Get Motivated for Spring Clearing!

Ready or not it's already March...aaahhh!!!  I'm so happy that we've had a break from the rain the last few days. It's been a wet winter and I'm sooo ready for dry, warm weather to take over.  With that said, the official first day of Spring is just 19 days away so let's do some Spring Clearing!  Nope, it's not a typo, it says clearing, not cleaning, but cleaning is part of the process.I was happy to finally open up the windows and let some fresh air in this morning, albeit chilly air.  We're easing our way into this next season as many of us, myself included, have been in hibernation this winter. Some of you may still be there and that's ok.

I thought a great way for us to prepare ourselves for this seasonal ritual is to get some mental motivation.

I love to sit with a good book when I have the chance but to be honest, I'm addicted to audio books. Since I'm always driving, whether it's to a job site, to various stores to shop and source for materials or taking my daughter to school and the gym and back, my audio books keep me company and allows me the opportunity to listen to the books I wouldn't otherwise have time to read.To help us get motivated for the Spring Clearing sessions ahead, I curated a few books to help us prepare our minds. Affiliate links have been included for your convenience. Choose a physical book or give Audible a try. Sign up using this link and you'll get 2 audiobooks for free...SCORE! WARNING: Addiction is highly likely!The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is a #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant, Marie Kondo. This book was published in 2014, but everyone was talking about the KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing things in 2016. Perhaps I was a little late to the game, but this book received a lot of notoriety last year and I listened to it on my Audible account.  I don't agree with everything she says.  Some of it is a little too woo-woo for my personal taste, but it did motivate me to want to declutter and organize my house and that is the goal for recommending the book.  She has a lot of fans, go see what all the fuss is about.Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up also by Marie Kondo is a follow-up to The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  It's an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method, with step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets.  I have not read this yet nor have I seen it, but being the voyeur that I am when it comes to homes and seeing how people live, drawings and photos of perfectly organized anything definitely sparks my interest and my joy! I know, such a dork, but I've always been enamored by beautiful spaces and how people live in them.  This one you'll want the physical book.Let it Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life by Peter Walsh.  This is a good guide for those who are emotionally attached to stuff and have a hard time "letting go".  This is especially helpful to those who may be faced with downsizing as empty nesters, selling after having lived in a home for a lifetime, dealing with estate situations.  If you've ever watched Peter on TV, you're familiar with how he really helps people get to the heart of what's holding them back. I'm not nearly as empathetic so I could learn a few things from Peter in that department, along with learning about letting go of the more difficult memorabilia. I recently inherited large framed family photos that I honestly don't know what to do with. I'm not going to hang them up so... what to do... Guess I should read this book!Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul by Ruth Soukup.  This book sounds intriguing because it addresses not just physical stuff but also the emotional stuff that stresses us out and weighs us down.  It speaks to the mom who is overwhelmed by the clutter that comes pouring into every facet of her home and schedule, from trinkets and paperwork to endless obligations and activities.  Can you relate?  I know I can, 100%!  Gonna have to listen to this one in the car!Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect, and Happiness by Karen Rauch Carter.  If you have not yet been introduced to Feng Shui, you will love this book. I used to be the biggest skeptic, but after experiencing how applying feng shui principles have affected homes for sale, I understand that it's really about managing the energy of a space which in turns changes your own personal energy.  I've seen firsthand how changing a space affects how a person feels, acts, and views themselves. How amazing do you feel when you get your hair done? Give yourself that same or even better feeling in your home. I dare you to try it!Clean My Space: The Secret to Cleaning Better, Faster, and Loving Your Home Every Day by Melissa Maker.  This one is brand new and is publishing on March 7th, so time to place an advance order and receive it just in time to help you clean your space.  Melissa Maker is a YouTube star of the channel by the same name, Clean My Space. I have recommended her videos many times in the past, particularly in my previous Spring Cleaning series.  I want the DIY cleaning product recipes and cleaning hacks at my fingertips.  Any time I need a little cleaning motivation, I may tune into her channel and watch a video or two...it works!Ok, that should be enough information and mental motivation to get you in the right mindset for a month of deep Spring clearing.  Join me.  It'll be a journey and may not be top priority in your mind, but in the end, it'll totally be worth it.  Trust me, I wish I could snap my fingers and it'll just magically happen and honestly, I can't even expect "professional" house cleaners to do what I'm going to be doing in the next few weeks.  Let's do it together ok?Cheers to a cleaner, lighter home and life... one small space at a time!