A couple of weeks ago I showed you my garage and the work I had ahead of me to get it organized. I wanted to be able to get my van in there to avoid having to scrape the windshield every morning. Looking at this picture below you can see I had my work cut out for me.
Unfortunately I’m sorry to say I still can’t park my van in the garage and we’ve already had our first snowfall of the year! Sheesh!
BUT I have made progress and that’s what I need to focus on. Not what I haven’t done but what I have done no matter the level of progress.
If you are discouraged and overwhelmed with the mountains of clutter in front of you, just start and see the positive in the progress.
Take the first step and then another and then another. Don’t beat yourself up over the amount of time it takes. It’s your time and only you know how much time you can devote to your project whether it’s five minutes a day or 5 hours.
To help you see your progress take pictures of your stages. Revel in the accomplishment of each step and continue to move forward.
Choose progress.
What area of your home can you choose to see the positive in the progress today?
Connie says
I think you have done an awesome job. I may be inspired to tackle my bonus/junk room.
Great job!
Stacey says
I needed this encouragement today! I have done a really good job with the rest of my house except my home office. I get discouraged when I come in here to work. I will now be encouraged that my whole house doesn’t look like this and try to keep chipping away slowly on this room!
Amanda says
Excellent post! Sometimes it is hard to remember that it is a PROCESS. It’s not helpful to beat yourself up just because there is more to be done.
I feel encouraged to go back to some of my half-organized projects. It would be great to come to a point of completion!
chefjulsowings says
if you slide everything over to one side you might be able to get your van in…we finally got the motorcycle in ours …sigh
Shari C says
You should be happy with your progress, because you can see a good part of the floor! I’ve been working on our “play” room for what seems like forever, and my part of the play room is still overflowing. At one point, I had so much in there that I couldn’t see the floor, but now we can use the room, eventhough it’s still not perfect.
Joanna says
Progress is progress and you are getting there! Be proud! I’m a little scared to tackle my own garage, but I’m half way there too. Currently working on a few of my own projects around the house. I love the information you share on your blog. Come check mine out http://www.creatingbetterhabits.com
Tina says
I agree with chefjulsowings, squooosh everything over to one side and pull that van in! :o)
Ashley @ AboutOne says
It’s amazing what a daunting task the garage can become. I remember when we first moved into our home and there were so few things in there. It seemed harmless to just shove a few items in there to store.. and then a few more.. and a few more.. it never ends! Good job at making progress, good luck with some more!
se7en says
Oh you are such an encouragement!!! Our house generally well ordered but there are some spots that are beyond comprehension!!! I have been working on them bit by little bit and trying to turning a blind eye the rest of the time!!! Turns out a small dent is being made – chip by little chip… and I am not spending my whole life stressing about what isn’t getting done!!! Oh before kids I would take a day and get absolutely everything into order… and now just getting all the things that have to be done in a day can be a minefield… but to be honest I wouldn’t change it for the world… not a moment of it!!!
Marilyn Holeman says
This was such an encouragement to me today! Thanks so much–and keep chipping away!
Theresa says
I am very impressed with what you have done so far — I am in the midst of a total house declutter but some physical issues are hampering my progress so I needed your inspiration! Thank you!
Crystal says
I’ve been working hard on my gargage but still have a looooong way to go. Tomorrow’s to do list involves taking toys out of the garage to GOOD WILL!! 🙂
Becky L says
You have made progress. My big thing I’ve not liked and will change is the entrance of my house. It’s still got a box behind my recliner that has my mom’s stuff in it. It needs out of there now! I downsized some of her stuff from garage so maybe I can shuffle it to garage into a rubbermaid container that’s empty. It isn’t that hard to do and would make me feel so much better about the icky first look into my house. Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂 Oh just enjoyed a beautiful day on the coast. I couldn’t believe how nice it was, almost 60 degrees and absolutely the best thing to do for me today cuz I heard it calling me. It will be raining again tomorrow here so the window of good weather is gonna be gone again! Hugs and take care.
Karen says
I find it frustrating when you do a little bit of decluttering/organinzing and before you get to take the next step, the part you completed gets messed up again. Arrgh. One step forward…two steps back. But alas, I must keep trying before the clutter takes over.
Joyce says
That looks great so far! Some people can’t even get it that uncluttered in double or triple the amount of time that you did. Keep it up!
screwdestiny says
My bedroom is probably the worst area. I just had to move a bunch of stuff into it that was in another room ’cause I got roommates. Now I’m trying to decide what to do with it all. The progress is that overall it looks pretty clean. But I still have to work on finding a *proper* place for everything.
Julie says
I thank you for this inspirational piece.
Clearly Composed says
Baby steps get you to the same place that leaping does. Happy stepping! 🙂
More Than A Mom says
Great posting. Unfortunately for us we are finishing part of our basement this week (not the unfortunate part) but in doing so had to move all of our items out of stored areas to make room for the renovations (the unfortunate part). I suppose this will be a bit of a forced declutter in those areas. Things I needed to do but didn’t quite get to getting rid of. Does that make sense?
Do you post your items on Craigslist or Kijiji (online garage sale-like sites) or just donate them? I find it hard to just get rid of it all when some stuff does have value. Advice on this would be grateful! I added my email address to my name so you can email me back your thoughts if at all possible. Many thanks.
Laura says
No I pass everything along to the local thrift store because all profits there go to support the local hospital. I also don’t like to keep things around the home once I make the decision to get rid of them. Hope that answers your question 🙂
Living So Abundantly says
Thank you for that reminder! =)
danny says
Good job at using those storage bins! It makes organizing it easy doesnt it? Those first steps will definitely lead you to a much more spacious area. Keep it up.
Seb@ Palm Tree Decor says
I finally managed to get our garage organized thanks to constant reminders from my better half. We can actually get both cars in now and I even painted the floor. What a difference! Now I’m being told to do something about the basement. By he way i could have taken that laundry sink off your hands, I had to put a new one in last month.
LoriD says
If I look reallllly hard, I can see the positive in my progress on our basement. I managed to make a narrow path to the laundry room!
Ramblings of a Woman says
You definitely have made progress! You be climbing into an snow-free van before you know it!
I have made progress on my clothing and my books. Next up is my office, and my jewelry collection/storage!
Bernice
http://bernicewood.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/the-perfectly-imbalanced-life/
Jennifer says
I wish my husband could see this post! He needs some motivation,HAHA!
Jennifer says
Love your website by the way! Keep it up!
http://www.thehomemakermakeover.com
K Quinn says
Hi Laura. Been much too long since I’ve dropped by. We’re getting ready to organize our garage too. I still won’t park in there but we have those puzzle pad thingys on the floor so my Peanut and I can do cartwheels when the urge strikes and it’s much too cold.
We also recently revamped our master bedroom. Got the clutter out of there and beautified it with new linens. It took a few months as we saved a little each month to buy top of the line linens and mattress, meanwhile cleaning and re-purposing. I do wish I had taken a before pic. We took an after and one day I’ll get it off the camera.
Thanks for your every useful organizing tips.
Susanne says
You go girl!
I’m hoping to see some progress in my craft room this month, but I’ll be taking it in small steps. My goal is to try to just do 10 minutes a day this month until it’s all done.
I can’t believe you’ve already had snow. You sure like living in cold places. LOL. It’s cool here as soon as the sun goes down and getting close to zero at night but I’ve heard it’s supposed to be 21*C tomorrow. Yipee!