Spring Cleaning for the Mind

If you share a room, whose responsibility is it to keep it clean? My brother and I shared a room for 18 years and constantly wrestled (sometimes literally) over that question.

Sharing the duties seems like the reasonable option, but teenage brothers are the furthest thing from reasonable. We tried splitting it by days—Ben would take Monday through Thursday, and I’d take the weekend, then we’d switch. The issue with that was Ben might clean on Monday, technically fulfilling his duty, but then not clean for the next three days, leaving me with the majority of his mess.

We attempted to divide the chores by type. I would do the laundry, and Ben would vacuum and make the beds. But how can you prove someone actually vacuumed? You can't.

We tried it all, but no strategy proved effective. Eventually, we just stopped cleaning altogether. Day by day, our room became messier and messier. I’d come home, kick Ben’s stuff out of my way, and shout an insult through the walls. I felt unheard, overwhelmed, and as if I was teetering on the edge—one step away from completely losing it.

This continued until one day I’d had enough and needed a complete reset. I took everything I owned (except for the top bunk where I slept) and placed it on one side of the room. Then I grabbed some of my sister's hot pink zebra-patterned duct tape and made a line down the center of our room.

Ben opened the door a few hours later, and his jaw dropped. I locked eyes with him as he traced the tape line from the back window to the wall. His attitude quickly shifted from confusion to disbelief to rage. Over the next hour, we threw insults, accusations, and even a few objects in an effort to place blame—for both the state of our room and the state of our psyches.

At a certain point, we both stopped (probably because we’d run out of insults) and started cleaning. I picked up a sock, and Ben held the hamper up for me to toss it into. Slowly, in silence, we cleaned our room top to bottom. That night, we both slept better than we had in a long time, finally feeling the serenity that comes with a clean space.

There’s a certain peace of mind that comes from cleaning—a satisfaction in transforming a space from cluttered to organized, messy to orderly. That same peace of mind can be found in our minds as well.

If you feel mentally foggy, overwhelmed by small tasks, constantly scrolling or multitasking, or hearing yourself say, "I'll get to it later," you might be due for a spring cleaning of the mind.

Here are three things you can do today to renew your mind:

Declutter Your Digital World

Turn off notifications for apps that steal your time, unfollow accounts that don’t uplift you, or simply avoid screens for a day to help restore mental clarity.

Conduct a Thought Dump

Grab a pen and paper and set a timer for 5 to 15 minutes. Write continuously and freely, letting any thought in your mind spill onto the page. Don’t edit or censor yourself. Afterwards, organize your thoughts: underline what you want to keep, cross out what you want to release, and circle what requires action.

Break From Routine

If you eat the same breakfast or wake up at the same time every morning, switch it up. Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier, take a cold shower, go for a morning walk, or wear an outfit that’s a little outside your comfort zone. Routines can be helpful—but they can also keep us stuck, spinning our wheels.

Remember: a cluttered mind isn’t a character flaw—it’s a sign your system needs space and sunlight. The grass is growing and the flowers are blooming, which can only mean one thing: it’s time for a little spring cleaning.

Fact

Spring cleaning has roots in various cultures and religions, but it originally signified the transition from winter to spring. Before modern insulation, homes were heated with fireplaces, and spring cleaning was the time to remove soot, mud, and stale air.

Action

Reconnect with a former friend or acquaintance who energizes you.

Question

What’s been occupying your mental space lately—and does it deserve to stay there?

Quote

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”– Joshua Becker