😌🧼 Spring cleaning? Don’t stress.

It’s Monday, Boston.

🦞 Allow us to introduce our newest obsession: These handmade, upcycled sweatshirts with a lobster holding a cup of Dunkin’ and a cig that simply say “Massachusetts.” Adorable, hilarious, absolutely no notes.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Spring changes at the MBTA

• A Red Sox romantasy night!?

• Ed Sheeran’s North Shore weekend

Up first…

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Spring cleaning minus the anxiety

Does spring cleaning season stress you out? Enter: “Soft decluttering,” the latest organizational trend that’s meant to give you spring cleaning satisfaction without the overwhelm.

Here’s what to know:

🧼 Soft decluttering takes a similar approach to Damp January. The idea? To swap out the “all or nothing” mentality that many of us use to tackle major projects with something more moderate. In this case, intentionally taking on low-lift organizational projects to avoid overwhelm and burnout.

🤔 For pro organizers, the idea “is not new,” said Stasia Steele, owner of The Little Details. Soft decluttering is basically a TikTok-friendly rebrand of what organizing pros and psychologists already know: Decluttering is step one to any good organizational project, and different people should take the process at different paces. Taking on an entire room in one day works for some personalities, but for others, it’s a recipe for a half-finished project and a giant mess. In those cases, going slow, being intentional, and ending feeling like you could have done more is crucial to success. 

🧠 The key is picking a project that’s a low mental lift. A good rule of thumb is to find a task that revolves around a simple rule or guideline to eliminate tough decision-making, said local pro organizer Lisa Linard. For example, getting rid of expired food in your fridge, magazines or catalogues that aren't the latest issue, or duplicate items in your junk drawer. Also key: Avoiding spaces or objects that are overly sentimental. “If you're cleaning out your closet or your attic and you start coming across, like, your yearbooks … that sucks you into a rabbit hole, that's what slows you down,” she said. See: This TikTok.

🗂️ One potential pitfall: Returning clutter. If you soft declutter without a plan for the future, the clutter will likely return pretty quickly, said Steele, which can put a real damper on your soft decluttering wins. The antidote? After decluttering, implement a system to interrupt your old patterns. It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking, she said, it can be as simple as being more intentional about what clothes you buy, getting a basket to keep old mail in, or committing to taking your trash out on a certain morning.

😮‍💨 And above all: Go easy on yourself. A lot of people “feel like a failure if they haven't made [their space] look Instagram perfect,” said Steele. But organizing isn’t about perfection, “it should be about making progress and feeling more in control and happy with your space.” So celebrate the little wins, and prioritize your happiness through the process.

QUICK QUESTION!

🙋 We're thinking about offering discounted B-Side membership rates for some occupations. Soooo: What do you do for a living?

TOGETHER WITH THE BOSTON POPS

As if “Let it Go” couldn’t get any better…

❄️ ☃️ Now, imagine hearing it backed by a live orchestra. Experience “Disney’s Frozen in Concert” at Symphony Hall, where The Boston Pops will bring every note to life as the full film plays on the big screen. Expect chills (not just from Elsa’s powers), an emotional crisis during “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”, and a whole new respect for Idina Menzel’s lung capacity. Whether you’re bringing kids as a cover or fully embracing your inner Disney adult — grab your tickets now!

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💅 The MBTA really said “new month, new me.” Between spring service changes and April’s T shutdown schedule, there’s a LOT to cover. First, spring changes: Today marks the first day of daily service for the Eastie ferry, and weekday service for the Lynn ferry. Meanwhile, the Commuter Rail has kicked off a new seasonal schedule, including all new train numbers and our stunning new South Coast Rail. On the T shutdown front, we can expect a nine-day Red Line shutdown (more on that soon), plus some minor weekend Green and Blue line disruptions. 

❄️ Boston might’ve just set a snowless record. We don’t want to speak too soon, buuut according to NBC10, barring an act of God, this will be Boston’s first March ever — like, in recorded history — to come and go with absolutely zero measurable snow. For comparison, in an average March, the city gets about 8.4 inches. Considering our trend toward warming winters, this information isn’t exactly shocking (last year, we got a whopping 9.8 inches total), but it is a pretty wild milestone.

⚾ The Red Sox theme nights lineup is WILD. The team has officially dropped this season’s lineup of theme nights, gate giveaways, and cultural identity celebrations, which come with some pretty epic merch and treats. A few of our faves include: The stunning jersey for AAPI Celebration night, this charm hat gate giveaway, Harry Potter Day, and … Fourth Wing Night. Yeah, like the steamy romantasy books. You can check out all of the offerings here. Can’t swing the Fenway prices? The WooSox debuted their season this week, and tickets go for under $10.

🪲 It’s the season of the TICKS. There’s a lot to love about spring in New England. Tick season doesn’t make the list. When the temps rise to above 40 degrees (a.k.a. right around now), ticks come out to play. So take this as your gentle annual reminder: If you’re heading outdoors into any wooded or grassy areas, make sure to cover up and do a tick check afterwards. Same goes for your furbabies, check them out after a romp in the dog park. Here are some tick-prevention tips.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🍸 Watch local bartenders throw DOWN. Speed Rack, the touring all-female bartending competition, is coming to Royale tonight. Proceeds raise money to fight breast cancer.

🍀 Prove that you bleed green. Tonight, The Harp is hosting the ultimate Celtics fan night with a game watch party, screenings of “Celtics City,” giveaways, and more. Reserve a table here.

✨ Make the whole place shimmer. And by the whole place, we obviously mean CambridgeSide’s *free* Taylor Swift trivia tonight. There will be food, community, and LOTS of Swifties.

📚 Meet your new bookish bestie. At Trident’s Silent Book Club & Write night tonight, you get designated time for reading and mingling. It’s BYOB: Bring your own book. 

🍷 Try some truly terrible wine. April Fools’! The wine will be delish. Put your palate to the test at BRIX South End’s April Fools’-themed blind wine tasting on … April 1. 

🙋 Thow down at Jeopardy-style bar trivia. Long Live Roxbury hosts a weekly “Jeopardy!” style bar trivia league, and April 2 is no different. 

🪄 Learn a few new tricks. Magic tricks, that is. The Magic Lab is the only spot in Boston to watch magicians try out new material, open-mic style. Check it out April 3.

🏓 Put a new spin on your dating life. Why meet folks on an app when you can meet them … while playing ping pong? Try it out at SPIN’s April 4 singles mixer.

🛍️ Shop small ‘til you drop. Vintage shopping, vinyl, drinks, and tunes? It’ll all be in Somerville on April 4 at Small Mart’s vintage night market.

🖼️ Spend a night at the museum. Specifically, the MFA’s First Fridays. The museum is hosting another chic night of music, dancing, and art-making. Tickets sell out fast.

MEDIA PARTNERSHIP

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ONE LAST THING

Ed Sheeran takes over Ipswich

Ed Sheeran had quite a weekend on the North Shore. ICYMI: The superstar built a whole, operational pop-up pub in Ipswich for two days only as promo for his upcoming single, which naturally left us wondering … why?

Well, now we know. Apparently, Sheeran is a loyal fan of Ipswich Town, a Premier League football club, so when he found out there’s an Ipswich in the U.S., he was all in. 

But ultimately, he didn’t just build a pub. To the delight of Ipswich residents, Sheeran spent a day popping around the town (and recording one local weather forecast …) before he played a long, super intimate show in his pop-up. What a guy.

— Written by Gia Orsino

🍀 Thanks for reading! We’re telling you, he’s obsessed with us!

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, The Boston Pops, for supporting local journalism and bringing unforgettable musical experiences to our community.

✈️ The results are in: 83% of B-Siders say they’d rather plan an entire vacay themselves than let someone else do it, which, BTW, was inspired by a recent conversation Emily and Gia had (Emily likes to plan, Gia goes with the flow). One reader said: “If there were an award for "Travel Princess,” my husband would definitely be a contestant.”

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