The new spring season brings new beginnings for the St. Dominic community. Whether you are about to end your first or last year at Dominic, a new chapter is right around the corner. With the end of the year exams quickly approaching, there is no better time than now to “spring clean” the physical and mental aspects of your life.

The newly bloomed flowers, green grass and abundant sunshine all tell us that spring is finally here. Spring is a time for the things that were once dead to revive themselves and start fresh. Life is beginning again everywhere, and we can start fresh too. Now is a great time to let old habits die and look for new opportunities to become the best versions of ourselves.

A great way to clear your mind is to clear out the clutter in your house. With the departure of winter, most people are preparing for the annual spring cleaning. However, many are unaware of all the positive effects a clean house can have on other aspects of your life. Keeping your home organized will give you the motivation to achieve excellence. Being organized and successful go hand in hand.

Here are a few helpful cleaning tips to get you started from The Huffington Post:

1. Play music–Music will help put you in a good mood and motivate you to keep going.
2. Set an alarm–Setting an alarm will help you have an end in mind and avoid procrastinating.
3. Put everything back in its rightful place–This will save you lots of time if you just take a few seconds to put things back instead of having to do it all at once.
4. Reward yourself–Stop and take a snack break.
5. Use a trigger–An example of a trigger could be that every time your favorite TV show comes on you have to fold clothes while watching it.

In a recent study from The Huffington Post, there is a startling amount of people that connect their stress to their messy lifestyle.

“Eighty-four percent of recently stressed Americans say they worry that their home isn’t clean or organized enough, and within that group, 55 percent called it out as a source of recent stress,” said The Huffington Post.

Spring time is all about fresh starts. Take advantage of this spring season by looking for new opportunities. Decluttering your house will lead to a decluttered mind. This will get you off on the right foot for the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. Don’t let exams get you down; instead, spring right into the next chapter!