A favorite site for all things green and for recycling ideas shared an article I’m going to print and use as a checklist. I’m doing some of these things but there are some new ideas in here, as I continue my path of doing more and better for my home and my environment.

Doing this, though, can be overwhelming to figure out where to start and how to find the time in already busy schedules. So here are my ideas on that front, along with the article, which you can reach by clicking on the photo below.

The article walks us through several rooms, so first step is to choose just one room to focus on. If you think “whole house,” you may never start, because it feels overwhelming, too big to even get started.

Which room bothers you the most – how it feels when you walk into it, how it looks, what you say about the room when you walk into it. Why is this important to you – what’s the value or motivation at work here?

You can also start with a room, like I will, where you can have a quick win; mine is what the article’s author calls the living room, which, chez moi, we call the great room. My home is fairly open, with a large, central room which is den+living room. It’s the place for relaxation, reading, conversation, guests and sometimes TV. And dog toys and dog play, of course.

Second, read the small steps or the checklist for that room. Better yet, go into the room, article in hand, so you can read a point and think about how long it might take you. Use the points in the article as your checklist but estimate how long each of these tasks will take.

Consider as well whether you are ready to start right away. Are there any new products you need to handle this room’s spring cleaning? Write them on your grocery list right away. If you’re working on donating clothing, do you have boxes or bags to hold the pile of items you plan to  give  away? In short, get your tools list together.

Third, go shopping if you need to.

Fourth, take a look at ONE of the tasks on the room’s checklist. Looking at your calendar, when you could fit in that one task?

By breaking up the work, you’ll fit these small tasks into your schedule more  easily than trying to find several hours of time. Actually block that time on your calendar as your intended time to get the task done. Now go onto the next task and the next to block the time. Consider, too, whether you want to do this alone or if you want to involve family members in some part of the activity.

By blocking out time, now,  if something else comes up for the time you want to spring clean that room, you’ll make a very conscious choice about whether the new idea or the spring cleaning has greater priority for you. If you hadn’t written spring cleaning on your schedule, if you’re like most of us, you probably would forget about it.

Last, when you finish a room, brag about it. Often times, others don’t notice the great work we’ve done, so show it off. That may give you an additional small boost  to proceed onto your next room!

Click on the picture below to take you to your green spring  cleaning guide from Earth911 !