🧽🌸Spring Cleaning Your Way to Success🧹🌻 -

Q2, what it do??? Seems like we just said “Happy New Year” last week, but we already have tackled 95 days! 🎉 With each new month, quarter, & year, I try to clean the slate to set the next 3 months up for success. Consequently, “spring cleaning” comes way more than once a year for me. Pardon my nit-pickiness, but this works…🤷🏽‍♀️

New Year Spring Cleaning🎆🎇

Yes, I’m one of those stereotypical folks who likes to make New Year’s Resolutions. 🤷🏽‍♀️ I make a list at the end of the year, set goals for the next year, & have good intentions on following through. Prior to this year, by February, those resolutions are just on whatever I wrote them on. Out of sight, out of mind!

For some reason, 2024 has been different. It’s April, & I’m still holding steady with the things I put in place on January 1st. 🙌🏽 I’m not sure what has changed; it could be a variety of factors:

Focus 🔎: I think I’m way more laser-focused this year than the previous ones. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m pushing closer to the big 5-0, or if I have goals that matter a lot more to me, but I’m loving the motivation!
Better planning🧭: I didn’t just set goals this time; I put steps with deadlines for each too. Since I work better under pressure, I know I need a timeline so I can stay on track. I don’t like to lose, so I can go hard to beat myself.
Fewer distractions🧘🏽‍♀️: I always have a lot going on, but this year has given me (or I’ve made) more time to focus on what matters to me. Don’t get me wrong, I still handle my duties as a wife, mother, employee, & business owner, but I’ve loosened the reins for everyone & everything outside of those. In fact, I’ve backed off of the employee & some mother duties as well since: a) I’m burnt out, b) the kids are older, & c) I understand I can only control myself.

Jumping into January🤿

I try to go into January with guns blazing, locked & loaded to conquer the year to come. In addition to goal planning for the year, I’ve started breaking them down into targets for the quarter, month, & sometimes week. Because I wear so many hats, I have to stay organized to keep stress at a minimum. 👒👩🏽‍🍳🕵🏽‍♀️

This is where my Intentional Planner comes in handy. January 1st (after I’ve recovered from whatever shenanigans husbae & I got into for our anniversary), I whip it out & brainstorm my vision for the year. There’s a page right at the front to complete a vision board on. Mine is never fancy though; I just write stuff in. ✍🏽

I also set my annual goals on that designated page. Usually I’ve already taken time in the previous week to determine what I wanted to achieve the next year, so I just transfer the info from my Notes app in my phone to the planner. I try to be as specific as possible. Leaving room for gray areas allows me to make excuses. Unacceptable! 🙅🏽‍♀️

Then I break those big goals down into what I want to do quarterly, monthly, & weekly. Whatever tasks I choose to complete each week go on the side of my weekly schedule to remind me of my priorities. 🤔 They also urge me to add time to my schedule to focus on those things. Between writing those important tasks in my planner & setting alerts on my phone, I can keep up pretty easily.

Preparing for Q1 📦

Podcasts have been added to my arsenal of weapons. 🎧 I’m a book lover, but there’s so much info out there to learn that I gave it a shot & have found some pretty dope ones. If I want to be entertained, I’ll hit up Lip Service, Drink Champs, The Jason Lee Show, or Carlos King. They each have unique ways of interviewing people, so I’m never let down. They cover almost anything you can think of about & with everybody. Gives me something to listen to as I drive or want some background noise as I multitask.

Now The Black Girl Bravado & the Brown Girl Self-Care podcasts give me gems to elevate my mind & life. 🧘🏽‍♀️💎 The BGB makes me think a little deeper into the things I do, say, & think. It gives me some other perspectives on how life is for other women. They cover everything from self-care to evolving into a new you, so there’s plenty of info there to be shared.

Bre Mitchell is the reason I have so many whiteboards now. Her organizational tools have definitely impacted my routine in a positive way. I wake up & go to bed in a positive frame of mind. And her episode on becoming a new you pushed me into making a cleaning schedule so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. I can really say those whiteboards changed my life.🥰

Along with my new cleaning schedule came my improved morning & nighttime routines. 🌅🌄 At first, waking up 45 minutes earlier when I work was a struggle…I mean front seat of the struggle bus struggle! I’d find myself doing yoga with my eyes closed & getting dressed in the dark just to try to avoid getting the grumps. 😴Now, when 4:30 rolls around, I’m bright-eyed & bushy-tailed for the most part. I still prefer not to have convos until after the sun comes up, but I’m up & moving at least.

Those extra 45 minutes give me a chance to be relaxed in the morning. Instead of jumping up, throwing on clothes, & sliding to my desk downstairs, I enjoy the quiet, the darkness, & not feeling rushed. I keep the same routine on weekends, just not at 4:30am.

At night, I added a few things to my day planning, meditating, journaling, & yoga sessions. My whiteboards help me reflect on the day & prepare for tomorrow. Most nights I don’t feel rushed either unless I have something to do that evening. I try to wind down slowly so I’m not lying awake when I should be asleep. 🛌 And it helps that I have a new accountability partner with doing yoga. Husbae will say real quick “come on so we can do yoga.” We wind down together! 👩🏾‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏾

Maintaining Throughout Q1 💪🏽

My routines are a part of me. I always have something going on, so I keep things monotonous so I can stay afloat. Yes, it can be boring & predictable, but that’s what helps me manage stress. I let planning work for me, & once I get into the thick of it, it just flows. 🌊

Amazingly, going on vacation didn’t disrupt my routines too much. The wake up & sleep alerts weren’t on, but I still managed to do the majority of my routines. Mornings worked better than nights since we stayed up pretty late the whole time. And since I enjoy the routines, it wasn’t hard to get back into them when I got home. I picked back up right where I left off.

Q2 Spring Cleaning 💐🧹

I’m determined to keep the good vibes flowing throughout Q2. I just have to wrap up a few projects from Q1 (the new spiritual & youth journals), & then I can focus on the major moves for the second quarter. I overloaded myself a little with setting 2 design deadlines at the end of vacation, so I’m working on putting the finishing touches on Soulful Serenity & Youthful Reflections. They are ready for pre-order though. 📚

House Cleaning 🏡

I did get some of the cleaning tasks I don’t have to do as often out of the way early though. The comforters on the beds are washed. The blinds have been dusted in each room. Trash cans have been sanitized. My workspace is in order. So far, so good.

However, I am going to have to carve out some time to do the real spring cleaning. Here’s my list for the month:📋✅

Clean the carpet
Wash the windows
Clean the fabric on the furniture
Wash the curtains, shower curtain, & pillows
Clean the refrigerator, microwave, stove, dishwasher, & freezer
Purge under bathroom sinks
Declutter the linen & bedroom closets

Later this quarter, I’ll also tackle these so cleaning doesn’t become overwhelming & the house isn’t junky:

Descale the Keurig
Donate clothes to Goodwill

Until you start cleaning on a regular basis, you may not realize how much mess you have. Not just mess, unnecessary mess. Things that just take up space. When I first adopted my cleaning schedule, I found things I’d forgotten I had. 😱 It was just stuff in drawers, in closets, in cabinets, in boxes, & in totes, everywhere. You never know how much of a pack rat you are until it’s time to clean or move.

Body Cleaning 🛀

Can’t just clean your house without cleaning your body! Exfoliation was a must after I came back with that nice lil hint of a tan. I tend to do it on a regular basis though. Rough skin is not an option. I definitely had to put some moisture back in too. Between the baking sun, ocean air, & coming back to the polar opposite, my body needed a little TLC. 🧖🏽‍♀️

I intended to go on a liquid fast detox diet when I first came back, but I have yet to do it. I did boost up my water intake & have been trying to eat better. Anyone who’s been on a cruise understands how difficult it is to come back home after eating everything in sight everywhere you went every day. Not to mention, we pretty much had “adult juice” around the clock so my kidneys & liver were screaming at me to give them a break. 🍷🍸🍹 That’s what vacations are for though, right?

In the next couple of weeks, I plan on doing more meal planning to stay away from the junk some more. I’m a foodie, & it’s hard for me to pass up anything that might be good. 🤤 I want to couple that with the exercise routine I have going so I can tone this waistline up. I’m not trying to have the kangaroo pouch going on! 🦘

I have all faith in Q2 of 2024 being positive. Despite some of the negativity I’ve encountered over the last couple of months, I’ve continued to live life like it’s golden. I have so much more to do, so many more places to go, & even more people I need to touch (in some manner). This Spring 31 Day Self-Care Challenge is aiding in my resetting (shoot me a message if you need a copy). No slowing down now; can’t stop, won’t stop! Let’s crush Q2! 💪🏽