Spring is finally upon us!  And with it comes renewed hope for making changes this year.  

While many folks use spring to focus on external spring cleaning, it’s also a great time to do some internal spring cleaning that can support you in making a shift.   

Here are five tips tailor-made for Gen X’ers to do some internal spring cleaning.    

No. 1:  Declutter your priorities

Gen X’ers are drowning in competing priorities and it can feel overwhelming to know where to start.  

You have to work, pay the bills, save for retirement (or worry about not having saved enough for retirement), pay off debt, take care of kids or take care of yourself all on your own, help out your parents, work out, eat healthy, clean the house, walk the dog or scoop the litter box, take the car to the shop, spend time with your loved ones, and then try to find time for yourself.  

Despite the messaging that we received growing up that we should be able to “do it all,” the cold hard truth is that you cannot do it all.  You never will be able to do it all.  And even if you do it all, you’ll think of more stuff to do.  

So, instead of adding to your “priorities,” stop to consider what constitutes a “priority.”  

Try one of these techniques:  

• Create an Eisenhower Matrix:  The Eisenhower Matrix (yes, developed by President Eisenhower) helps you organize your day according to four areas:  

• Do Immediately:  things that are both urgent and important  

• Decide later:  things that are important, but not urgent

• Delegate:  things that not important, but urgent

• Delete:  things that are not important and not urgent

• Create a Zone of Genius Matrix:  The Zone of Genius matrix is taken from the book, The Big Leap:  Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks.  To help you prioritize, consider increasing the time you spend doing things in the Zone of Genius, and decrease the amount of time you spend in these other areas: 

• Zone of Genius:  the activities that are you uniquely suited to do and when you experience “flow”

• Zone of Excellence:  activities that you do extremely well, but don’t really love

• Zone of Competence:  things you can do, but others can do them also (even if they don’t do them as quickly as you do)

• Zone of Incompetence:  all the activities that you’re not good at and don’t like to do.  

No. 2:  Make mental and emotional space

We know that spring cleaning our house feels good because it creates space.  But we often don’t think about creating mental and emotional space for our negative thoughts and unpleasant emotions.  Instead, we shove them into a secret closet like Monica on Friends, thinking that “outta sight, outta mind” solves the problem.  

But it doesn’t.  In fact, those thoughts and emotions eventually burst through that closet door in messy fashion.  

So, let’s do some mental and emotional spring cleaning to create space within ourselves: 

• Try this R.A.I.N. for Challenging Situations guided meditation 

• Journal first thing in the morning or right before bed by free-writing.  Let that mental and emotional gunk spew out onto the paper.  You’d be surprised at how much space can open up when you release those unpleasant thoughts and feelings in the privacy of your journal. 

No. 3:  Clear out the cobwebs

Winter is a great time to allow our bodies to slow down, rest, and hibernate.  If you took some time off this winter from physical activity, or if you’ve experienced health changes that have slowed you down, let’s clear out some of those cobwebs that leave you feeling sticky.  

Start by embracing the power of small steps–literally and figuratively.  Wherever you find yourself in your physical abilities this spring, move slowly and gradually.  Think of spring like an invitation to warm up your body in small, easeful ways.  Whether it’s gentle stretching during a conference call, or getting in your steps with a nice spring walk, use this season to slowly and gradually clean out those bodily cobwebs. 

No. 4:  Plug into support

We Gen X’ers sure do pride ourselves on our rugged independence.  Consequently, we often unplug ourselves from connection and support.  But staying unplugged from support during this stage of life isn't quite as amazing as MTV Unplugged.  In fact, staying stuck in our old patterns of rugged individualism and independence may be doing us a great disservice.  

Because here’s another truth bomb:  you aren’t meant to do life all on your own, no matter how well you “think” you’ve done it on your own up until now.  

I know that asking for help or support feels vulnerable, scary, and foreign. That’s why spring is the perfect time to slowly plug into more support.  

Start with small “asks,” like asking: 

• someone to help you with the groceries,

• for a small piece of advice,    

• for help reaching something on the top shelf, or 

• to hold the door for you.

Plugging into the people around you for support and help will start to feel more comfortable over time.  

No. 5:  Stop to smell the roses

There’s a reason for the saying, “stop and smell the roses.”  When we’re rushing through life, in survival mode, trying to “do it all,” we end up missing our life.  

As the flowers come up this spring, actually stop to smell or admire them.  Notice the tiny details.  The color variations.  Think about all the work that flower did beneath the surface before it popped its head above ground.  That flower underwent a lot of shifts before it became a flower. 

The same goes for you. You’re undergoing a lot of shifts, whether you realize it or not.  Just remember to take a moment to notice what’s happening around and within you.  And when you do, you may realize that the insights you need to make your next big shift have been within you all along.