Garage Envy, tips to getting Organized starting with the messy garage

I am not organized.  I am aspiring to be organized.  Somewhere hidden deep, deep inside me is someone organized.  I would like to set her free, to allow her to roam the halls of a tidy home, to be able to walk in the middle of  the night to the bathroom without falling to the ground because she tripped over something in her path.  I say that because MY room is the worst!  Well, some days the garage gives it a run for it’s money.  But, the garage is not living space.  I can close the garage door and park in the driveway when it gets to be at it’s worst.  I can tell myself the fact that the neighbors’ have a garage you could eat off the floors of, is because they are retired.  They do not have three growing children with all their bikes, helmets, sporting equipment, and all the other items it takes to occupy their free time.  They do not have the crib from their babies’ nursery stored in there, along with outgrown car seats and baby swings.  They do not have a baby in their house.  Oh wait, my baby is three years old.  I am far from saying that she is anywhere near full grown, but she does not fit into that swing anymore.  She does not use the strollers from her older siblings (also in there), since the new car seat (which she has also outgrown) came with a new stroller system (which she no longer uses) and as for the changing table… well, I give up.

Now for actually giving up the items I have been storing for absolutely no reason, what-so-ever.  I will give them up,  or give them away.  It is a great feeling to give to someone who is struggling to make ends meet, as so many of us are doing in this economy.  I look at things so differently now than I did when I was first having children.  It is so important for us to do what we can not only for those in need, but for our environment as well.  Now, please know that I am saying this to motivate myself to follow through.  I cannot tell you how many bags I have packed of outgrown clothes for Goodwill, which have come to find a new home in a corner of my house or worse yet, in my car for months.  Actions speak louder than words and I have so many things in that garage that can be reused and better yet, by someone in need.

So, join me.  Maybe it is not your garage, maybe it is simply a closet but empty it…a little at a time.  Donate the items to those in need… immediately, don’t find a new, hidden home for those bags.  Just follow through on your task.  Make a point of once per week, or month, depending on the size of the job at hand.  For my garage, I have put a sticky note on my garage door to the house.  I put one on both sides to make sure it stands out to me, to remind me to work on it a little every single day, even if it is only ten minutes.  You will not believe the difference it makes.  Just be sure to start with an area you will be most likely to see and enjoy as soon as you walk out the door.  Even if you have to cup your hands around your eyes like I have to do currently.  The feeling you get from that small accomplishment will fuel your motivation to keep doing a little everyday.  Trust me, it will get done sooner than you think.  I believe one of the biggest reasons those overwhelming jobs don’t get done is because it will take too long to do it all at once.  Who among us has a weekend or week to give their garage their undivided attention?  Just spend a few minutes each and every day and it will get done… and it will be sooner than you think.

It’s just a shame that my neighbor’s perfectly organized garage (complete with interior painted walls, I might add) happens to have it’s door directly lined up to my door.  Thank God for the canal in between our homes!  We have never exchanged a word, only waves.   The other day I was caught attempting to tidy up my garage with three garbage cans filled.   My neighbors snuck out, without making a sound.  I cannot imagine what they think of me and my three ring circus, but it truly doesn’t matter.  I would like to think they came out as a sign of support (not amazement) that I was tackling this monster of a job all by myself… a little at a time.