I Found the Solution to Project Overwhelm | How I Crushed Cleaning Out the Garage

When I set my sights on a project it all seems like such a good idea. My latest one was cleaning and organizing our garage. And my husband, Herb and I were doing it together. The garage has not been cleaned since we moved into the house in 2004. Before you judge me, I do have a storage locker for the things I need to do my creative outlet, bobbi kahn design jewelry, so the space is not a total wreck. But as you might guess, I was immediately at risk of project overwhelm.

Let’s start at the beginning. 

Why were we cleaning the garage? Because we were updating our electrical panel and installing a 220 line to charge Herb’s new Tesla. We were also adding more outlets to the garage. The only one we had previously had was so far from the auxiliary fridge we had been running an extension cord nearly the entire length of the garage. This was not the safest solution for the long term.

Another motivation to clean and organize the garage was to see if we could make enough space there to vacate the storage locker since the rent went WAY up and that made me mad.  This created another project. What could I purge from the storage locker? And once I determined what I could live without, would I sell it? Trash it? Donate it? It seemed like these answers would be obvious and simple but I became filled with uncertainty about how to get these projects done. 

Resolving Project Overwhelm.

I reached out to my dear friend and professional organizer, Linda Goldman of Altogether Organized, for some clarity. She asked good and thought  provoking questions which I used as a guide for deciding what could stay and what had to go. My husband is another expert in helping me get rid of MY stuff. He can’t let go of much of his own, but mine? Easy. Get rid of it.

The weekend we designated for cleanup arrived. I got to the storage locker at 6:00 am. I was overwhelmed until I realized that what I was missing was a goal. If I started with an end in mind—if I knew what I was trying to accomplish—then deciding what to do with the excess stuff would be easier.

My goal was to get rid of stuff as quickly and painlessly as possible. The goal was NOT to make money, so that meant selling things on Facebook Marketplace or a garage sale was not an option. Donate or Trash. Those were the options left. And then the whole project became easy. I packed the car with items from the storage locker that I hadn’t used in years. Once I opened the bins, I could see the items were useless.  Donate? No. Trash was the only option.

And after I filled the car with items sorted into these categories, another decision became obvious: I could not give up the storage locker. I had too many things in there that were in use for both indoor and outdoor art shows.

I called Public Storage and told them the unit had become way too expensive, that I was a good renter who paid on time each month thanks to auto pay, but that I was looking for a less expensive option. Another problem solved: They offered to lower my rent.

Try It!

All of this is to say that getting things accomplished is usually easier said than done. So when you start doing it and confront that realization, don’t quit!

• Start with the end in mind. What are you trying to accomplish? Write it down if you need to, and think about the goal as you start to make decisions. It helps to prioritize each step in your process.
• Start slowly and take the project one step at a time. If a tendency towards perfectionism is encouraging you to try to go too fast, read this recent blog and consider what you can do to reframe your self-talk. 
• Set a deadline. While you shouldn’t rush yourself, you should recognize that you’ve decided to take on your project for a reason. You’re motivated right now. And life is short. Make sure you can attain your goal in a reasonable amount of time. 
• Phone a friend. Can’t quite figure it out? Your friends may have ideas on how to help you.

If you’ve tried all these solutions and you’re still feeling stuck, reach out to me. In a FREE 30-minute sample coaching session, I can help you get UNSTUCK from your project overwhelm!