Anyone who has suffered through a dreary Philadelphia winter knows the eager anticipation of spring. Philly in the winter most closely resembles Dorothy Gale’s Kansas—gray, bland, and monotonous. Here, we wait like eager Munchkins to be returned to the color of Oz.
I couldn’t wait for the release of spring when I was young, with one gigantic and glaring exception: spring was also synonymous with spring cleaning, part of the twice-annual ritual when my tiny, four-foot-eleven-inch mother took on the demeanor of a four-star general on the attack.
No surface, no item, unless bolted down, was safe from moving, possible disassembly and scrubbing, including all beds, dressers, dining room cabinets, sofas, chairs, draperies, blinds, shades, and walls. She never actually took down the walls, but I know she would have if she could have.
Every family member participated, and to we kids, it was like forced labor in Siberia, only without the cold. Turns out, little Italian women on a cleaning mission are scary. We did what we were told.
But, although I never admitted it to my mother, there was great comfort derived from climbing into bed after the purge, knowing that not a single creepy crawly could have survived banishment, and indoor cobwebs were simply the stuff of scary movies.
I confess my own spring cleaning rituals are far less arduous, but I’ve also adapted the practice to a part of my life that didn’t apply to my mother’s version of the chore—a spring cleaning of my work life.
Spring cleaning offers the perfect opportunity to clear out the cobwebs in your business, getting rid of things that aren’t working, taking a fresh look at your online presence, and revising your marketing plan. (Check out similar advice from Forbes.) And let’s not forget the practical aspects. Your desk or workspace, which I’d guess needs a thorough purging if my own is any indication. A recent survey of files on my desk revealed things I hadn’t used in years, despite hanging onto them while thinking, “I might need this someday.” This year, OUT!