Let’s Talk!
651.500.7650
Spring Cleaning
Get Motivated and Remain Stress-Free!
When March arrives here in the upper Midwest, we know we’re on the home-stretch and spring just might be right around the corner (or a couple of corners).
It’s time to wake up from our winter hiberna-tion and get out and see the neighbors again!
Maybe you plan to list your home soon or per-haps you have a high school graduation party to host, or you really do want to spring clean-ing! Whatever the reason, I’m here to motivate you and keep you calm while you tackle the change of seasons around your home!
Motivational Tip #1
Break tasks into manageable chunks.
Don’t approach spring cleaning with an “all or nothing” mindset.
1. Start with the garage. Raise the door, let
some light in, and start sweeping out all
that sand, salt, and the stuff that has melted
off your vehicles for the last six months.
Now, park one vehicle outside and use
that stall to group stuff that you’re going
to recycle, donate, and sell. As you start
decluttering your house, it’s important for
your morale to move bags and boxes of
discarded stuff out of your house so you
can see the progress you’re making.
Motivational Tip #2
Reward yourself. By sweeping out the garage, you completed an important task. Treat yourself to something simple that you enjoy like sipping a favorite beverage while sitting in the sun.
2. Focus on clothes. Get the whole family on
board and give everyone a set of three bags
or boxes labeled “donate, trash, and store”.
Here are some guidelines to follow for sort-
ing: If a clothing item hasn’t been worn in
the last year and is in good shape, put it in
the donate bag. Clothes that are ripped or
badly stained are trash. Sentimental items or
seasonal clothes should be packed up in
clear, plastic storage bins and labeled.
Motivational Tip #3
Admire your work. Go in the garage and look at all the bags and boxes that have come out of your house. Just savor your accomplishment for awhile.
3. Tackle paperwork. Everyone I know
struggles with what to do with all those
papers we’re suppose to keep or haven’t
even looked at yet.
Basically you’ll need two filing systems
and a shredder. First get rid of paperwork
that is more than seven years old. Any
papers containing personal information like
social security, credit card, or bank account
numbers should be shredded. Recycle the
remainder. Now you should have plenty of
room in your first filing system for bills,
etc. that have been paid.
For items that still need your attention,
put those in your second filing system.
This would be considered your “in” box.
Keep this in your office or in a
designated spot where you pay bills.
Sort your mail everyday and file in the
appropriate place so paperwork doesn’t
pile up. When you have a place where
papers should go, they stay orderly and
you bypass the chaos of piles.
If you have collected a lot of books, have
your family use the same guidelines that
I prescribed for clothes.
By completing just these three areas, you will feel like you have more space both in your home and inside of yourself. Decluttering can be an emotionally “freeing” act as well!
These three motivational tips and decluttering tasks are just a starting point. For more tips, contact me and request my 4-Step Declutter Process via email or phone (info@birch-hillinteriors.com or 651.500.7650).
Now go purge your stuff!
Let’s Talk!
Roberta Peters
Birch Hill Interiors
651.500.7650
Twin Cities
Spring Cleaning
Get Motivated and Remain Stress-Free!
When March arrives here in the upper Midwest, we know we’re on the home-stretch and spring just might be right around the corner (or a couple of corners).
It’s time to wake up from our winter hiberna-tion and get out and see the neighbors again!
Maybe you plan to list your home soon or per-haps you have a high school graduation party to host, or you really do want to spring clean-ing! Whatever the reason, I’m here to motivate you and keep you calm while you tackle the change of seasons around your home!
Motivational Tip #1
Break tasks into manageable chunks.
Don’t approach spring cleaning with an “all or nothing” mindset.
1. Start with the garage. Raise the door, let
some light in, and start sweeping out all
that sand, salt, and the stuff that has melted
off your vehicles for the last six months.
Now, park one vehicle outside and use
that stall to group stuff that you’re going
to recycle, donate, and sell. As you start
decluttering your house, it’s important for
your morale to move bags and boxes of
discarded stuff out of your house so you
can see the progress you’re making.
Motivational Tip #2
Reward yourself. By sweeping out the garage, you completed an important task. Treat yourself to something simple that you enjoy like sipping a favorite beverage while sitting in the sun.
2. Focus on clothes. Get the whole family on
board and give everyone a set of three bags
or boxes labeled “donate, trash, and store”.
Here are some guidelines to follow for sort-
ing: If a clothing item hasn’t been worn in
the last year and is in good shape, put it in
the donate bag. Clothes that are ripped or
badly stained are trash. Sentimental items or
seasonal clothes should be packed up in
clear, plastic storage bins and labeled.
Motivational Tip #3
Admire your work. Go in the garage and look at all the bags and boxes that have come out of your house. Just savor your accomplishment for awhile.
3. Tackle paperwork. Everyone I know
struggles with what to do with all those
papers we’re suppose to keep or haven’t
even looked at yet.
Basically you’ll need two filing systems
and a shredder. First get rid of paperwork
that is more than seven years old. Any
papers containing personal information like
social security, credit card, or bank account
numbers should be shredded. Recycle the
remainder. Now you should have plenty of
room in your first filing system for bills,
etc. that have been paid.
For items that still need your attention,
put those in your second filing system.
This would be considered your “in” box.
Keep this in your office or in a
designated spot where you pay bills.
Sort your mail everyday and file in the
appropriate place so paperwork doesn’t
pile up. When you have a place where
papers should go, they stay orderly and
you bypass the chaos of piles.
If you have collected a lot of books, have
your family use the same guidelines that
I prescribed for clothes.
By completing just these three areas, you will feel like you have more space both in your home and inside of yourself. Decluttering can be an emotionally “freeing” act as well!
These three motivational tips and decluttering tasks are just a starting point. For more tips, contact me and request my 4-Step Declutter Process via email or phone (info@birch-hillinteriors.com or 651.500.7650).
Now go purge your stuff!
Let’s Talk!
Roberta Peters
Birch Hill Interiors
Twin Cities