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There are many people who love to use the spring as a time to do deep cleaning across all areas of their house. This isn’t a bad idea at all, but sometimes we need to “deep clean” other areas of our life as well. I like to do what I call a spring reset at this time of year, but sometimes even the thought of a reset feels like too much. If you are a mom taking care of your home, your husband, your kids, and everything else, I can relate. Here’s a spring reset for overwhelmed moms that will hopefully help you keep your head above water and maybe even swim a little bit!
The Spring Reset for Overwhelmed Moms
Step One: Adjust Your Expectations
You don’t have to overhaul every area of your life. Think about the areas of your home and life that are causing the most friction—is it the overflowing shoe basket by the front door? Is it the constantly cluttered kitchen counter? Is it the crumbs all over your minivan? Or maybe it’s not physical messes but the mental messes you feel like you have in your brain. Tell yourself you won’t be coming out of this with a totally new approach to life. You’re just going to make some steps toward feeling less overwhelmed.
Step Two: Decluttering
I love to start with decluttering because it gives you an easy win. All you have to do is find a bag or container and start putting things in it. As soon as you get rid of some things, your spaces will be less cluttered and it will be progress you can see.
Choose short, contained tasks so you don’t get overwhelmed. Here are some areas you can probably declutter in 15-20 minutes or less.
- One drawer
- One shelf
- Kids’ outgrown clothes
- Car clutter
- Expired pantry or fridge items
- Toy bin
- Purse or bag
Step Three: Cleaning
Remember: you’re not going to deep clean your whole house! Choose just a few areas you want to focus on. If you’ve already decluttered, some of these tasks might be even easier.
Here are some areas that will feel like big wins:
- washing all the bedding
- deep cleaning the kitchen sink and counters
- cleaning all the windows
- vacuuming and mopping the main living areas
Step Four: Mental Load
This is the area that usually makes us feel most overwhelmed. Write down everything you have on your mind—all the to-dos that are spinning in your head.
Consider working on a few of the following tasks:
- schedule overdue appointments
- decide your summer plans and priorities
- review your budget and finances
- look ahead at the next few months and see what you could do now to make those months easier
- simplify meal expectations
- have a “state of the union” talk with your spouse about what’s on your plate
Step Five: Think Ahead
The last step is optional, but if you’ve got some momentum from the previous steps, think about how you can “get ahead” for the coming months. You know the summer is coming, which usually means a change in rhythms. You also may have some trips or activities you could start preparing for in simple ways right now. Here are some examples:
- make a simple summer meal idea list
- inventory kids’ clothing
- think about improving outdoor spaces
- consider skills to teach your kids this summer
- start budgeting for summer activities if you haven’t already
In Closing
A spring reset isn’t about overhauling everything and making new complicated systems. It can be a simple way of helping you get back on your feet when you’re overwhelmed. Decide what’s important to you and focus your energy on those things.
If you really need some time to plan and process, see how to plan a personal retreat!
