Now that it’s technically spring, I’ve been working on my spring cleaning list. Honestly, it’s pretty boring. I clean my apartment thoroughly every weekend and do tidying up every night… but I’m doing a deep dive cleaning spree. Floors, walls, every nook & cranny. No stone left unturned.
Besides the obvious “cleaning” that should be done, there are a bunch of other things that shouldn’t be neglected. Feel free to add to the list in a comment!
Phone contacts, messages, & photos | I hate going through and cleaning up things on my phone. But I also hate how cluttered it gets. I have extraneous contacts from when I messed up a contact transfer a while ago. I also have contacts of people that I absolutely would never talk to. (Something happened with my Facebook and contact list and my contacts were never the same.) I also have a tendency to keep all of my messages in my phone. I’m going to force myself to go through and delete all the random conversations that I have no use for. Oh, and my photos? Out of control. I’m a compulsive “screenshotter,” so I have thousands of random screenshots of subway directions, funny tweets, stored messages, etc. And, for every one Instagram I post, I take about twenty photos to get the right one. Basically, my phone is a mess.
Checklist | Delete unnecessary photos, update software, delete unused apps, update apps, organize contacts, erase old voicemails, wipe down phone with gentle disinfectants, erase old conversations, rerecord your voicemail.
Handbags & wallets | I switch out handbags basically as I’m running out the door. While this is normally not a big deal, the bottoms of my bags have quite the collection of receipts, loose change, and ponytail holders. I really need to go through my wallet as well to throw out anything I don’t have a use for anymore. My wallet is currently overrun with random business cards. (Side note: I’m not the girl who gets guys’ phone numbers at bars… I get business cards. By the bucketful. It’s become a joke.)
Checklist | Hand wash handbags, throw out receipts, organize wallet
Email | Oh, email. I joke about how my inbox is my “temple.” I tend to keep my inbox in great shape. If yours is looking scary (2,028 unread messages!!!), make an effort to clean things up! It’s also a good idea to come up with a system so your inbox stays in good shape. I’m all about labels in Gmail and “starring” messages.
Checklist | Unsubscribe from newsletters, mark emails as read, sort and label, respond to emails as needed, update email signature, create a stronger password
Office supplies & desk drawers | My desk drawers end up becoming junk drawers over time. I hate throwing away to-do lists, even though I have absolutely no need for them. I also hold onto pens and markers for too long.
Checklist | Throw out old pens, sharpen pencils, replenish supplies, toss out junk, organize drawers, replace batteries on mouse/keyboard
Social media | Because social media is so “real time,” I am terrible at keeping everything sorted. I am really trying to make an effort to clean up my social media accounts thoroughly. This means: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr… etc. Seriously, each platform needs at least a little bit of help. Plus, now social media is more and more being used for “fact checks” and background checking for universities/jobs. I want to make sure that what I have currently is a great reflection.
Checklist | Beef up passwords, unfollow inactive accounts, unfriend the unknown, delete pictures that don’t reflect personal brand, refresh avatars, make descriptions consistent, create a better calendar
What else should I add to the list?
xoxo
This is the perfect checklist! I SO needed this right now 🙂 Thanks
http://texasgalsclass.blogspot.ru/
Perfect checklist !!
http://ilblogdicamille.canalblog.com
Sewing a few dresses and tops without cleaning my sewing room in between means that my sewing room is a priority!
It's really weird, but I know that this will make me feel better to do these things… but I haven't brought myself do them as yet!
Bundana
http://www.bundana.blogspot.ie
I find that while I am using public transportation, train or subway, I can delete, update, and rearrange info on my phone. Good use of time for me. Reba
help! how do you store your handbags and totes? actually, how many handbags and totes should I keep? i am spring cleaning this weekend but can't quite figure out how!
Remember all those like pages you "liked" in high school, you probably should go and unlike most of them. They are inactive or are just juvenile.
Spring cleaning is such a love-hate relationship. I love the way everything looks afterwards, but I hate doing all the cleaning! I'm actually in the process of moving, so it looks like it will be a double spring cleaning this year :O My goal is to seriously purge my closet too- I have a ton of stuff I don't wear anymore that's taking up precious space!
Kendyl
magpiesandmimosas.blogspot.com
I also need to clean out my iTunes! Delete old songs/playlists I never listen to, as well as make new ones and get songs I've been meaning to buy! It takes me a while to go through all my songs but I try to do it at least twice a year.
Love this post! I am feeling so stressed lately over how untidy everything is. I really need to spring clean like, EVERYTHING. So thanks for this 🙂
I love all of the above. I just did a spring cleaning of my phone and it felt AMAZING!
I also recommend going through nail polishes and tossing the crusty ones. Because, I mean, it only means you get to buy more! I also pull out the more season appropriate colors so they're always on hand when I need a relaxing manicure!
I just cleaned out all of the pictures on my computer! Thanks for the idea, I think my inbox is next!
xo -Robin Malia
memyselfmalia.blogspot.com
I love this post and I love this list. I starred it in my email and I am getting started on de-cluttering my life tomorrow morning! SO excited.
I would add organizing clothes and getting rid of unwanted things that you can give to goodwill or to a friend.
i am a big fan of cleaning and organizing everything. and my "wallet" is basically a business card holder (i only carry my ID, two $20 bills, credit card, insurance card) and then i have a separate thing for things people give me.
There is a site that i recently saw in Insight Magazine about a site called Unroll.me, it gathers all of the daily subscription emails and you can pick a time of day you receive your subscriptions so your email isn't constantly cluttered. It has helped me become a lot more organized.
This is such an amazing list as far as technology goes. Scary, but awesome.
I've been a housewife for over 10 years and I still find I am happiest if I can tick things off a list. Thanks! 🙂
Mica
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