We have been doing some pre-spring cleaning around our house lately. Vacuuming the rugs front and back, pruning bushes in the yard, decluttering the nightstands, bookshelves and dressers--you know, those places where things tend to gather and then collect dust. It is so nice to accomplish these tasks, and then to just revel in a newly decluttered space. My mind is somehow more at ease and clearer when the physical clutter around me is tidied. This explains my need to declutter my workspace before I can think and get things done. Some can work just fine with papers piled high and important documents buried beneath a jumbled heap, but I would just sit and think about how all of that needed to be cleared before I could really focus on the tasks at hand. Even as I child I always had a place for everything. I instantly knew if one of my siblings had been in my room, even if they tried to leave things as they were. I have been told that I would put away my dirty clothes in my dresser just to have them off the floor and out of the way. I am sure that my mom appreciated this particular quirk of mine. Don't worry, I now very much appreciate the importance of a hamper!
The same goes for my digital space. I feel anxious if my desktop is too cluttered with applications, folders and files. I like to have everything filed away neatly, in its place and out of sight. I go a bit crazy when the the apps on my phone are not organized. Please tell me I'm not alone in this! This extends to my blog as well because, in a way, it is another workspace of mine. Some time ago, I began to feel like my blog itself was too cluttered, and that it really didn't fit me any longer. It affected me more than I realized for quite some time. It finally came out when I was emailing my friend Bekah about the changes I wanted to make to my blog. I didn't feel like posting. I didn't want to draw readers to my site because the design no longer seemed to reflect me. Bekah and I had long been planning a revamp for my blog and after that discussion I knew I needed to get busy determining what I really wanted it to be. I set out to find inspiration for the new look. It didn't take long to find a common thread in all of my choices--clean, simple and fresh. I am pleased to say that is exactly how it turned out! When I look at the new site, I feel like I can breath again, and it makes me smile. I'll be sharing more details on tomorrow's Friday Refresh. I can hardly wait! If you follow me on Facebook, you might have even noticed that I already unofficially unveiled the new logo. Go check it out if you haven't yet. I am pretty ecstatic about how she worked my own handwriting into it!
