By Jaclyn Carlson As the weather warms up I’ve been noticing a trend around the blogosphere lately – spring cleaning.  It’s everywhere. People are scrubbing, cleaning and de-cluttering their workspaces, homes and well let’s face it…their lives in general.  Just this past weekend I spent the afternoon trying to organise and turn our mess of a spare room into something bearable. After hours of cleaning away clutter I felt amazing, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and suddenly I could walk into that room and breath a bit easier.  Hopefully I’m not the only one who gets a bit of rush from a seeing the final product after a cleaning frenzy??

So while  Sydney has been buzzing lately with creative events, (I’m sure you’ve all seen the amazing pics of the 18^th Biennale of Sydney) I figured this month I’d dedicate my column to the very on-trend topic of spring cleaning and discuss a book that I’ve been reading that is both timely and the center of many creative discussions – The Happiness Project.

This book isn’t new (in fact the author, Gretchen Rubin, has just released her second book and already it’s a bestseller) but I thought it’s the perfect spring time reading for those wanting to head into summer embracing a positive, happy outlook.  In summary the book follows the author on a 12 month, DIY project on happiness.  She praises the benefits of more sleep and de-cluttering as 2 key factors to happiness (I’m tackling both!) and I’ve found the reading to be both inspirational and just the push I need to get back on the creative track in time for summer.  I’ve spoken to lots of women about this book over the past few weeks and much like Eat,PrayLove, they seem to fall into 2 categories – you either love it or hate.

So as you begin your own spring cleaning adventure (at home, work or on your to-do list) I'd love to know if you've read The Happiness Project and what your throughts were?  Did you love it or hate it?

Tess' edit: There will be a another VERY Sydney-themed post on the blog later today (I bet you can guess what it is about). Stay tuned!

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Jaclyn Carlson is the author behind the Sydney-based blog, Little Paper Trees. When not documenting her expat adventures, she can be found working for one of Australia’s top design & homewares trade shows. Passionate and prone to wasting hours on Pinterest, she has years of experience in marketing, advertising and PR and aims to put Sydney’s creative women in the spotlight with her monthly column.