Spring Cleaning - Baby Steps

It must be the start of Spring that’s gets us all eager to clean and de-clutter and update our spaces.  I am itching to continue the remainder of the year with a house that is tidier and better organized as at the moment, I feel unsettled and always one step behind where I’d like to be and what I want to achieve.  I'm eager to freshen up not only our home, but also my wardrobe, my systems for house-keeping and my corner of blogland.  However, with limited time and so many other priorities demanding my attention, I’ve decided to be realistic and take ‘baby steps’ towards achieving my spring cleaning goals this year.

First up has been my blog makeover.  While I'm not entirely finished yet, I'm pretty happy with how things are looking here so far.  I have a feeling my new header might still be a tad blurry so I have to work on making that crisper.  However, I'm by no means a graphic designer and after putting together what I've done, I can't quite remember how I did what I did.  Eventually, I'd like to be able to update the three ‘polaroid shots’ every month or so to keep things looking fresh in this little space.  As for other additions, my social media buttons are finally up but not all active yet… (this RSS business is seriously doing my head in!) and I need a new profile photo (one that's not quite so large and in-your-face).  But, I’m getting there… baby steps. 

As well as my blog, I'm eager to have a good spring clean of our home. I’m tired of not being able to locate paperwork.  I’m tired of being surrounded by clutter that is yet to be sorted and ‘dealt with’ (eg. things we no longer want or need).  I’m tired of missing deadlines and forgetting dates.  I’m tired of feeling as though I’m not ‘on top of things’. 

And so yesterday, I decided I was tired of making excuses and took my first baby step towards achieving my mammoth spring cleaning goals.

I started with our laundry cupboards.  I pulled everything out, wiped down surfaces, sorted, compartmentalised, labelled and simplified.  I rationalised the use and placement of every single item that I put back onto those shelves and have not only created more storage space, but also come up with a few tiny ways to make laundry and cleaning a bit more ‘user friendly’ for myself.  Once I buy a few more storage baskets and finish with this room, my next ‘baby step’ is to catch up on sorting out paperwork yet to be put into our filing cabinet.   

Rather than my usual weekly project, I’ve decided that for the coming weeks and months, my focus will be on-going and will simply be to spring clean.  With Grace and I now having our ‘crafternoons’, I will still be allocating time to my hobbies and creative pursuits and any other areas of home life that are bothering me are all able to be covered by my new focus word anyway.

Are you a fan of spring cleaning?  Which area of your life are you desperate to freshen up at the moment?

Photography above by Christina Richards Photography.  Floral arrangement by Studio Choo.

Image found via Style Me Pretty