Spring is here and hell, if we ever needed a change in tone it’s NOW! Spring is vibrant and happy and optimistic and fun, so in order to welcome in the sunny times (please, for the love of God) here’s 20 little things to spring clean your life, elevate your mood and prepare you for health, wealth and happiness. Or at the very least some time to yourself and a good glass of wine.
1. Send a message – or even better a letter if you can remember how to buy stamps – to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Ask how they’re doing and what they’re up to. It’ll leave you feeling nostalgic and connected.
2. Spring is all about optimism and looking forward, so create a vision board for your perfect spring and summer. Add in road trips you want to take, (click here for our list of how to pack perfectly!), dates you want to go on, outfits you want to wear and food you want to eat, as well as how you want to feel (‘Free’? ‘Organised?’ ‘Happy?’ #hotgirlsummer?)
3. Move out the winter stuff in the wardrobe and bring back in the spring and summer pieces – it’ll have you looking forward to the sun (surely it’s coming this year) and start to dream about new outfits (and the places to wear them!)
4. Romanticise your spring, beginning with nailing down the perfect morning routine. Ignore any social media influencer with their perfect house, products and seemingly endless time, rather, focus on what works for you in the mornings (playlists? A candle on while you’re showering? The perfect workout routine? Different recipes for breakfast?).
5. Intentionally carve out time just for you. We harp on about self-care all the time (because it’s IMPORTANT) but let’s be honest, if we don’t schedule it, it doesn’t happen because LIFE. Sit down with your calendar and block out a couple of hours every month that’s just for you. Give the partner or the babysitters notice and plan your dream few hours. You’ll look forward to it, it’ll be guaranteed and you can pick how you spend it intuitively.
6. Go to a bookshop – an actual bookshop, not online – and spend a bit browsing the shelves before picking the perfect book.
7. Pop down to the garden centre and ask the experts for their picks on what you could plant in your garden (do not, I repeat, do NOT wing this and hope for the best, you’ll be throwing money into the dirt. Literally).
8. Seize the optimism of spring and really try to get behind gratitude, even if you’re the least woo woo person on earth (this story tells you how!)
9. Make a plan to do the big ‘spring clean’ – but one little task every day. From organising the spice draw, cleaning out the freezer, figuring out what the hell is in the linen cupboard and rearranging your wardrobe, make a list and tick it off one by one.
10. After you’ve done the organising and you have a pile of things you don’t want, consider upcycling some of them to better reflect your personality (or even give as Christmas gifts! (We did it and trust us, if WE can do it you can too!)
11. Upgrade your undies. There’s no better feeling than a fresh undie top up!
12. Actually on this note, if you can swing it a bedding upgrade is the ultimate in luxury – fresh sheets and a linen duvet are the stuff sweet dreams are made of.
13. Perform a Wallet WOF or Financial Declutter – from subscriptions you forgot about and opportunities to consolidate bills, take an hour or so to really analyse what is going on (and out of!) your bank account.
14. Treat yourself to a new toy. You know the ones. Here’s some great reviews (wink).
15. Make a corner of your house or room that’s all about happiness. Arrange a vignette of your favourite things – photos, décor, lamps, candles – that’ll make you smile every time you walk past.
16. Learn how to make candles. Trust me, it’s the most relaxing hobby, it’s easy and you get something wonderful from it!
17. Go through all your recipe books and consolidate your favourite recipes. Instead of hunting through your entire collection, pull out your favourites – take a photo, write them out or download to an app – so you always have your best recipes on hand.
18. Upgrade your coffee. It’s one of life’s little pleasures, so treat yourself to the best coffee you can, whether that’s investing in a coffee machine or French Press (or the good old plunger!) or else experimenting with new beans or roasts.
19. Make a new playlist that matches the vibe you want to be *vibing* for spring.
20. Ditch the workouts that are making you miserable and experiment with different ways to stay fit – check out Apple Fitness for a huge variety of different workouts, or ask your friends what their favourite methods are!