April is full of new beginnings – a fresh new season, a new quarter, and new goals! The weather is warmer, people are out and about and plans for summer are starting to circulate. And after the colder months full of inside projects and planning, I find I’m always eager to get outside and get things done in April!
Whether that is spring cleaning my home or setting up my patio furniture, I’m always excited to see how I can make a difference in my home and life.
I find that using a monthly to do list helps me stay on track and continue to make progress towards my long term goals while also keeping me motivated to continue moving throughout the month.
If you need help starting your own to do list, never fear. I’ve put together a list of tasks I suggest completing in April. Feel free to print my list and add any other personal tasks that need to be done!
Here’s a suggested list of things to do this April to keep your home maintained and organized:
Spring Cleaning
Whether you like to take a weekend to tackle spring cleaning or prefer to spread the tasks out over a few weeks, April is the time to focus on deep cleaning. For me, this usually means cleaning the spaces that don’t often get touched during the weekly maintenance clean. Things like the vents, oven and baseboards are in need of some attention and spring is the perfect time to tackle these spaces.
This year I plan to focus room by room, so that I don’t get overwhelmed. By setting a timer for an hour and then working quickly to do as much as I can, I know that I will make visible progress in a relatively short amount of time.
To help keep myself motivated and on track, I like to print out my Spring Cleaning Checklist and check things off as I go. You can download my FREE checklist here.
Organize your coat closet
With the change in weather, now is the perfect time to tackle your entry or coat closet. To start, I like to pull every coat, glove, boot and random glove that might be in the closet and sort into piles by person. Then, I like to check everything over and ask the following questions:
- Does anything need a wash?
- Should anything go to donation?
- Is anything missing parts? (gloves missing the match, hats missing pom poms, etc.)
- Is anything out of season?
Once I’ve asked those questions and taken any action on any of the items, I like to put away anything that is off season. Hats, gloves and mittens get stored away for the summer and heavy coats are hung in each persons closet.
Then, I like to assess the function and add any organization that might be needed, whether that is additional shoe storage or hooks for keys.
A good vacuum and wipe with multipurpose cleaner finishes the space and makes me instantly feel calm and happy.
Set up outdoor spaces
Don’t forget to tackle outdoor spaces as part of your spring cleaning! If you have a patio or deck, this is the perfect time to give it a good cleaning to get it ready for warmer days and nights.
If you have outdoor furniture, this can be a great time to clean the cushions or set up anything that may have been in storage for the winter. Don’t forget to add some new plants to your planters and fun extras like string lights or a tabletop fire pit!
Financial checkup
April is a great time to review your finances and make changes for the rest of the year. Here are a few things to consider reviewing:
- Review your budget. Make any necessary updates or changes to reflect your current season of life.
- Review your savings and investment accounts. Consider setting up an auto transfer each month to meet your savings goals.
- Review your loans and look at unpaid balances, terms and rates.
- Contact your insurance agent to review current coverage and check for potential savings.
- Review monthly subscriptions. Consider canceling or pausing anything you aren’t using or getting value from.
- Update any important documents, such as wills or titles.
Digital declutter
Take some time this April to spring clean your digital assets as well as your physical spaces. Not only will you feel lighter and less stressed, you will improve the performance and storage on your digital devices. Here are a few examples of places you can start decluttering:
- Delete emails and unsubscribe from email lists you no longer want to be on
- Delete all those extra pictures you take just trying to get one of everyone smiling
- Organize files on your computer and rename folders
- Backup your devices to the cloud or an external hard drive
- Delete text messages
Focus on meal planning
If you are feeling bored with you current dinner rut or lack of meal planning, this is the perfect time to shake it up. Making a meal plan for the week is incredibly helpful for saving time and money and reducing food waste.
One easy way to meal plan for the week is a consistent template. This can be something like:
Monday – Meatless Monday
Tuesday – Taco Tuesday
Wednesday – Crock pot
Thursday – Pasta
Friday – Pizza night
Saturday – Leftovers or takeout
Sunday – Family dinner
Once you have a weekly template, you can mix things up to keep it interesting week to week – for example, Taco Tuesday can be taco salads, hard shell tacos, burritos, enchiladas or any other combo.
Refresh your porch
Has your porch been collecting cobwebs, leaves and debris all winter? April is the perfect time to give it a good clean and refresh for spring. I like to dust for cobwebs and give the porch a sweep. Multipurpose cleaner for the door and thresh hold help remove dirt and mud. Don’t forget to give your door mat a good shake as well!
I like to finish off the space with a planter of fresh spring flowers and maybe a decorative lantern or two.
Evaluate goals and reset as needed
April is the start of Q2 and a perfect time to reflect on your goals for the year. Review any progress you made during the first quarter and make updates as needed. If there are any life changes or projects that have come up, be sure to account for those in your goals. Determine next steps and milestones to help you stay on track during the year.
While this may take an hour or so, reviewing goals is an important part of focusing your time and creating a plan to achieve them.
Make a list of food to use up
As part of your focus on meal planning this month, consider making a list of items to use up. If you have anything thats old or not getting used, make a plan to use them as part of your weekly meals and follow through. This will help prevent food waste from expired unused items in your pantry.
Looking for a way to track these to-do items? Download your own copy of the March List
Click here to download a printable copy of the April List and use the extra empty bullet points to write in any personal to do’s
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