I love spring!

To be honest, I love any opportunity to get organized, tidy things up, and get both my physical space and my mind fresh and clean.

Spring is a time during which many of us reset priorities, check in on things, and start thinking about the next quarter of the year. It’s a natural moment to reevaluate and get your career in order. Here are a few things that are always helpful when emerging from your winter hibernation with respect to your career:

1. Clean Your Space

Your perception of your productivity may be negatively affected by clutter and disorganization. In an OfficeMax 2011 study, 90% of Americans admit that clutter negatively impacts their productivity, as well as their state of mind, motivation, and happiness.

Clean off the desk, grab some Lysol wipes, and make it fun with some new fancy pens or colorful wall calendar. You may also consider getting a plant or something green. Studies of several European offices have concluded that adding some plant life to your workspace can increase productivity by up to 15%.

 

2. First Quarter Review

We’re almost done with the first quarter of the year. So ...

• What were your big accomplishments?

• Where are you on the goals you set for yourself?

• Did you complete a big project?

• Did you hit a new target?

Take a few minutes to jot these down in your work notebook so you don’t forget.

Here’s another idea: Create a new document to track your success stories and positive feedback. Every time you get a "great job on that project" email from your boss, or any good feedback from a colleague, paste that email into your running document so you’ll have it accessible should you need to easily reference all of that recognition and good work.

Add a shortcut to this document on your desktop. Seeing it there will be a good reminder to keep adding to it.

You’ll be happy you took the time to take stock of your accomplishments and progress when performance review season comes along, or when it’s time to update your resume.

 

3. Identify Your Gaps

Are there skills or knowledge areas you’d like to beef up? Are there things you can do to grow in those areas?

Now might be the time to look into that class or training that piqued your interest a few months back.

Have a conversation with your manager about where you want to grow over the next few months. If you work for a large organization there may even be opportunities for in-house professional development. (Some organizations offer specific development programs like Deloitte University or Girl Scout University where you can take a conflict management or a mind-mapping course.)

If you like your job but don’t love it, putting yourself in a learning environment is often a great way to increase your engagement and interest at work. Learning environments can lead to new ideas or projects to get involved in that could evolve into a different role or work stream you really enjoy.

 

4. Check in with Your Network

Spring is a great time to reach out to and check in with old references, bosses, and colleagues.

Every time you find yourself in the job market, you likely find yourself thinking, "Why didn’t I reach out to these folks when I didn’t need something, just to keep the relationship established?"

Well, now’s your chance. Pick two or three people and shoot them an email. Ask how their work or family have been and they’ll probably be happy to tell you all about it!

You’ll be glad you kept up consistent communications with them when you find yourself in transition again.

 

5. Grow Your Network

Growing your network is one of the most important and easy ways to make valuable connections, stay up to date on key happenings in your field, and increase future job prospects.

Take a few minutes to search for online conferences, events or gatherings that might be of interest to you. Or think about the types of people doing interesting work that you’d like to get to know.

Don’t know where to start? Bring up your LinkedIn network and search for 1st or 2nd degree connections doing work that interests you. Or Google your field and add the word conferences or networks and you’ll likely find information about upcoming gatherings that may be of interest where you might be able to meet other interesting professionals.

Hold the dates on your calendar and talk with peers, mentors, and your manager about what you and your organization might get from attending a particular event. It can be a win-win opportunity for you and your organization as your attendance could help increase brand recognition among peer organizations.

 

6. Do Some Reflection on What’s Next

Whether you’re happy in your job or searching for your next position, it’s always a good idea to take some time to think about where you want to be or what you want to work toward over the next three-to-nine months.

What’s working in your career? What’s your biggest pain point? What would be the next ideal step?

When you identify what’s working, you can put more energy into those parts of your work. When you know your pain point, you can figure out how to solve it. And if you're thinking about next steps, turn the reflection into tangible action items and milestones.

 

7. Plan your Next Vacation

Project: Time Off ‘s 2016 report revealed that since 2000, employee vacation day usage has dropped significantly, with 55% of workers claiming they had unused vacation days in 2015. And studies have shown that for a majority of people, our virtual work-from-home life has increased the number of hours that they work.

The most important step employees can take to ensure those vacation days get used is to plan their time in advance. The study shows that 51% of those who plan vacations in advance use all their days. And they found that those who planned ahead reported greater happiness. We all need a mental and physical break every now and then – especially after the last year.

Get out your calendar, block your summer vacation, and run it by your boss as soon as you can.

Get Started!

If you’re lacking the motivation to get going on these tips, recruit a friend. Cleaning is always more fun when you’ve got a partner!

 

A version of this article was originally published on Idealist Careers.