Spring Cleaning: Decluttering my Life

I hate cleaning, I really do. But I also hate having a messy apartment! So for the last couple of months, I've been doing some major spring cleaning. Mind you, I felt so overwhelmed with all the cleaning that needed to be done, I just didn't know where to start. But I've been doing it bit by bit, and everything is coming along great! Every time I clean, I focus on ONE area of the condo, and just that one area (for the day). Here's how I've split my cleaning so far:

• Kitchen pantry: Using large plastic containers (bought at the dollar store) for storage for flour, lentils, pasta, rice, tea, etc.
• Spice cabinet: seeing what spices were old and needed to be thrown out. Giving the cabinet a full wipe down, and re-organizing the spices.
• Kitchen Cabinet: Throwing away old food containers that I wasn't using, and only keeping the good/sturdy ones
• Stove/Oven: Giving the stove top a full wipe down, and turning on the "self cleaner" on my oven (this didn't require too much "work!" Hehe.)
• Living room/kitchen: Doing a full vacuum and a full mop
• "Storage"/Linen closet: So living in a tiny condo like ours, you learn to use spaces for multi purposes, and my linen closet has been transformed into a storage closet! I use shoe boxes to store stuff like old letters/cards, art supplies, empty envelopes, etc. I also keep wrapping paper and gift bags in there. Gift bags that looked old and ratty which can't be re-used, went straight to the trash!
• Drawers: Taking ALL of my clothes out, throwing them on the bed, and organizing my drawers! One drawer is for hijabs/headscarves, one drawer is for skirts, one drawer is for shirts, one drawer is for socks, and so on. 

Mind you, certain cleaning is done on a regular basis, like washing dishes, sweeping the kitchen floor, laundry, and such. Also, in the midst of all my cleaning, I was not second guessing anything. Any item which I hadn't used in over a year, went straight to the garbage, no questions asked!

 I still have lots more cleaning to do, but I'm happy with how productive I've been so far! I am not expecting it to happen over night, but it's progress.

And while we are on the topic of cleaning and organizing, I've also gotten better at organizing my meals. I quite often feel stumped about what I should cook for dinner everyday! Now, I plan my meals the night before. I look up recipes either online or through my recipe box/books and figure out what I feel like eating the next day, and make a note of it. I take meat out of the freezer, and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.

Allahumdulillah, I have also gotten better with my time management, and have given myself a bit of a schedule. Morning is spent doing my studies, then go for my afternoon workout, cleaning is usually done early afternoon (after I return home from the gym), and cooking is done later in the afternoon, closer to dinner time. After dinner, I give the kitchen a wipe down, then wind down at the end of the day with a nice book, or watch some TV.

If you have any cleaning and/or organizing tips to share, please do so in the comments section below. It would be much appreciated! =)