Did you know that Saturday, August 14, 2021, is National Garage Sale Day? It falls on the 2nd Saturday of August each year! If you haven’t decluttered your garage/home/office, don’t worry… there’s still time. I have good news. You don’t have to do it on that day alone and that you don’t have to have a garage sale. But you HAVE to declutter. Why? Because if/when something happens to you, you don’t want to leave this task to a loved one. It’s not fair to them. Also, you should do it it because decluttering any space is symbolic of freeing yourself from the physical, emotional, and psychological things holding you back in life.
They say we only use 20% of things we own… clothes, gadgets, appliances, technology, etc. Think about all the valuable real estate/space in your garage/home/office that is being taken up by the remaining 80% of the stuff you no longer want/need/use. So when you’re ready to start decluttering, you need to define your goal, your “why”.
What’s Your “Why”
The “why” is the reason you want to do something– your motivator If you truly want to achieve a goal, I believe you need to define your “why” right up front. When the project gets tough, as it may, your why will remind you why you’re doing it and will hopefully motivate you to complete it.
Examples of Client “Whys”
I’ve had quite a few clients who secured my services to help them declutter their garages. Below are just a few of their motivators:
- Make Money: They had items of value in there that they no longer wanted/used so they wanted to sell them to earn extra cash.
- Safely store sentimental Items: They had sentimental items currently in the garage that were exposed to the elements (high heat, extreme cold, dirt, bugs, etc.) They wanted to retrieve these items in order to store them in a safe, climate control environment.
- Parking: They wanted park their vehicle inside the garage so it’s no longer exposed to the elements.
I’ve learned is that decluttering is one of those projects that’s overwhelming and as a result, people only do it as a last resort. I’ve also learned that it stands in the way of so many things. Don’t let that happen to you. The goal of my blog is to inform you, motivate you, and empower you to set goals, and declutter the stuff that’s in your way. Not sure how to create/achieve goals? Check out my Getting Things Done blog which summarizes David Allen’s brilliance.
How to Declutter
1. Define 1-2 top SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) goals you want to attain, setting realistic deadlines to achieve them.
2. Determine what physical items are standing in your way of you achieving those goals. Then start the decluttering process.. even if it’s just 15 minutes a day. As you declutter, decide what you’ll do with these items and group them together according to their future outcome. Options include gift, sell, consign, donate, swap, upcycle, repurpose, yard/garage sale, trash, etc.
3. When you’re done decluttering, take the final step and remove these items from your garage/home/office to their final destination. Free up that valuable physical and emotional real estate. I can’t even begin to describe how freeing this is!
Summary
My advice? Start today! I don’t want you to lay your head on your pillow tonight feeling exasperated that yet another day went by without you decluttering your garage. Life is too short for self-loathing so let’s take this journey together. What goal do YOU want to achieve and what’s standing in YOUR way?
“A goal is a dream without a deadline.”
Napoleon Hill
Brenda Tringali, CPO® (Certified Professional Organizer)
Organizing | Productivity | Speaker
At Your Fingertips Organizing
Serving Greater Myrtle Beach, SC or “virtually” anywhere via video
Cell/Text: 603.490.6062
Brenda Tringali is the owner of At Your Fingertips Organizing. She provides Speaking, Organizing & Productivity services to Workplace/Residential clients both in person in the greater Myrtle Beach, SC area & “virtually” anywhere else via video, phone, etc. Brenda is an active member of NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing professionals) and the former Chair of NAPOCares, NAPO’s Social Responsibility Committee.