A Writer’s Spring Cleaning
In case you haven’t already started doing this, it’s time to shake off the hunker-down months and embrace the sunshine, rain storms, and fresh flowers. Even if you’re like me and simply adore the wintertime. You, as a writer, have your own spring cleaning to do, and it’s time to do it.
You may think this cliché, annual tradition is in fact not for you because it has to do with tidying a home, but I’m viewing this as more of a reset than anything. The turning of a season provides a natural opportunity to pause for a moment and recollect yourself. Or, at the very least, take stock of where you’re at. And I have a few ideas of what that looks like.
The first bit of the spring cleaning process is the most obvious: tidy your writing space. If you’re a generally tidy person and don’t need the nudge to organize your desk, rearranging it might be part of your reset. This suggestion isn’t moving things around for the sake of moving a pencil holder from one side of your computer to the other or whatever.
In theory, a clearer work space = a clearer mind. Throwing away wrappers and removing dirty dishes and wiping down surfaces is the first layer, and the next layer is assessing your space and asking, Do I need everything that’s here? Or, inversely, asking, Am I missing anything useful?
I’ve found that the ideal set-up for me allows for one area of my desk to house the trinkets and books I enjoy having around me, that make my space feel like my own, while the other area must be clear enough for me to spread out. I must be able to have my laptop, physical paper for writing by hand, notes that can sit out and serve as references, etc. This means I’m a fan of drawers and shelving that go under my table instead of only having organizational components atop my workspace.
But what’s your ideal set-up?
You can absolutely order matching office supplies and accessories to make your desk very uniform and put-together, but tidying doesn’t equate to going out and spending a bunch of money. Often, just a few, cheap folders make a big difference. Binderclips and paperclips are super helpful. You may already have precisely what you need at home. And, if you are looking for a good deal on desk accoutrement, a thrifting excursion never hurt anybody.
If you have the room to physically shift your desk or turn it a new direction or try out how it feels to put your chair on the opposite side, I encourage giving those things a go. In theory, you haven’t really changed much physically, but, mentally, you’ve refreshed your space a touch. Keeping a new collection of books on-hand and having a rotation of favorites is also a good way to keep things fresh. You’re giving yourself new covers to look at, different pages to dip into when you need a reprieve or creative push. Usually, whatever my current reads are at the moment are what I keep close, but I like, too, when a beloved old friend is near.
Perhaps my biggest suggestion for desk organization is this: If you don’t have a place for a few books to hang out with you in your writing space, you should change that. Books are your best teachers; keep them close.
The tidying and organization doesn’t end with your physical space, just so you know. Part of your writer’s spring cleaning is also attending to your digital files.
Too many times has my Google Drive been a dumpster fire, and I’m not a particular fan of this clean-up. But I’m much less of a fan of wondering which file has what I’m looking for or even wondering which folder I left that file in. So, dedicate an hour, put on a good playlist, get yourself a fun beverage, and take care of your digital organization, my friend. You’ll thank yourself later.
My other idea for a writer’s spring cleaning is moving to the immaterial: Air out your mind.
What I mean by this is pick a spot in the fresh air—either, literally, outside or just near an open window—and do some journaling. Make note of the creative wins you’ve had so far this year. Jot down the hang-ups or the challenges. If you established goals for yourself back in January, check in on them. Revise goals so they’re more feasible based on what life’s been looking like.
Think of this time as you attending your own office hours. If writing the current draft of your manuscript is a “course” you’re enrolled in, consider this an opportunity to give yourself feedback. To affirm yourself. To temporarily step out of production mode so you can see if you’re on the track you need to be.
Off-loading things from your mental space can help you better understand your work, get new ideas for places where you’ve run into road blocks, and just give you a necessary breather. It doesn’t have to be a big ordeal that you carve out a whole afternoon for, though you do have to be intentional. Your office hours could be half an hour in your backyard. Could be with your Saturday morning coffee on your front porch. Could be after everyone else has gone to bed and you’re sitting up in your room, in the soft glow of a lamp, listening to the night and jotting down one or two things. Doesn’t have to be in full-sentence form. Your fragmented thoughts, your bullet points, your short hand that makes sense to you are all good.
We’re at a time in the year where we’re seeing the whole Earth come awake, again. Pops of green are springing up where it’s been brown for so long. The rain isn’t turning to flurries and blanketing the ground. Birds we haven’t seen for months are returning. The world is revitalized, and there’s no reason your writing life can’t be, too.