As you're sorting through winter clothes and finally tackling that junk drawer, don't forget about another space that desperately needs decluttering: your dating life. Just like your apartment collects random stuff over the winter, your dating habits and digital presence accumulate some serious cobwebs too.

Whether you've been mindlessly swiping for months, trapped in situationship purgatory, or just feeling stuck in a dating rut, it's time for a relationship refresh. Let's Marie Kondo the heck out of your love life with these spring cleaning strategies that actually work.

I'll just check the app for five minutes

Spoiler alert: it's never just five minutes. Suddenly it's 90 minutes later, your thumb is sore, and you're still unmatched, unimpressed, and vaguely annoyed.
The digital detox solution? Be picky about which apps actually deserve your swipe energy. That hookup app you haven’t touched since your cousin’s wedding? Archive it. The one where conversations vanish after three messages? Might be time to part ways.

Instead, focus your attention on platforms that prioritize real connection over endless scrolling. (Cough* Couple.com *cough—where actual conversations and curated matches are kind of our thing.)

Quick fix: Set time limits in your phone settings (yes, like parental controls, but for grown-up dating sanity). Your future well-rested, less-anxious self will thank you.

These photos from 2022 still look just like me

Reality check: they don't. We can all spot outdated profile pics from a mile away, and nothing screams "I'm not that serious about this" like photos from three haircuts ago.

Spring is the perfect time to completely overhaul your digital presence. Grab a friend (the brutally honest one) and take new photos specifically for your dating profiles. Natural light, genuine smiles, and the current version of yourself matter way more than you think.

Dating hack: Dating apps use algorithms that favor fresh content. Completely refreshing your profile—even deleting and creating a new one—can reset how often you're shown to potential matches. Gaming the system? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely.

I'm just unlucky in love

This comforting little lie lets us off the hook for patterns we might be repeating. The most important spring cleaning happens between your ears, and those dating habits that aren't serving you need to be tossed out with last season's trends.

Time for some tough love: Are you still responding to 2am "you up?" texts? Holding onto lukewarm situationships "just in case"? Pursuing the same type despite consistent disappointment? These patterns don't just happen to you—they happen through you.

Conversation tip: Write down your last three dating experiences and look for common themes. Were there red flags you ignored? Did you compromise on important values? The patterns will emerge, and awareness is step one to changing them.

I know exactly what I'm looking for

Plot twist: you probably don't. Or at least, not as precisely as you think.
"Many of my clients come in with rigid checklists that don't actually serve them," shares relationship therapist Dr. Lisa Chen. "Spring cleaning your expectations means keeping your core values intact while being open to surprising connections."

Could you expand your age range slightly? Might someone in a different neighborhood be worth meeting? Are there deal-breakers on your list that are actually preferences rather than necessities?

Pro tip: Think of it as decluttering your mental dating space—keeping what matters and creating room for new possibilities. The person who ends up capturing your heart often doesn't match the mental image you had saved.

Final tip

One reader, Jamie, 29, tried a two-week dating app detox: "I was honestly shocked at how many times I reached for my phone to mindlessly scroll through profiles. Breaking that habit made me more present when I did return to dating—and I actually met someone worth my time."

As you head into this season of renewal, remember that dating should add joy to your life, not stress. Give yourself permission to approach finding love with fresh eyes and a decluttered heart. Sometimes cleaning house is exactly what you need to make space for something wonderful to enter.

Your turn: What dating habit are you ready to leave behind this spring? Let us know at editor@team.couple.com