November is a good time to declutter storage areas. Often these areas are in an attic, basement, or garage and the weather in Georgia is not too hot or too cold to tackle these often unheated/not air conditioned areas. Seasonal decorations are often stored here as well and now is the time to sort through these boxes and see what can go. Often people just “throw” things into their attics, basements, and garages without any sense of order of design. Things pile up and make it difficult to find or get to the items that you are looking for. When organizing the storage area, first define the purpose of this space. What do you plan to store here and why. Once you have decided that, divide your storage area into zones. One area could be for Holiday decorations and supplies. Then you would subdivide this area into the different holidays. Each box should be labeled. I have a lot of Christmas boxes, so I label the boxes to readily access what I want to find. The first Sunday of Advent I will really only want my creche and my advent wreath. I don’t want to have to pull down a lot of boxes just to locate these items. If the boxes are clearly marked, I just pull those boxes down then and then bring the rest down when I am ready for them. Spare household supplies might be another area. Extra furniture and accessories that you are not currently using but are in good repair and you think you might use or give away to a family member later would go in this area. Fans, humidifiers, lamps might end up here. Off season clothing might be an area of your storage. Archival paper, if properly contained, could be in a section. Sports equipment that is rarely used could be housed here. The main thought is to have a plan for this area and make it usable instead of a dumping area.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
