Step Four: Deliver Your Stuff

Step four should be the easy step, right?

That's what I used to think. But often my plans to rid myself of clutter broke down when I procrastinated about actually dropping off the goods. 

Here's the thing: it actually hurts to get rid of clutter, according to brain researchers. Skeptical? Check out this article from Life Hacker. We do get attached to the things in our lives, even if they stress us out, and when we drop them off at a donation site, the brain registers that as pain (minor pain, but still). 

So what do we do about it?

Here's today's tip: as soon as you put that garage clutter into boxes, move the boxes to the trunk of the car, the sidewalk, the curb--whatever. Take the stuff to the donation site that day or as soon as possible. 

The longer it sits around, the more people will want to rifle through it, looking to retrieve their own stuff, and the more you will be tempted to retrieve things as well. The longer it sits around, the more energy and initiative it will require for you to drop it off. 

Don't just declutter! Deliver! Today!

Today is the last day for you to register for a free Kindle (plus some free decluttering books, including mine!). Make a comment on this blog post and you'll be entered to win. I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow!

Step One: Remove the Odds and Ends

Thanks for visiting today on Day One of my ebook launch! I'm excited to share some ideas with you this week. Feel free to share some of your own garage-cleaning ideas as well. 

Before You Begin: Inventory

Look around your space and consider your goals. Take just a few minutes to do this--much longer than that, and you could end up procrastinating. Not this week! 

Ask these questions:

• Can you currently fit your vehicle(s) into your garage?
• If your garage is for storage as well as parking, what exactly do you want or need to store there? Do you want to have room for your hobbies or recreation, as well as other equipment for lawn care and home maintenance? 

We built our garage last year--the original garage (around 80 years old) was leaning southwest on a crumbling foundation. Since my husband is a triathlete and I'm a gardener, we designed a room to accommodate those activities. One of my goals is organizing my Ironman!

Don't judge me. It's a work in progress. I've got a week, right?

Remove the Odds and Ends

Time to get to work. Keeping your goals in mind, scoop up the odds and ends that clearly belong somewhere else. This could include shoes, outerwear, toys, household cleaners or chemicals you've used for projects, or hobby and craft materials. You may not have a place for them and that's why they've ended up in the garage. That's okay -- that could be your next project. Let's focus on the garage first.Use a laundry basket or bin to contain this stuff temporarily for transport elsewhere.

While you're at it, get rid of any trash you see and fill up your recycling bin, too. Be ruthless. If it truly is something broken, dangerous, disgusting, incomplete, or generally useless, it's time for it to go. If you need help figuring out how to dispose of an item, check out Earth 911's helpful resources or my own blog post on the topic. 

How do you declutter your garage? Leave me a comment and you'll be registered for a free Kindle and a bundle of great decluttering books (including mine)!

Good luck! See you tomorrow for Step Two!

You need a new Kindle, right? Register to win one this week!

My new ebook, Declutter for Good: Share Your Stuff and Reclaim Your Life, is now available for $7.99 on Amazon and other digital platforms.

Your Brain on Clutter--Any Questions?

I'm participating in this purge in October, thanks to the bloggers over at A Bowl Full of Lemons. Their blog is a fun resource for people like me who need help getting organized sometimes. I'm a true creative - lots of ideas, not a natural love of order, though I'm learning. The more order I introduce into my life, the more creative freedom I feel, and less stress, too.

I don't know about you, but I am constantly amazed by the amount of things I no longer need. Maybe it's a function of age or wisdom, but every week I seem to find possessions I can willingly part with. And then there are the things I've kept for years that I could never give away--a shabby jean jacket older than my youngest child (who is fourteen), for instance. There's no rhyme or reason to the things that touch our hearts.

In preparation for a class I'm teaching next week on decluttering (in conjunction with my book launch--more on that later), I've been reading about brain research and our relationship to our stuff. Turns out that when we give away something that belongs to us--even if we no longer need it--our brain reacts in a way similar to a paper cut. It hurts. That explains why a trip to Goodwill leaves me feeling so ambivalent--relieved, but sad.

How do you feel about getting or staying organized? How much clutter can you handle in your everyday surroundings? What tools do you use to stay on top of your responsibilities? I'd love to hear your thoughts.