Extreme Decluttering Shared Spaces – Sheds – Part Two
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If you are extreme decluttering your shed or other shared space, you may have a challenge on your hands. It’s not bad enough that you have all of your own crap to sort out, but you have to wait for others to do their part. You can’t declutter anyone else’s stuff, but you can set limits and offer help.
Tips for decluttering shared spaces...
I have a triple shed which can be a blessing or a curse. Two of my sons have been storing their excess stuff in two of them. One of them has his own shed and garage so there is no reason for his stuff to still be here. The problem with sheds, and storage places, is that they are visited infrequently, and you may forget what you have.
- Do what you can with your own things first.
- Recognize that getting the space decluttered and organized may not be a priority to anyone else.
- Try to schedule time with others for them to declutter their stuff.
- Be there to help, if needed.
- Give them a timeline to get it done and consequences if they don’t. Such as, if it isn’t done by the end of the month (or set date), you will consider it to mean they give you permission to get rid of anything you decide and can keep any money for items you sell.
Some people have trouble deciding what to keep or just don’t know how to get rid of something.
Decluttering my shed first...Surprises
As I mentioned in “How to Extreme Declutter the Garage -Part One”, I needed to make space for some doors. My first step was to remove all the items from one side first. All the doors that were already there, wood, bricks and garden tools. After sweeping that side and clearing the cobwebs I started putting things back. Mice had made a home in a bag of garden rocks with some shredded newspaper. I even found a couple dead ones in the bottom of a bin. Gross.
Decluttering and getting real with my fantasy life...
I repeated the process for the other side. How many plant pots does one person need? Gardening for some people may be a big part of their lives, but for me it is still more of a fantasy. Maybe next year? I decluttered most of the freebie pots that came with plants.
Decluttering son's shed #1...More Tips
When one of my son’s finally came to go through “his” shed, he underestimated how long it would take.
- Give yourself plenty of time to go through things – double what you think it will take.
He did a pretty good job sorting things to toss, sell or keep, but then he got lazy with the papers. He left everything for recycling in my shop which I sorted later…fortunately for him.
- Shred all personal information before putting papers in recycling.
There was a full trailer load of assorted garbage for me to take to the dump. Yippee!
Decluttering son's shed #2 - Keep focused...
My other son came the following weekend to declutter the shed he was using. Not everything in there was his either. His brother had more things there that I’m sure he forgot about – bicycles, a tabletop and truck ramps. He was ecstatic to find a jack he was looking for. Unfortunately, he also found some Christmas presents he had bought last year for his nephews that were no longer relevent.
It’s been a long process, and it’s still not completely done, but it does look a lot better. The number one take away I got from this process is to have patience. Others may have different schedules and priorities.
If you would like help with your decluttering and organizing project, please contact me to set up an appointment...
You can see my Before & After video of my Extreme Shop & Shed declutter below.
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