7 steps to clean up your lifestyle in time for spring

Spring cleaning is often associated with clearing out the gutters, getting yard waste ready for pick-up and removing some of the clutter from the house, but tidying up your lifestyle can also have quite an impact.

Taking stock of what you want out of life and making changes for that vision can work hand in hand with changing your diet and re-organizing your home. 

A good way to think about it is to start with the end in mind and then work your way back.— Bethany Vessey

But it might also be better to focus on one change at a time. 

1. Evaluate change

Life coach Callie Croken says the most important thing to do is start by taking a step back and evaluating the changes you desire.

"Get super clear on what you really want your life to look like and why," she said.

"When you get clear on why you act, behave and think the way you do and how it benefits you, you can eliminate the garbage thoughts, beliefs and habits that hold you back and move toward creating the positive change that you deserve in your life."

Bethany Vessey, a registered dietitian, says people focus on the habits they want to change without properly defining what it would mean to their day-to-day life.

"A lot of people say 'I want to lose weight.' Well what does that look like for you?" she said.

"You need to really define that and then work your way backwards. So a good way to think about it is to start with the end in mind and then work your way back."

2. Act decisively

Croken said once you have taken inventory of what you want your life to look like, it is important to be decisive.

"So many of us don't make a clear decision, we are more in the 'it would be nice' or we dabble with an idea rather than deciding on what we want and going for it," she said.

"So, make a clear decision, create a plan and go for it!"

Croken said once you've thought about the changes you want to make, you have to make them a reality.

"We need to take action to create the life we want. Stop letting fear hold you back from creating the life you want and deserve," she said.

3. Prioritize

If you have a few things you are trying to change, Vessey cautions that taking on too much at once could be setting yourself up for failure.

"I always recommend, again, if you have a number of things that you want to change in your lifestyle, it's important to focus on one thing," she said.

"Once you feel confident in that one thing you can certainly go to the next."

If your thoughts don't align with the decision you made, then they are not an option ...  cut them off and choose more empowering thoughts.— Callie Croken

She said making a list of the things you want to work on and then setting them in priority sequence can make it easier to knock them off one-by-one, and may impact other parts of your life.

"By prioritizing first the list of things you want to achieve and then picking the best one to start with and really focusing in on that one thing and one thing only, a lot of the time again you will affect multiple areas in your life."

Croken agrees with taking things one piece at a time.

"Having big ideas is great, but trying to implement everything at once can ... overwhelm, which can lead us to quit altogether," she said.

"Change sticks when we take steps everyday to get to where we want to go instead of trying to climb a mountain in one day."

4. Keep things realistic

Professional organizer Margie Villard says it is important to have a clear vision of success in mind when you decide to make a change.

She said one of the biggest impediments to success is not having a clear end goal, so answer these questions when you're re-organizing in the household:

"What do you want your finished space to look and feel like, what purposes do you want it to serve?"

Vessey said a common problem for people is setting unattainable marks and then becoming frustrated with failure.

"They put these unrealistic expectations on their body to either lose weight or change … when realistically if we just try to put all those numbers and unrealistic expectations aside … if they just more focus on the actual lifestyle that they're living," she said.

5. Stay on task

With change often comes stress, and the ease of falling back into bad habits is an ever-present threat.

Vessey said staying with the new lifestyle you are trying to create can be easier if you can look how far you have gone.

"By making your goal measurable it can certainly help people stay on task," she said.

"Where you can actually see that you're progressing, certainly helps."

Think of ways of using your time more efficiently so you are working smarter and not harder.- Margie Vallard

Croken said monitoring your thoughts and working to control and change them if they aren't helping in achieving your goal is also important.

"If your thoughts don't align with the decision you made, then they are not an option ...  cut them off and choose more empowering thoughts," she said.

Croken also said having a mantra or a few words in your mind to help you mentally get back on track to succeeding can help.

6. Get organized

Villard said establishing a routine can help greatly when it comes to re-organizing your household, much like trying to eat healthier.

She also said planning in advance when it comes to diet, or cleaning can save time and effort.

"Think of ways of using your time more efficiently so you are working smarter and not harder."

Croken said if the stress of change is becoming difficult, physical exercise is always a good option to clear your head.

"If you are finding yourself in a slump or getting down on yourself, move!"

"Dance, go for a walk, do some jumping jacks, whatever works.  When we change our state, our mood shifts.… Music is also a great way to shift your state, crank up your favourite song!"

7. Time to act

Villard said most people find spring and fall are the best times to make changes because "it's a time of renewal."

Vessey said that spring is a good time to make dietary changes because of all the produce that will soon be available. 

"Vegetables are really great to look at increasing how much we're getting, especially because we live in such a fantastic place on Prince Edward Island, where in the spring we actually have access," she said.

"If people try to shift their menus, their meal plans at home to try to incorporate more local vegetables that could be helpful."

Croken said if you have recently gone through a loss it may be best to put off any big changes until you are ready.

But she also thinks the present is the best time to act.

"I think now is always the best time to create a positive change!"

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