Tamar’s family was coming to town for Thanksgiving but her room was still a mess from her recent move. She was eager to get the last few moving boxes unpacked and out of her new apartment in time for the visit.
First we cleared off and made the bed so we would have space to lay out and review items to keep. We unpacked a few boxes onto the floor right away to give use containers for things to give away, recycle or discard, and then went through those piles immediately so the unpacking stayed under control.
Tamar wanted the floor to be clutter-free. I suggested that the best way to make that a sustainable lifestyle was to decide that every item she kept had to have a home. She agreed to it. For example, we decided to limit books to the bookshelf, and clothes to drawers or the closet. Tamar knew that she wanted to purge unwanted things but was having trouble making those decisions, so the space limits were a great way to help her decide whether to keep something she wasn’t sure about. She also had beautiful souvenirs from her travel abroad, which we decided to display on bookshelves and windowsills.
We went through one box at a time.
We kept the boxes we’d emptied first within easy reach: one for recycling, another for trash and a third box for donations. In the process, Tamar was able to let go of books and items she no longer wanted to keep. She was thrilled to get so much stuff out of her room.
After clearing all of the boxes, we narrowed down the number of artworks to hang up and hung up three. (Tamar is still deciding where she wants to hang the rest!) By the end, the empty moving boxes were all flattened to be taken outside for recycling pick-up, a boxful of reusable items was dropped off at Goodwill and the trash was taken out to the garbage bins.
The “Photo_After” shows how clean and open the room looks now with the boxes gone. Tamar’s belongings all neatly put in their places and some art on the walls. Whether you have parents, siblings, or special friends visiting, or just want a presentable room, I can help you as well.
Side note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To protect privacy, all names have been changed.