Organizing: Success Strategies for Road Trip Rookies

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If You Can Drive, You Can Organize Series Part 2 of 3: 

Road Trip Strategies for Success: Setting Out on Longer Organizing Projects

  • To find some extra time to put toward this goal, think of one or more things you could skip doing to gain some extra time (i.e. order out vs cook, ask your spouse or a friend to take your kids on a half day playdate, give up TV viewing and social media for the day)

  • Focus on the purpose of the space you are organizing to help you stay on track and know what things to get rid of (see post titled “Getting a vision of a space by defining its purpose”)

  • Make sure those you live with understand that this process that will get messier on the way to getting better

  • Talk over time frames, what area you are tackling and what to do with things you run across that are theirs (i.e. leave where they are or put in a box for them to go through) and what to do with things you will want to get rid of (i.e. donate, sell) ahead of time

  • If you cannot get agreement from your family ahead of time, focus on cleaning out, narrowing down and organizing your own things

  • Pull together these organizing supplies: boxes or bags for give away, move to another room, unsure, sell, a trash can, sharpie for labeling, post-it notes

  • Have healthy snacks (i.e. nuts and fruit) on hand and plan to eat every 3 1/2-4 hours to keep your energy level up and remember to drink plenty of healthy fluids too

  • Make piles for things that need to go to other parts of the house (use a labeled box per room or post-it-note on the floor to stack things behind) and wait until the end of the day to take them to the right rooms

  • Tackle the hardest parts (i.e. more physically or emotionally draining) when your energy levels are highest and save the easiest parts for when your energy levels and ability to stay focused are lower

  • Tackle one room or category of items (i.e. books, clothes, memorabilia) at a time

  • If you’re doing a room and it’s really crowded, try to get rid of some big things first (i.e. furniture or piles of things that will be fastest to go through or you’ll be most likely to get rid of) to create more room to work in or put things into a box and take them to a clear area to go through them there

  • Play music that inspires and energizes you

  • Take stretch breaks

  • Work at a level that is easier and less straining on your body (i.e. sorting on a table vs bending over doing it on the floor) and you will last longer

  • Go through and get rid of as much as you can before you try to organize what is left

  • If this is a multi-day project, focus on what you’ve accomplished vs what you still have left to do

  • Look at the piles that will be leaving your space (keep track of the number of bags and boxes that are going and give yourself a pat on the back)

  • Move the to-go boxes and bags into your vehicle at the end of the day, take the trash out and choose a place to store things to sell

  • Drive to a donation site the next day or call your favorite charity and ask if they will come pick up your denotable items

  • Take after photos and go back and look at the before photos and enjoy all that you have accomplished

In Part 3 I’ll map out Success Strategies for Day Trip Enthusiasts who are plotting shorter organizing projects.

Christie Self

Christie Self1 Comment