Have you ever wondered where the term “spring cleaning” came from?
Spring cleaning comes from the Persian New Year, Iranian Nowruz, which falls on the first day of spring, this year the first day of spring is March 20th, 2023. Iranians continue the tradition of khaneh tekani (translation “shaking the house”) by deep cleaning everything in the house. By cleaning the house throughly, it is believed to prevent ill-fortune for the coming year.
There are other benefits to cleaning and decluttering, outside of avoiding some bad luck, like increases productivity and peace of mind. If you can easily find the things you need you can operate more efficiently which will boost your productivity. Our spaces effect our mental state just as much as our physical. If we keep a clean space then we can focus more on the task at hand.
Deep cleaning can be overwhelming so start small. Choose a single drawer in your office.
- Take everything out of the drawer
- Sort you items into categories (Keep, Trash, Donate, Belongs elsewhere)
- Then place the only the items in the keep pile back into the drawer.
- Start the process with another drawer. Keep going you can do it!
Remember that this will take time but it is truly worth the time and energy to make your spaces clean and decluttered.
If you are interested in cleaning up more than just your physical spaces, try attending one of the Cleaning Your Digital Life trainings through GCC CTLE.
Cleaning Your Digital Life: Gmail – April 3rd, 2023 at 2pm
Cleaning Your Digital Life: Google Drive – April 17th, 2023 at 2pm
