What To Do When You’ve Run Out of Space

Uh-oh!  You’ve run out of space in your closet, junk drawer, bookshelf or {insert the name of the space here}.   Should you squeeze and squish more stuff into the space, encroach upon other available spaces, leave the stuff out, use the floor for storage or start looking at larger homes?

Please, for the sake of clutter-free living, don’t resort to any of the above solutions.

Here is my recommendation—edit the stuff in the space until everything fits.

Does this sound impossible?  That’s what this client thought.  She hired me to help her downsize in preparation for a move they plan to make 5 years from now.   You read correctly, 5 years from now!  She is one smart cookie to plan that far ahead.

My client stressed her love, and I mean LOVE of reading books [the ones with actual pages you turn as you read] during our first conversation.  She told me it would be very difficult for her to get rid of any of her beloved books, even after she reads them.  Can you relate?  Because of this, I didn’t think our focus should be on her books during our first organizing session together.  It was months before we turned our focus to her beautiful, custom-made, bookshelves.

My client had more books than bookshelves.  Her gorgeous wood shelves were at their capacity and yet there were stacks and boxes of books on the floor in front of the shelves.  At that time I decided to bring up the organizing concept of “editing to make it fit.”

It was hard for her to part with books but with some encouragement and focus she let 143 books go to a donation center that day!  All the books that were on the floor now had a home on the bookshelf. Amazing to say the least.  She was super excited and also thrilled when I categorized the shelves as she sorted household papers.

This is a photo of the back of my car holding 143 books [among other items].

She focused on letting go of the books she didn’t care for, decided not to read or books she finished reading and would not read again.

My clients discover they can make tough decisions, if they are ready to change their mind-set and their living situation.

When you find you have outgrown a space, it’s time edit to make it fit.

Grab a container to hold the things you want to donate, sell or toss and get started.  Be ruthless, you can do it!

Learn more about editing by watching my video.  If you can’t see the video, click here.