The April Reset
Jordan Arnold shares five simple areas to sort this spring, from wardrobes to schedules, for that satisfying feeling of having your life together… even if only just.
There’s something about April that makes me believe I could turn my entire life around in the space of a long weekend. The sun appears for roughly seven minutes and suddenly I’m like, “Right, this is it. Time to be a completely different person.”
What actually happens (every time) is I start a dramatic clear-out, make a massive mess, get overwhelmed, sit on the floor and then reward myself with a G&T for my hard work.
So this year, we’re approaching it differently. No full life overhaul or unrealistic expectations. Just five areas that, when sorted, make you feel like you’ve got things together, even if the rest is hanging on by a thread.
YOUR WARDROBE
Your wardrobe is less “capsule” and more “archive of every version of you that has ever existed”. There are outfits for nights out you don’t go on anymore, clothes you bought for a specific occasion and never donned again, and at least one item you’re keeping “just in case”.
This April, it’s time to be honest. If you didn’t wear it last spring or summer, you’re probably not going to this year. And if you put something on and you “hmm and ha”, rather than instantly loving it, why hang on to it? You don’t need to go full minimalist overnight, but the aim is to make getting dressed less stressful and more joyful.
YOUR COSMETICS COLLECTION
Nothing will humble you quite like going through your makeup bag. Products you forgot you owned, experimental lip colours you wore once, foundations that were never quite right but you kept anyway because they were expensive. And then there’s skincare, which is its own category of chaos. If it’s expired, smells odd, or you haven’t touched it in months (or years), it’s time to let it go.
One small but life-changing tip: create a separate everyday makeup bag with only the products you actually use. Not the ones you might use, but the old faithfuls you reach for without thinking. It makes getting ready quicker, easier and significantly less dramatic.
THE MESSY DRAWER (OR “CUPBOARD OF DOOM”, IN OUR HOUSE…)
Every home has a drawer or cupboard that started off with good intentions and is now essentially a graveyard for random items. Batteries, pens that don’t work, the box for an old phone, cables that belong to nothing, keys you don’t recognise. It’s all in there. And among this mess, of course, you can never find the one thing you actually need when searching in a hurry.
There’s no shortcut here, you have to empty it completely. Yes, you will question your life choices halfway through, but stick with it.
Throw out the rubbish, group similar things together and only put back what actually deserves a space. I promise, there’s no emergency airing any time soon that can be solved by the instruction manual for a PlayStation you no longer own.
YOUR CAR
I don’t know precisely when my car became a second wardrobe, storage unit and emotional support zone, but here we are. There’s usually an empty Pepsi Max bottle (or five), a handful of receipts, and something in the back seat that I absolutely do not need but haven’t removed for reasons unknown.
A quick reset takes no more than 10 minutes and makes an immediate difference, so clear out the rubbish, take out anything that doesn’t belong, and give it a quick wipe down. It’s one of those small wins that tricks your brain into thinking you have your life together and sometimes, that’s all we can ask for.
YOUR SCHEDULE
We’ve very good at decluttering physical things once we get into a flow state, but what we’re not great at is decluttering our diaries. April is a good time to check in with yourself. Are there plans you always dread? Commitments you said yes to out of guilt? Things that drain you but you keep doing because you feel like you should?
You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to say no. You’re allowed to protect your time without feeling bad about it. Not everything needs to stay in your life just because it’s always been there.
Let’s be clear, this isn’t about becoming a completely new person, but making small changes that make your day-to-day feel a little lighter. However, if all you manage this month is sorting out your sock drawer and calling it a success, I fully support that decision.
