I love beginnings – ask anyone who knows me. I’m notorious for starting projects and not seeing them through to completion because to me, there is nothing like the feeling of a fresh start. All that potential. (I promise I’m working on the following through part as I get older.) For the very same reasons, I love the New Year and the beginning of the school year. I take advantage of these time periods to hit the refresh button on my life.

Spring: A Season of Renewal

Spring is sort of one of those times too isn’t it? Maybe not a fresh start, but a checking in opportunity. Spring cleaning is a phrase we’re all very familiar with, but how about taking a look at your life as a whole to see what’s working at what isn’t?

Today I’m sharing five ideas on how you can take advantage of this time of renewal:

1. Take a social media cleanse

Raise your hand if you’re a Midwesterner or Canadian! *Raises hand*

All jokes aside, for many of us, the winter can feel long and drawn out. Social media can be particularly challenging at this time, because there are vacations featuring sunshine, bathing suits, oceans, and cocktails steady in your stream. On the flip side of that, the political climate being as rocky as it’s been is enough to drive a person off Facebook forever. Take this time to take a bit of a cleanse. That can mean that you take a break from it for a while, or maybe you just clean up your accounts. Unfollow the accounts that bring up negative emotions in you. Social media is one area in our lives that we can actually control, so don’t let it control you!

2. Clear clutter from your living space

Spring cleaning is a cliché, but it’s is such for a reason – it’s the perfect time to open your windows, let the fresh air in, and tear your house apart in an attempt to get rid of the things you no longer need. If you’re able, pay a visit to your local charity to donate what you can. Be ruthless, like Marie Kondo.

3. Check in with your “systems”

Whether you’re and entrepreneur or have an employer, you likely have systems in place to keep things organized. This is the perfect time to check-in with those systems to see what is working and what’s not. Do you have a huge backlog of paperwork? Do some searching and see if you can come up with a new system to get through it. Potential clients slipping through the cracks? Maybe it’s time to try the Bullet journal. Take this opportunity to implement a productive change. There is a huge village out there (the internet), filled with some great ideas!

4. Assess your finances

Some of us are naturally better with money than others, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all learn. Spring is a great time to assess your finances, and see where you’re at. If you feel disempowered, there are some incredible resources out there, like podcasts for instance, that can help you to learn the basics, and more. Take a look at your budget, and see how you’re doing. It’s never too late to correct the path you’re on, or pat yourself on the back if you’re sticking to it. But don’t be hard on yourself, we all slip up. Spring is the time to rein it back in.

5. Consider your health

Not to get too Gwyneth Paltrow on you, but there is something naturally motivating about the shift in season to warmer weather. It’s a really great time to think about your overall health. More and more, you hear about the effects of stress on your body (here and here are some examples, this is not a false alarm) – any day is a good day to begin implementing small, healthy changes to your lifestyle. Maybe a walk a few times a week, or trying out a meditation, or even swapping a meal or two with a healthier option – all these little changes add up.

To me, it’s about overall health: mind, body, and spirit. Start the season off right by checking in on your relationship with all three.

Are you a lover of fresh starts?
Do you have any rituals or habits that you partake in each spring?