It’s that time of year again: the weather is getting brighter, days are getting longer, and summer is just around the corner. In preparation for the new season, it’s time to crack down on some spring cleaning in order to refresh and reset your space. Getting caught up in the flurry of midterm season can definitely make your space cluttered and overall an unproductive work space. A study done by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute in 2011 that constant visual reminders of disorganization can reduce our ability to focus and lower our productivity levels [1]. Since we’re all spending more time at home and our living spaces now double as our learning and working spaces, keeping a neat space is more important than ever.
Getting Motivated
While cleaning might not sound like the ideal way to spend your free time, cleaning is actually a great method of destressing (and a productive one at that!). While a deep clean might seem like a series of repetitive and mindless tasks, it might actually be what we need right now to take our mind off things and properly destress. But if that’s not motivating enough for you, I personally love to put on a feel-good playlist, tune in for a podcast or even ask a friend to help out to make the process more enjoyable!
Let’s Get Down to Business: Making a Plan
One of the things I personally hate about cleaning is that I feel overwhelmed about tackling everything at once. First piece of advice: don’t tackle everything at once. Instead, start by making a to-do list by listing each room. Then, it’s important to divide your space into manageable areas. Go room by room and list what smaller areas need most work. Want to start with your bedroom? Try cleaning just your closet. Or try clearing your desk. Want to start with the kitchen? Try emptying the fridge first. It doesn’t matter what you start with as long as you focus on the task at hand.
Decluttering: Marie Kondo-ing Your Space
Generally, the biggest challenge we face during spring cleaning is getting rid of clutter. This doesn’t mean you need to purge everything you own, or attempt the 130 items challenge (https://bemorewithless.com/my-100-thing-challenge/), but this is a good time to purge your space of things you don’t really need. Try asking yourself these questions when coming across an item you’re unsure of:
-
- How often do I use this? Does it have a designated spot in my space?
- Do I have a sentimental attachment to this item? If it is a sentimental item, can I take a photo of it and store it, or do I need to keep the original?
- If I didn’t own this item, would I miss it? How much could I sell this for?
- If I didn’t already own this, would I buy it again?
- As Marie Kondo says, does this object spark joy? [2]
A tip: take time to evaluate each item individually; sorting through your things too fast without thinking about its purpose might lead to you keeping more things than you really need. If you’re unsure of an item after asking these questions, consider putting these items into a storage box and putting it away. If you haven’t used anything in that box after 3 months, get rid of it.
Throw Away or Give Away?
Once you’ve determined what you don’t want or don’t need anymore, consider what options you have before tossing the items in the trash. If you have the time, you can try selling old furniture, clothes and trinkets online. There’s Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Kijiji, Craigslist, and even up-and-coming online clothing stores like Depop, and Poshmark. Selling items may be a bit cumbersome if you need to list each item individually, ship them out or meet up with buyers. Which leads to the next option: donating or giving items away. Plenty of clothing donation bins across the Lower-Mainland allow for contactless drop-off. Check out your local thrift stores that might accept donations (and you can even get coupons sometimes!). Ultimately some things are just unusable and will end up in the trash, but wherever you can try to consider donating or selling first!
Rearranging your space for you!
Once you’ve successfully decluttered, consider rearranging your space for the new season. Before you start moving furniture around, draft a quick sketch of your room and furniture placement. Converting a room into an online learning space can be different for everyone depending on different needs. If you’re looking to set up your room to separate your learning and living space, consider setting up a curtain or partition. I moved my bookshelf and used it as a divider between my bed and my desk, and I love it! I would strongly suggest reading Lina’s blog about setting up your work corner [3]. Lina has suggested even turning your desk away from the wall to benefit using the wall as your background in Zoom class.
Hopefully these tips can help you clear your mind and your space during this season.
References
1. McMains, S., & Kastner, S. (2011). Interactions of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mechanisms in Human Visual Cortex. The Journal of Neuroscience, 31(2), 587–597. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3766-10.2011
2. https://www.lifestorage.com/blog/organization/tackling-clutter-is-your-home-overflowing-with-too-much-stuff/
3. https://learningcommons.ubc.ca/learning-at-home-setting-up-a-study-space-and-study-pace/