This is definitely the perfect time to lighten your load by getting rid of clutter and focusing on your essentials. I always think of spring cleaning as a renewal of sorts. Right now, it feels like we’re stuck in some kind of endless timewarp.

Spring, are you there? I can’t see or hear you…but I would at the very least like to feel you. Even as I write this, it’s during some type of winter storm taking over most of the U.S. So, I understand if you feel hesitant about getting started on some spring cleaning.

It can seem pretty intimidating to try and take on your home. It’s time to simplify things for the better.

Create a Schedule

Yes, that’s right. You should create a cleaning schedule for yourself, and/or the members in your home. Instead of trying to tackle everything in a day or two, give yourself a week and find a way to fit some cleaning and decluttering into each day. For example, take a day for each room in your home. Just a few hours a day can help you feel even a bit lighter. This is your timeline, and you have the freedom to create a cleaning schedule that works for you.

Do the Prep Work

Before you get started, stock up on cleaning, organizing and storage products. Again, no need to think of this all at once. If you’re sticking to your cleaning schedule, then create a checklist of things that you need to ensure you clean and organize everything that is important to you in your home.

Having these things prepared ahead of time will make spring cleaning so much less of a hassle. Set these items aside where you’ll need them next. I also like to roam Pinterest for organization and display ideas. This is a great time to rearrange your items and create a more pleasing aesthetic.

Change Things Up

Sure, we might be getting a little frazzled about being ‘stuck’ inside these days, but that just means that it’s time to make your home a priority. Open your notebook to a blank page and start jotting down all of the things you’d like to change in your home. How would you recreate certain spaces in your home to make them as comfortable and uplifting as possible. After all, we’re spending so much time indoors, we need to be sure that we learn how to enjoy it.

I like to create a huge list of things from big to small that I want to work on in my home, and I find ways to work it into my spring cleaning schedule. For instance, if I am completely decluttering my home office, you can bet I am also adding shelves and artwork where I’ve always said I would put them. Time to clean, declutter and redecorate on your own terms.

Take Your Time

I think it’s safe to assume that many of us don’t exactly have all of the free time in the world as we would like to have. Between work and spending time with the members of your home, it can often feel like you’re spreading yourself too thin. Don’t keep adding to your to-do list just because you think things need to be done by a certain time.

Take pleasure in the fact that you are disposing of all of the nonessential items in your home on your time. There’s no need to feel rushed into cleaning. I actually find it therapeutic to clean my home, but I know that it’s not the same for everyone.

featured + main image from Jules Acree home tour