage” yet, it’s just old.

22. Check Your Linen Closet: If your towels are more sandpaper than towel, it’s time for an upgrade.

23. Declutter Your Wallet/Purse: Receipts from 2019? Really? Time for a purge.

24. Have a “Maybe” Box: If you can’t decide, put it in a box. If you don’t open it for six months, out it goes, no peeking.

Remember, decluttering is like a good dance – it’s all about taking the right steps and not stepping on any toes (or old Legos). Happy decluttering your outer space… which magically helps declutter your inner space.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. 

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