Oh, March, how we welcome you with wide-open arms.
The official first day of Spring isn’t until March 20th, but the minute we write “3/1” on our daily notepad, we start dreaming of springtime. When the trees begin blooming, the weather turns warmer, the colors appear before our very eyes… Spring is a beautiful, long-awaited season.
And just as nature refreshes and replenishes after a long winter, so do we.
There’s a new energy in the air come Springtime, and while we’re used to seeing the typical “spring cleaning checklists” when it comes to your house and home, this year we’re determined to bring that same spring cleaning energy to four key areas of our life: Our mind, habits, meals and, of course, our home.
Read on to see how you can spring clean your life this month.
On any given day there’s a lot going on, from the kiddo’s schedules and happenings to appointments that need to be made to the daily upkeep of home life to all the tasks at work (and this isn’t even touching on all of it!), there’s a lot running through your mind.
Factor in a two-year pandemic and a frightening state-of-the-world and it’s easy to feel stuck - in your head, in worry, in overwhelm.
So this spring, the very first place that needs a good ole Spring refresh is none other than one of the most important areas of your life: Your beautiful mind!
This also happens to be the quickest, easiest, and dare we say, most gratifying step in spring cleaning your life.
All you need to get started spring cleaning your mind is a good ole brain dump.
Simply grab a journal or a piece of paper, set the timer for 5 minutes, and start writing. Just dump out everything that’s running through your mind. Nothing is too trivial, too big, too serious, too silly.
Clean that mind out so you can focus on what’s truly important.
Voila - step one in spring cleaning your life! However, if you’re looking for a more long-term solution to the overwhelm that can be your mind, keep reading for our best tips on creating a healthy mental state.
We’re not the first to say it but it sure is true - you live most of your life in your mind, so we fully believe in making it a refreshing place to be, spring refresh or not.
Which we believe starts with daily acts of pausing, re-centering, and practicing gratitude. A short (5 minutes long), intentional daily time spent reconnecting with yourself is truly life-changing.
The Ramona & Ruth Daily Pause Journal was created just for that reason - to give you (no matter how busy you feel) the time and space to intentionally pause and be more mindful of your days. With space to track your water and movement, you can stay mindful of your health and wellness in a simple, clear way. With space to journal about the beauty around you, your daily feelings, or challenges, you become more aware of the small joys in everyday life.
Just 5 minutes a day can cultivate a completely refreshed mindset all day, week, month, and year long.
Now, that’s a spring cleaning tip that’s sure to outlast this specific season.
It happens each year, of course. The inevitable good intention goal setting, only to fall by the wayside somewhere along the way.
First, don’t beat yourself up any longer. You simply need to establish the habits that will support your goals.
This brings us to the second area of life to spring clean: HABITS
In theory, we all know how important our habits are. In practice, it can be really hard to keep them up. Day-to-day life swoops in, a million tabs begin to open in your brain, and all of your good intentions fly out the window (aka, you never actually meet those well intentioned goals you set).
This spring, no matter what your goal may be, pay close attention to establishing the right-for-you habits.
To refresh and spring clean your habits, we recommend putting the systems in place that will allow your habits to become second nature and FUN.
Right now (yes - this very second! We promise it’ll pay off!) pick up your phone and set boundaries, reminders, etc. that will help you stay on top of your habits.
For example, if you want to drink more water, set a timer on your phone for 20 minutes. Each time the timer goes off, take a few sips of water. Just like that, you’ve finished 8 glasses a day.
Want to spend more time off your phone each night? Open up your phone settings and set a time limit on your most tempting apps. This way, you’ll find yourself about to open up the Instagram app on your phone while you’re laying in bed at night and you’ll instantly be reminded that you’ve already reached your daily limit.
Now, where does the fun come in, you ask? Well, first off - actually sticking to your habits is fun, but secondly, tracking your habits when you are actually completing them each day is SO satisfying and the best motivator to continue.
Cue: Our new Habit Tracker Notepad, the perfect addition to help you spring clean those habits.
Our Habit Tracker Notepad may be small but she’s mighty!
This handy notepad is small enough to keep with you all the time to help you really stick to those habits. With a monthly overview checklist, this notepad uses the ‘don’t break the chain method’ - which is seriously backed by science (read more here).
Check off every day you drink 8 glasses, or read before bed instead of scrolling, or go for a run, and before you know it, the satisfaction and FUN of marking off each day will keep you going on the days when it’s hard.
Habits - truly the way to conquer those goals. Now, may we suggest making ‘daily gratitude practice’ one of those habits this Spring? ;)
I think we can all agree everyone’s meal plan and weekly dinner routine can get a bit stale in the winter. I love soups as much as the next gal, but I can definitely say I’m ready for fresh spring meals.
With produce bountiful in spring, now is the perfect time to bring a much-needed spring refresh to meal planning and the meals you and your family eat.
Tips for spring cleaning your typical meals:
• Look at what’s in season, fruits and veggies-wise, and buy accordingly. This may make you remember old favorites to discover a new fresh meal combo!
• Try a new meal twice a month. Save meals on Pinterest that you've always wanted to try and come back to the board every two weeks to try something new.
• BONUS to make it even more fun & exciting 😉: make it a competition! For the next two months, each time you try a new recipe, rank them by flavor, ease, time, or whatever other metrics you want to use. Then, at the end of the two months, pick the ultimate “new recipe winner” and add it to your regular arsenal of meals.
• Plan your meals for the week on Sunday, so you’re not scrambling mid-week: Our Meal Planner Notepad was created to make your meal planning & grocery shopping simple and intentional. If there’s not a better time to say ‘adios’ to the dinner time overwhelm than Spring, well then, we don’t know when is!
There is seriously no need for a million lost lists, loose meal plan notepads, or iPhone note pages. This one simple notepad has space to plan each day’s meals plus a grocery list section (organized the way most groceries stores are actually set up). And, of course, each page easily tears off so you can take your list and meal plan with you.
I am in no way a professional chef, but I do enjoy creating and thinking of fresh, healthy, and simple (read, quick and easy!) meals for my young family to enjoy. Follow along on Instagram where I sometimes share exactly how I’m putting our meal planning tools to good use. You may just find a favorite new springtime meal along the way!
What would a spring cleaning checklist be without a nod to the spaces we live and create in?
Our last and final area to spring clean this season is, of course, your home and work space.
We’d argue that there are many areas within your home, and where you work, that are in a bit of disarray and could use some extra love, but we’re aiming to make the spring cleaning process simple, attainable, and dare we say it, but even a bit fun!
Which is why we created this month’s freebie - a free and beautiful Spring Cleaning Checklist now available in our Freebie Library!
Spring clean with simplicity & ease - especially the areas of your home that often go neglected (we’re looking at you - desk drawers and makeup brushes) with this monthly freebie download.
Get started on tackling your spring cleaning and download the free printable here!
Spring cleaning and taking care of yourself, paying attention to your mind, your meals, your habits, and your space shouldn't only happen once or twice a year. We LOVE the Spring energy so much, but we truly hope the above tips will help you carry this spring refresh energy long into the rest of the year.
Be sure to save this blog post (click here to easily save it on Pinterest!) to return to throughout the year.
Now, spring forward, dear friends!