The flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, and the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

Song of Songs 2: 12 (NIV)

The first day of Spring began with frigid temperatures, wind, and snow showers dusting the mountain landscape. By mid-morning, the snow was replaced by blue skies and abundant sunshine illuminating the woods in all its glory. The towering trees showed off their new buds against the backdrop of billowing white clouds. A gentle breeze created dazzling ripples on the surface of the pond like diamonds sparkling in the sun. The cooing of doves resonated throughout the woods announcing spring is officially here.

Every season in the mountain is a rare and beautiful treasure, but Spring will always be my favorite. There is just something amazing about waking up each day and seeing new buds and leaves form on the trees and flowers and plants peeking their heads out from the earth.

Spring is a popular time for people to tackle cleaning projects around the house, plant their dream garden, and freshen up their wardrobe for a new season. I’ve been working on decluttering my home recently. I want to create a simpler and less cluttered life.

As I began this adventure to declutter my living space, I thought about how spring would be a good time to declutter other areas of my life. What baggage or old habits need to go? What can I eliminate to make my life more meaningful instead of just rushing from one thing to the next? What unnecessary things are keeping me from doing the things that are most important?

It seems everyone is busy. Too busy to visit friends and family. Too busy to pursue things they love. Too busy to get the right amount of rest and sleep. Everyone seems stressed out and overwhelmed. What things can you eliminate to make your life simpler?

For me the choice was obvious. I was feeling overwhelmed a lot. I didn’t have enough time to do things I wanted to do, like working on my book and writing in general. My writing is something I feel strongly that God has given me to do, but yet it is often the very thing that gets pushed to the bottom of my to-do list. When I took an honest look at how I was spending my time, I realized how much time I was wasting online. Yes, wasting. It wasn’t that I was doing anything wrong, but it was consuming a big part of my day and my time. I am not a big social media person, so that was not the issue. However, I do enjoy watching cooking videos, stuff about interior decorating, and Bible journaling. I was following several people who post regular videos about these things. I realized I did not want to give these things up, but I had to set limits with myself. I had to do some major decluttering to free up time for what was most important.

I started by setting healthy boundaries with how I use my time. My method may not work for everyone but from the very first day I noticed a positive difference in how I felt. I get my prayer time and devotional time in first thing in the morning. It feels good to know that early in the morning I have prayed over each one of my kids and grandkids, as well as friends and church members who need prayer before I get sidetracked with other things.

Time spent with God in his word and in prayer is no longer negotiable for me. It is first. My cell phone and iPad are not the first thing I grab each morning. I do check my email briefly after breakfast to look for new prayer requests, since I am on the church prayer team. I stay off my tablet until lunchtime and often much longer. Once I broke the habit of grabbing my iPad every time I walked past it, I found I was so much happier getting things accomplished that it lost its appeal. Sometimes I don’t even touch it until late afternoon or evening. I am enjoying getting things done and I have fallen in love with writing again.

I can enjoy watching cooking videos later in the afternoon or evening with a clear mind knowing I accomplished the things I needed to get done. In fact, I enjoy them more now than previously. I can watch them and relax knowing I already met my writing goals for the day.

We are all in different seasons of life, but I think everyone can benefit from a little spring decluttering, both in our homes and in our personal lives. If you feel like you can never get things done, maybe it’s time to take an honest look at what is stealing your time. The first step is admitting there is a problem and taking action to change things. There is a quote I love that says, “Nothing changes, if nothing changes.” It’s so true.

Just as nature refreshes and renews the earth as the spring season arrives, what do you need to change to refresh and renew your life?