Spring Clean Your Entire Life In One Week

Let’s get rid of toxic thoughts, people and clutter!

I’ve said this before, but while we spend a lot (probably too much) time thinking about the health of our body, we tend to overlook the toxic elements that build up in our life in general. From your inbox filling up with unwanted newsletters, to the clutter in your home, the apps on your phone, negative thought patterns and too much time spent with people you don’t really love, we all accumulate unhelpful ‘stuff’.

So here’s your 7 day Spring Clean guide to help you free up some space in your mind and your life. You can start whenever, and obviously it doesn’t actually have to be done in Spring – you can do it at any time of year. It may help to choose a set time every day, eg morning before work or evening after supper, as that bit of routine will ensure you find it easier to stick with.

You also may like to do a short meditation or breathwork practice before/after each day’s activity. If you need guidance for this, please do check out my online membership Mindful Moment – there’s a free 7-day trial so you could do that along with your Spring Clean 🙂

7 Days To A Clearer Life

Day 1: Clean Out Your Wardrobe

I love the Marie Kondo method when it comes to decluttering. Her book has the full guide – “The life-changing magic of tidying up” – but in short, do the following:

1. Pick one item type (e.g. clothes) and throw it all in one big pile.
2. Look at one piece at a time and ask yourself the question “Does this bring me joy?”. If not, discard/donate it. Marie Kondo’s concept is all about surrounding yourself only with things that bring you joy. Thank the items you get rid of for bringing you joy once upon a time, and then let them go. I also like to have a ‘6 month’ pile, where pieces go that are torn or that I’m not sure about – if I haven’t worn them, mended them or loved them after 6 months they head to charity.
3. Organise your wardrobe. Find a proper home for every item e.g. keep all your socks in one place, all your skirts in another. Then always return each item to its designated space.

Day 2: Sort Out Your Documents

From bills to insurance and everything in-between, we all accumulate so many papers! Get yourself some good binders, throw all your papers in a pile and start. Discard anything non-important by recycling or using a shredder (if contains sensitive info) and arrange the rest in separate folders sorted by topic. Keep a digital copy of the most important information online somewhere, such as:

• copy of your passport
• full insurance information, blood-group, list of allergies and vaccination pass in case anything happens
• log-in info for your online banking and anything else you need to access funds
• list of emergency contacts in case you loose your phone

Day 3: Detox Your Devices

Attack digital clutter by cleaning up your inbox, documents and apps on your laptop and phone.

• Unsubscribe from newsletters or mailing lists that don’t serve a purpose in your life
• Clean up the homescreen on your computer
• Delete unused apps on your phone
• Check storage on your computer and phone to see if you can delete anything unnecessary
• Turn off social media notifications and make a promise to only check your accounts a few times a day.
• Optional bonus – go through your digital photos and delete/organise (although this is a week’s work alone!)

Day 4: Choose A Room To De-clutter

In one day it’d be quite hard to do your whole home, however pick a room that needs some extra attention – kitchen, living room, bathroom and then go through through it with a fine tooth comb using the Marie Kondo method. Be ruthless about what stays and what goes. If it doesn’t bring you joy, hasn’t been used in a long time, or won’t serve a clear future purpose, then it’s time to let it go.

Day 5: Detox Your Mind

What negative thoughts, fears, worries or limiting beliefs have you been carrying around for too long? How do you damage yourself with your thoughts?

For a guide on this, see my previous post – Do You Need a Mental Health Detox?

Day 6: Detox Your Habits

Our life is made up of our habits, rituals and routines, so let’s get rid of what’s holding you back… Make a list of all the things you do in a week. Then, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this habit good for me?
• Is this habit aligned with my goals?
• Do I enjoy this or am I doing it just out of habit or social pressure?

Your best bet here for sustainable, lasting change is to replace an existing habit with a new one. And don’t overdo it with trying to impact too much change all at once – pick a few habits and make them stick!

Day 7: Clear Out Your Relationships

Whether on social media or in real life: unfollowing toxic people that you know are not good for you will free up tremendous mental space and increase your happiness 10 fold.

1. Social Media: Go through Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Whatsapp and any other social media you are using. Remove or unfollow people that you don’t remember meeting or that post annoying/negative stuff. Leave or mute groups that are no longer relevant.
2. Real Life: Make a list of the people you spend the most time with (family, friends, colleagues) and ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this person bring me joy? Am I excited to see them?
• Is this a balanced, healthy relationship? ( ie this person respects my time, doesn’t talk behind my back, listens to me and not just talk about him/herself)
• Is this person good for me? (do they support me in my goals? do the activities we do together fit my desired lifestyle)
• Does this person lift me higher? (Can I learn from the person, do they give me honest feedback, am I the best version of me when I’m around them)

Reminder: You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, so make sure you’re surrounding yourself with the right people. It’s okay to let go of friendships that no longer serve you. However, it isn’t easy to actively move away from toxic people, if you have any tips on how to do this I’d love to hear them, please do comment below!