12 Things to Consider When Taking on a BIG Organizing Project

Back in 2019, I took on the largest project I have ever done. I helped my parents organize and declutter their 1000 square foot unfinished basement. It had 20+ years of clutter and wall to wall STUFF. It took 4 adults, 64 man-hours, and an entire dumpster to get the space in order. I learned a few things along the way. If you are taking on a BIG organizing project like a basement, garage, kitchen or unpacking here are some things to consider:

Preparation is Key:

• Plan when you are going to do the project. Yep, calendar it like you would a hair appointment. Going to be a weekend warrior? Mark it. Going to take off work and tackle it? Pen it in. Going to hustle during nap time? You get it.

  • Bonus tip: Plan for MORE TIME than you think its going to take. In fact, Ty and I double the amount of time we think a project will take. After all, life happens and things don’t always go as planned.

• Set goals for what you expect to do each day. For example, when I helped my parents clean out 20+ years of stuff that accumulated in their basement our goal for day #1 was to identify a category for every item: Keep, Donate, Sell, or Trash.

• Determine your vision for the space before you start. At least, list out:

  • what is working in the space,

  • what is not, and

  • how you want the space to function when you finish.

“Know this —> You WILL have moments of overwhelm. Having a clear reminder of what you are working toward will get you through those tough moments.”

Services You May Need

• If you think you will to have a large amount of trash, schedule a dumpster and/or recycling service. We use @reddogdumpsters in Nashville.

• Schedule a donation pick up following your clean out. Here is a list of 8 companies that offer free donation pick up.

• Shredding. Both UPS and FedEx provide these services. You can also consider shredding yourself.

• Hard drive annihilation/electronics disposal (BEST BUY has both a recycling and buy back program)

• Disposal of chemicals. Most states support safe disposal of chemicals for free. Look into your local public works website for more info.

• Purchase paint hardener and a drill stirring attachment if you need to dispose of old paint (so you can throw it away).

• Decide if you are going to donate, sell or a combination of this. I would suggest setting a minimum dollar amount for sale items. For example, if an item is not worth more than $20, don’t list it. Some things are not worth your time.

Strategies for Tackling the BIG Project (During)

• Use my organizing process to simplify the project and avoid overwhelm

• Break your space into smaller pieces by dividing into manageable zones

• Consider using WORK SPRINTS to sort items into keep, donate and trash categories

Are you tackling a big project? How can I help?

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Caro