This week a client told me her adult son suggested that during his two-week vacation from work, he spend some time helping her go through (and clean out as much as possible) the family storage unit. My client appreciates her son’s time and attention but is naturally somewhat apprehensive about the process.
A lot of what ends up in storage spaces are items we feel emotionally attached to or are not ready to make decisions about. Storage spaces are filled with delayed decisions.
I recommended to my client that she create a “first aid” declutter/clean kit for this project and leave it there. This way, helpful supplies will already be on hand when she and her son return. I suggested she repurpose a shoebox or small shopping bag and fill it with the following:
- heavy-duty trash bags
- tall white garbage bags for “soft” donations
- Post-it pads (super sticky are the best)
- a sharpie marker
- box cutter
- roll of packing tape
- disposable gloves
- tissues
- wipes
Below is a photo of the “first aid declutter/clean” bag I keep in my attic! I am always grateful it’s there, and when I feel inspired to let go of items that are no longer serving me or my family, the supplies I need are there to facilitate my motivation.
When it comes to dealing with letting go of items in the attic, try asking yourself some of these questions:
1. Is this object still useful to me? If donated, could someone else benefit from it?
2. Would I pay money for this if I saw it again today?
3. How is keeping this helping me? How is keeping this hurting me?
You can always take a photo of something so you have a visual memory before you let it go.
