A new season is a great excuse to take a step back and hit the reset button on your life.
The switch to fall seems to bring the most noticeable changes with the arrival of Halloween candy, darker fall colors, and all the pumpkin and maple items being stocked in-stores.
Fall definitely has its own vibe, and after writing my last post, “40 Fall Bucket List Ideas,” I realized that there’s so much to look forward to, even if things are a little different this year.
But it can be hard to feel excited about the future with everything going on in the world around us. So, let’s give ourselves the time to hit the reset button.
Let’s make an effort to enter the new season feeling refreshed so that we can fully take advantage of what fall has to offer.
Clearing space both mentally and physically for the new season seems necessary, given all that’s happening in the world right now.
We are all home so much more than we used to be. My home has become my sanctuary, my workspace, my sleep space, my everything place. And nothing is worse than working, or even just being, in an area that feels stale or uninspiring.
So, let’s clear out our space and make room for the new!
Why wait until spring to deep clean?
Cleaning is not the most fun thing to do, but I swear it’ll feel so good when you’ve finished!
I recommend dedicating a full day to deep clean, which may seem excessive, but it will make sure that you’re not rushing through it. Plus, deep cleaning = wiping down all counters, scrubbing the bath or shower, dusting off all surfaces, etc.
I’m not talking about just vacuuming and calling it a day. We should be getting a little sweaty!
I deep clean my place like I’m about to have guests over. I like adding that extra made up pressure to hold myself accountable. It helps me keep a certain standard for my cleaning.
Make sure you’re throwing away and tidying up as you go.
This is your chance to take an in-depth look at what’s sitting around and ask yourself if you REALLY need it.
Throw away or shred receipts, papers, or old mail that’s not serving you anymore. Put away items in their designated place. Toss out old pantry items.
I take trash bags with me to every room when I’m cleaning my house. I am ruthless with old items that are lying around.
If it doesn’t serve a purpose or if things are starting to pile up, it’s out!
Once you’ve deep cleaned, the next project to tackle is the closet.
I “Marie Kondo” the heck out of my closet!
If an item doesn’t “spark joy,” it’s out!
What’s the point of having a full (and probably messy) closet of clothes that I’ll likely never wear? I prefer to make space for new clothes and donate the clothes to people who’d appreciate them more.
Going through your closet could also be a time to discover clothes that you forgot you had! Although, I want to be firm that just because you’ve rediscovered a shirt does NOT mean that it belongs in the keep pile.
If you’ve forgotten about it for that long, that probably means you’re not going to care if it’s gone.
I rarely ever think about old clothes that I’ve given away. They served their purpose. I appreciate the memories, but now I’m ready for new ones!
And now that we’ve cleaned and made physical space for the new…
It’s time to check-in on our finances.
I find it empowering to revisit where my money has gone in the past months. I have a budget sheet that I update month to month that tracks how I plan to allocate my money and then where it goes each month.
Doing this allows you to evaluate how you’re tracking towards your financial goals. You can see where your money priorities are and how you may want to shift things for the new season.
It’s never too early to start thinking about who will be on your holiday gift list.
Every year, I create a list of people I want to buy gifts for and write a gift budget for them. Doing so helps me get a clear understanding of how much I’ll likely spend on gifts overall.
That way, I can see how I may need to shift other spending or savings priorities to hit my financial goals still.
Of course, there may be fluctuations depending on what I end up buying, or there may be new people who get added to my list.
BUT, I’ve consistently found that planning my gift budget early on leads to my bank account being much happier in the new year.
Planning your budget early this year will allow you to shop for those holiday deals confidently over the next few months. Especially since this upcoming 2020 holiday season is going to be earlier and longer than ever.
I know that 2020 has been ruthless, and it’s hard not to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. I hope you can give yourself the time to reset, be present, and enjoy all that this fall season has to offer.
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