lifestyle

Organize, please… Spring Cleaning Check List

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
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16 Comments

Caffy Bundy

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

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Reba

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

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lillies & lattes

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!

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Danielle

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.

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Kendyl Taylor

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

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AbbyyBro

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.

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Dawn

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 🙂

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Kasey Doeing

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!

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Deonnah Davis

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.

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michelle

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.

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Monique Rodriquez

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.

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