As we creep towards the spring, the days grow longer, the sun comes out of hiding, and we start to wake from our winter hibernation, it’s a great time to tap into that energy and start to tackle the piles of “stuff” laying around our homes. Though some people love purging, cleaning, and organizing, most of us don’t. Buuuutttt, if you can push through, the reward is definitely worth the effort!
It makes sense to start with the areas you use the most. The kitchen is always a great place to begin the adventure (Yes, adventure. It’s all about that perspective shift ). Who doesn’t have catch all drawers that have caught far more than they were ever intended to. Spice cupboards that look a lot like those discount bins that’ve been tossed about, or dust and grease covered cupboards.
Clothes closets also benefit from the shifting weather wardrobe. The heavy sweaters can get tucked away in their bins for the summer. The lighter clothes starting to make their long-awaited reappearance. One purging trick is to put all of your clothes hangers with the hook facing forward. When you wear something, hang it up with the hook facing the back. After 6 months or a year, any hanger that was left untouched can make its way to the donation bag. Also following the one in one out rule is a great way to keep clutter to a minimum.
This time of year, in particular, it is very important to tackle the office, or in many homes it’s the dining room. Papers upon papers, neatly (or not so neatly) piled ready for filing and tax season. Though this is rarely considered the most fun of cleaning tasks, it pays off in the long run. Because when you are in a hurry and need “that” piece of paper, having it neatly organized in a file or binder saves soooooo much time. And your sanity is preserved! Well, at least some of it is.
Remember to take your time, go slow, put on your favourite music, and pluck away. Though it would be nice to get it done and out of the way, moving on to the more fun aspects of spring’s arrival, balancing time between cleaning and enjoying life is important.
If you or your family member medically released or is in the process of medically releasing from service, our Veteran Family Journal is the perfect addition to getting all those papers in order. And there are SO. MANY. PAPERS. Reach out any time to get yours! It’s free!
Contact Andrea Pritchard, Veteran Family Program Navigator
613-541-5010 Ext. 4950