7 Tips to Spring Clean Your Life
Spring cleaning requires more than a pair of rubber gloves and a sponge. Your financial house needs as much care as the house where you live, and spring is a great time to take a look with fresh eyes at all aspects of your life with intention. As you sort through your winter wardrobe to donate clothes, or scrub the last of the mud off your winter snow boots, consider these other ways you can put your life in order for springtime.
Reexamine your list of goals. We all find motivation in January to set new goals, but we can lose momentum by March. What’s still on the list, and how can you find new motivation to work towards it? According to You Need a Budget‘s article “The One Question that Makes Your Priorities Crystal Clear”, you can create budget categories to see how they attract money. If you find you’re putting cash toward a financial goal, keep it going. But if something just isn’t attracting your money, it’s not attracting your interest either. It’s time to reevaluate your goals to see if they’re still in line with your life plans.
Update your ICE App (or get an ICE App!). When there’s an emergency, law enforcement and other first responders always look for wallets and phones. You can easily download an In-Case-of-Emergency App that is accessible even before entering your passcode and contains valuable contact information. When the information is needed, it’s readily accessible and easy to find, which are the most important aspects of emergency contact information. But remember: this information is only useful if it’s up-to-date!
Clean your technology: literally & digitally. Your cell phone contains more than 25,000 germs per square inch. But even more significantly, unused files, unread emails, and forgotten apps create digital clutter that can quickly pile up and not only visually overwhelm, but can also pose a security risk. Keep a list of where you have accounts around the internet, so you’re never letting your personal information sit in unused accounts. Remove app permissions from Facebook if you’re no longer using them. Cleaning up your digital life feels as good as throwing open the windows and letting the fresh, spring air into your living room!
Reevaluate your budget and remove unnecessary expenses. In winter, we all let things go. With days getting longer, shed the light on your financial situation. What doesn’t serve you any more? What are you paying for that you don’t feel you’re getting your money’s worth? If you’ve been paying for a gym membership, for example, but find you’re more likely to exercise if you get to be outside like going for a walk or a bike ride, go enjoy the nice weather and take the guilt off your shoulders.
Clear your schedule. Steamboat Springs is such a bustling little town where there’s always something to do. Time is your most valuable resource, so make sure you’re spending it in a way that’s meaningful to you. Prioritize leadership roles to make sure they’re still serving your overall plans, and make time for your loved ones.
Update beneficiaries. Maybe it’s been a while since you considered this, and maybe you’ve gone through some major life changes. Before summer begins again and picks up with all its busy activities and family trips, take a moment to revise or update your beneficiaries, so you have peace of mind while out on that long bike ride or an exciting summer vacation.
Spring is all about productivity. Flowers blooming, animals waking from hibernation. Funnily enough, Steamboat gets a lot sleepier in spring than winter. Take this time for yourself to catch up after a great winter–with so many powder days!–and before the summer comes with all its activity. A Legacy Plan can help you evaluate your assets and reexamine your goals.
Your Legacy Plan is also a goal in itself; when you have your documents in order, you feel much more at ease! We love to help our clients get their documents organized, so if you need a little extra help, just give us a call. You’ll be so glad you did!