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Rid the year ahead of anything that doesn't spark joy.. (Thanks, Marie Kondo) See the Top 3 Most Overlooked Steps to #SpringCleaning not only your home.. But life in general..

If you're among those of us waking up March 1st with an overwhelming onset of Spring Fever only to turn on the news and find out the next snowstorm is on it's way (typical) Don't get defeated just yet. Spring is a state of mind (or at least that's what we tell ourselves..) You're not going on a sunny, springtime stroll this weekend but you can get a jump on your Spring cleaning. And the best part is: You'll get it out of the way and have more time for actual Spring.. because we all know after a New England Winter, every second of sunshine counts. Don't waste it sorting through your Winter clutter.

Tidy Up your INBOX:

We’re all guilty of it- The Subscription.

“But if I don’t subscribe for daily e-mails how will I ever know if Sephora is having a sale??” Yes, we know. Sales, promotions, articles, and anything not related to work and more related to shopping is always a blast.. but not when you’re looking to stay on task. If you find yourself constantly getting sidetracked by flashy subject lines (**TODAY ONLY BUY ONE PUPPY GET 7 FREE!**) or missing e-mails as a result of black hole that is your completely uncategorized inbox, this may be the first place to tidy-up. Thanks to the constant evolution that is software development, we’re now inundated with a multitude of decluttering apps set to fit just about any issue you may be challenged with (except one to help declutter the list of decluttering apps??)

If you’re a victim of an over-subscribed inbox, check out Unroll.me. Unroll.me is a free of charge service that syncs to your inbox and automatically generates a list for you with anything subscription related and/or repetitive. In addition to subscriptions, they can also find paid subscriptions you may have forgotten about, which puts money back where it belongs. Once you view your list (which constantly refreshes as you fall off the wagon and keep subscribing to things) allows you to choose whether to keep, unsubscribe, or generate the Roll Up Report, keeping your inbox orderly by rolling all of your subscriptions into one e-mail. You then decide what at what frequency and what time you wish to receive the roll up and simply enjoy it at your leisure (or when you don’t have 30 deadlines and a thesis due at noon.)

Tidy Up your CLOSET:

It can be painful for some, but not as painful as being constantly late, disheveled, and confused on what to wear because you still have your entire wardrobe from freshman year hanging next to your grown-up work blazers and pant suits. It’s not only more hassle to find something, but also gives us too many options. Options are great, but when the options need to be eliminated you don’t want to be faced with it 20 minutes before an interview. It’s time to get ruthless on your wardrobe.

Keep, Toss, Donate, Consign. If you’re stuck on the ‘keep’ step, ask yourself this: Would I buy it again? If the answer is no- move on. If you’re still not sold keep in mind that for everything you part with you make room for something new (and isn’t that what Spring is all about?)

If you don’t have time to run out to a shop, consider ordering a clean-out bag through ThredUp, an online consignment shop. Working in the same way, they’ll intake your items, resell, and let you cash out or credit to future purchases. Just fill the bag and hand off to your UPS carrier or to an associate in the Leasing Office.

Tidy Up your BRAIN:

We’ve gone through all the ways to tidy-up this Spring digitally, but that doesn’t mean that there’s an app for everything (Correction: There probably is.) Some things in life don’t have to live forever in your Outlook Calendar or Pinterest board, and if you’re the type that goes by the rule of “Seeing is Believing,” don’t rule out the method of “Seeing is Achieving.” According to a new report by brain specialist, Amy K. Hutchens, 99% of learning is done on a non-conscious level. Simplified: Vision dominates your brain.

So when you’re sitting at your desk and looking around at your drab office, dreading your commute home, and can feel your retinas burning out before the clock even strikes 10am you want to give yourself reminders as to why you are doing it. Enter: The cork board. No, it’s not new and it’s definitely not revolutionary, but the simple act of tacking up and looking at your favorite images, photos of your next vacation, or even a picture of that fancy new Dyson you can’t wait to get your hands on (because we all know that after the age of 30.. vacuums are incredibly thrilling) can do serious work on your mood. Doing so can literally activate the part of your brain that increases serotonin which ultimately cues feelings of well-being and satisfaction. Seeing these cues often enough will eventually build a pattern of positive momentum, which in turn transfers directly into your work. By far, this step has got to be the most overlooked and surprisingly enough also ranks as the simplest to put into motion. 

Of course, you can always change your desktop background or start your fourth Pinterest board this week, but you’ve secretly wanted to find another reason to go to Target today so my vote is on the corkboard. (And because we’re here to help you can find NateBerkus’ line of Office Décor here. You’re welcome.)