The Art of Letting Go

I never want my clients to feel like I’m there to toss their cherished memories and memorabilia to the curb. Instead, my goal is to help them reclaim their spaces while discovering which items are most important to them and which might be holding them back.

I recently took on a project with a family who'd been in their home for nearly 40 years. Their garage was filled to the brim with memories, keepsakes, and quite a few items that no longer served any real purpose. I wanted to help them create a more liveable garage space that would respect the past and make room for right now and the future. So I implemented my step-by-step approach, breaking the project into bite-sized, manageable sections. This helped make the tasks less daunting for everyone but also let us focus on making thoughtful choices without feeling rushed or pressured.

Day One: Setting the stage for success

Right off the bat, I employed my “donate, discard, recycle, and keep” process. This method always helps me tackle the overwhelming amount of items systematically. Our first step was to identify and remove items that were no longer functional or necessary. Old paint cans were sent off for recycling, while anything broken or worn beyond repair was discarded. This initial purge was critical, not only to clear space but to give my clients a tangible sense of progress.

Day Two: Diving deeper

Next, we turned our attention to the left side of the garage, where a few decades worth of "good boxes,”—some of which had been there for years—were stacked floor to ceiling. We spent a big chunk of the day whittling the pile down to just three essential boxes. Then we gave a new life to an old rug by marking it “free” and leaving it on the front curb to be picked up by a passerby. By the end of the day, all donations were loaded and on their way to a local charity shop. And most importantly, the homeowners could—for the first time in years—walk on the left side of their garage with ease.

Day Three: Bringing order to chaos

The theme for day three: storage shelves. Years prior, my client put up shelves and assigned one to each family member to store sports equipment, craft items, etc. Over the decades, the shelves lost their sense of purpose and eventually became a catch-all for anything and everything. I spent a few hours clearing them off and eventually made enough headway that my clients could start using them again (albeit in a more organized fashion).

During this project, my clients and I sifted through many decades of memories, choosing what to keep and what to let go of, ultimately freeing up space for the family's current needs. Throughout the process, I began to see the family's mindset shift. They started asking the right questions: “Do we need this? Does this add value?” This change in perspective is often all you need to start embracing a more organized life.

Organizing a space isn’t just about discarding things. It’s also about making room for new opportunities and growth. It's about focusing on what enriches your life, proving that sometimes, the best way to move forward is to—gently—let go of the past.

Are you ready to transform your space and mindset? Contact Sage Home Harmony today, and let us help you start your journey to a more organized, fulfilling life.