Organize by throwing things away

I must admit, I am somewhat of a pack rat. I think I learned it from my Dad. Growing up on the farm, we had places to store lots of old stuff Dad wanted to keep. He had a scrap metal storage area out behind our shop. He had a separate building for storing all his lumber. The shop had an attic where Dad had stored things from years ago. Now and then he would show me some of the stuff he had kept, like things from when his younger brother had been killed decades before that. I think I learned to be a pack rat from my Dad.

However, living in the city, with very limited storage, being a pack rat isn't working. Sure, we could rent a storage area, or one of those pods. But my take on that is if I have to drive a long ways to get to the storage, what's the point of having the storage? When I need something, I need it right now! I want to be able to look through all my junk whenever I want to, not after driving across town first.

So, here is my tip for the day - don't be a pack rat.

The other day my wife decided it was time to clean out our storage shed. (All right, I will admit it. My wife is half the reason I am organized. Well, maybe 75%, but that's all I'm admitting to.) I didn't want to do it that day. It was the hottest day of the year. But while I was mowing the lawn, she started the project. She got everything out of the shed. Then I had to help because she is not a pack rat like I am, at least not with my stuff. The only way I could save anything is to be there before she threw it all away.

In the process, we threw things away that I had saved for over 20 years. I finally had to admit that if I hadn't used them by now, I probably wasn't going to use them. So I gritted my teeth and threw them away. If I am honest, the end result is fantastic. There is so much more room in the storage shed. I can actually get things out again. I can get my bicycle out without taking the lawn mower out. I will be able to get at my snowblower without taking half the equipment out. The grandkids can get at their outdoor toys much better. The end result is great, although I'm still shedding a tear or two over all the things I had to throw away. I'm sure I'm going to need some of that someday.

Unless things are valuable or collectible or will be used soon, what is the point of keeping them? If you are into putting on garage sales, or something like that, it might be helpful. If not, throw the junk away. That way you'll have room for your new junk!