Welcome to Month by Month:

This blog is my own little version of organization central. We touch on just about every aspect of home, family, and holiday organization here. It is my hope that by blogging my experiences, I can grow as an individual and perhaps inspire others to try new things and think about everyday life a little differently. So please join us in organizing for life every month of the year!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Move It Out Monday: Cleaning the Garage

I just had to share a bit of a triumph with you....the garage is cleaned out.....yes I must admit it took a termit problem to spur on this huge accomplishment but it is done...!! There's still a bit of fine tuning...a few more things I can sort and get rid of but it looks so GREAT!

Which brings me to the whole point.....decluttering is motivating.....you get so much energy from CLEAN space that it's amazing. Here are a few garage tips/ideas that I discovered while rummaging through about TEN years worth of stuff!

1. Storage containers are clutter too. Get rid of them...keep only a very few. If you have dealt with clutter by adding storage containers you probably have this problem...you can't manage clutter by storing. I mean REALLY how much stuff should you store? Not much!

2. If you have items you aren't sure about keeping....put them in a pile and at the END of the decluttering day...look through them again and decide. You are much more likely to get rid of them at the end...you tired!  (hey work with what gets you through it!)

3. After you declutter a major area...set up a monitoring schedule....once a week...(or so) take a walk through and look around. Find any clutter? Deal with it immediately....that way it doesn't build back up!

4. Get rid of about 65% of what you have. This is when you have a big mess that has lingered for years. Once you start monitoring this won't be a "rule."  Seriously, we can live with WAY less than we hoard.

5. Ask:  Do I love it?  Do I need it? Could I replace it if I found I needed it?  If the answers are YES to the first two keep it!  If the answer to the third question is yes....get rid of it!

So I am happy about one big job down.....but there's more clutter!  So I keep moving forward....but the garage goes on the monitor list...not the "to do" list!!  CELEBRATE!!!

No comments: