March used to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, but who knows anymore with climate change? We’ve had some surprisingly warm, sunny days and so I have broken my “no garages in winter” policy and helped a few clients clear some indoor/outdoor spaces so they can roar into spring. If you organize like a lion in March, you can frolic like a carefree, youthful lamb when the weather gets even better.
Storage areas are often organizing bottlenecks. When the storage areas are full and cluttered, putting things away and organizing is impossible. What needs to happen is that these areas need to be emptied and gone through before you can do any organization.
You might recognize yourself in some of the following examples:
- Items are in front of cupboards and shelving, blocking them from being accessed.
- Things are stuffed just inside the door of a shed or attic because actually entering the space is impossible due to the volume of stuff.
- The garage, attic, basement or shed are trip hazards and heavy, awkward things are precariously balanced.
- When you do get into your storage areas, you find rodents and other pests have beaten you to it and many of your things are ruined.
Anything preventing access to the storage has to be addressed first and fiercely. Crack the organizing whip on yourself and get rid of any heavy, cumbersome items once and for all. Are you really ever going to ride those bikes again? Can grandpa’s push lawnmower really be considered a sentimental item? Is it realistic to think that you are going to refinish an old dresser?
Be very, very generous. If someone is willing to take a bulky or heavy unwanted item off your hands, let them and god speed! I’ve seen too many people hang on to things with the intention of selling them only to pay to have the item hauled away later.
Once you’re into the cupboards and shelves, have a trash can and a recycle bin at the ready. If it’s been any length of time, I’ll bet there is a lot of unneeded, unwanted stuff that you forgot about and can easily let go. Have your phone ready to take photos and text any family or friends who might want to take certain items off your hands. Give them a time limit to decide and be ruthless. No one will die if you toss out high school yearbooks, football trophies and deflated basketballs.
By now you should have some accessible space to begin properly storing the things you really use and care about. Keep like with like and label, label, label. Containerize small things and leave bulky items unboxed if possible. Sometimes a clear plastic bag is all you need, but something really unwieldy, like a faux Christmas tree, is better in a box if you can manage to get it back into one.
Like with like means all Christmas together, all Halloween, all gardening, all guest linens, all seasonal outdoor pillows, all paint and so on. Label the bin and label the shelf once you have your final organizing system in place so that everyone knows where things belong.
One of the greatest feelings that comes from addressing deeper, darker storage areas is a powerful sense of calm. It’s that rare and delicious feeling of being grounded (lion), yet light-hearted (lamb). Wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to start the spring season?