• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Meet the Girl ↡
    • About Abby
    • Contact
  • Projects ↡
    • Organization
      • All Organization
      • Printables Library
      • Productivity
    • Decorating
      • Our Home Tour
        • Current House Home Tour
        • Townhouse Home Tour
      • All Decorating
      • DIY
      • Furniture Makeovers
      • Crafts
      • Holidays
    • Blogging
      • All Blogging
      • Income Reports
    • Happy Thoughts
  • My Products ↡
    • Browser to Buyer
    • Blogging Binder Printables
    • Home Binder Printables
    • Student Binder Printables
    • Christmas / Holiday Planner
    • Fitness Journal
  • Free Resources ↡
    • ClarityList for Bloggers
    • How to Start a Blog in 2019
    • 100+ Blogging Tips, Tools, and Resources to Grow Your Business in 2019
    • My Favorite Organizing Items
  • Income Reports

Abby Lawson

Organizing, Decorating, Blogging

January 10, 2019 By Abby Lawson 9 Comments

How to Start an Overwhelming Organizing Project

Pin3K
Share39
Tweet
Email
3K Shares

Learn how to start an overwhelming organizing project to make it more manageable and bring order to your space!

How to Start an Overwhelming Organizing Project

I admit, there have been times when I have walked into a messy room with the intention of getting it organized and then walked right back out again because the task felt so overwhelming!

I mean, who can forget these doozies?

Messy Garage Before Photo

our garage at the beginning of 2018

Messy Basement Before Photo

our basement just a few weeks ago

I may write about organizing pretty often, but we still have spaces that have become a huge, overwhelming mess! I’m thrilled to say that we managed to tackle our garage last year (See the reveal here!), and the basement is well on its way to becoming organized (UPDATE! The basement is finished! See the organized basement here!), but each one has been a hard fought battle.

With both the basement and the garage there was definitely a time when I looked at it and thought, “How do I even start?”

It’s hard to offer a “one size fits all” solution to the question of how to start when a space is SO overwhelming because every person and every room is so different, but I thought I’d share how I typically begin a big organizing project so that if you’re in a similar situation, maybe my tips and ideas might help to give you a starting point.

How to Start an Overwhelming Organizing Project

My getting started process can basically be summed up in one simple phrase: Create some space.

The thing that is often overwhelming about very messy spaces is that many times there is not even room to walk, let alone try to get anything organized. When I can’t even move through the room, I feel frozen and unable to continue further, so I have to create some space.

For me, this is typically a two-part process.

Step 1- Remove the Trash

In a space that’s as messy as my garage and my basement were, there is inevitably a good amount of trash that can either be recycled or thrown away. In our garage it was cardboard boxes. In the basement it was wood scraps and sawdust.

So the first thing I did in both spaces was grab a garbage bag and start packing things into it to be recycled/thrown out. (For the cardboard boxes, I ended up breaking them down and wrapping them up in tape like our recycling service requests, but you get the idea.)

Basement Floor Clean and Cleared of Trash and Clutter

Our basement floor after just picking up the wood scraps and using a shop vac on the sawdust. Already an improvement!

The thing that’s great about starting with the trash is that it’s an easy decision. I’m not talking about sentimental items that we need to decide whether to keep or throw away. I’m not even talking about items we may or may not use far into the future. The only thing I’m looking for on this very first pass is true junk that I know definitely needs to go.

Typically, removing the trash creates enough space that I can at least move around a little bit in the room. Once I get all of the trash out of the way, I can move on to step two.

Step 2- Begin Putting Like Items Together

Ideally, I would love to be able to move everything out of the space. But typically with an overwhelmingly unorganized room, there is so much stuff that getting it all out isn’t really an option.

So after I got rid of the trash, the next thing I began doing to create space in our basement and our garage was moving like things together. I would just grab a few things that were in a similar category and start a pile with them.

In the basement, I grabbed a bunch of Donnie’s little tools (like hammers and screwdrivers) and put them in one pile. I grabbed all of his saws of all different shapes and sizes and put them together. I gathered up all of the Kreg Jig supplies and made a pile, etc.

Tools Organized by Category

Many of the items in the garage were larger, so I had to maneuver some things around, but eventually I managed to get all of the bikes together, all of the lawn and garden equipment together, all of my kids’ outdoor toys together, and so on.

As I was putting like items together, it allowed me to see everything I had in that one category. From there, I could make better decisions about what we should keep, and what could be moved to a donate/sell pile to be discarded.

It’s not rocket science and it’s not hard to do, but sometimes it is helpful to at least have a simple starting point, especially when we’re talking about a space that is as overwhelming and messy as ours were! I find when I can create space by getting rid of the trash and putting like items together, it gives me the momentum I need to continue on with the project and eventually complete it. And that’s the goal all along, right?!

I know that there are many ways to start a project like this one, so I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments too– how do you begin an overwhelming organizing project? 

More Organizing Strategies

If you’re looking for more strategies for getting organized, these posts may be helpful:

How to Organize Every Space in Your House (This post will help you continue the organizing process in your space after you’ve completed the two steps mentioned in this post!)

How to Get Organized When You Feel Overwhelmed

How to Get Organized When You Have Trouble Letting Go of Things

How to Get Organized When You Don’t Have a Lot of Time

How to Get Organized Without Spending a Lot of Money

How to Get Organized When You Live in a Small House

Thank you so much for following along! Have a wonderful day!

Filed Under: Organization, Productivity Tagged With: how to organize

Pin3K
Share39
Tweet
Email
3K Shares
Free Printables Library at justagirlandherblog.com

Get 200+ pages of free printables!

Become one of our VIP newsletter subscribers and gain access to our exclusive free printables vault!

I want in!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellen | Ask Away Blog says

    January 11, 2019 at 7:23 am

    People all too often skip the first step of removing the trash but i always have to remind them that it’s not only the easiest part but you absolutely MUST do it to free up space to work.

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      January 11, 2019 at 12:56 pm

      YES YES YES! So important!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  2. Patricia Galloway says

    January 11, 2019 at 8:59 am

    Thanks Abby! This is just what I needed to go back & begin to tackle the room I shut the door on & walked away from b/c it was so overwhelming.

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      January 11, 2019 at 12:56 pm

      So glad it was helpful for you! Happy Friday! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  3. Liz Dujka says

    January 12, 2019 at 10:52 am

    Thanks Abby. My garage looks like a twin to yours. And it is overwhelming for sure! I have made it my mission to convert it into my design studio in 2019. I have done the remove the trash step a couple of times and then walked away because of other things needing my immefiate attention. My hubs got very sick in August, then in Oct. he had a hip replacement, then the holidays were here so now I am hoping to have a “little time before my shows begin and his next surgery in April arrives. Thanks for the motivation and proof that the only way we will ever “eat the elephant” is ONE BITE AT A TIME! Happy 2019. ♡~Liz aka Junktion Alley. http://www.facebook.com/junktionalley

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      January 14, 2019 at 1:03 pm

      Yay! So glad it was helpful for you, Liz! You can do this! Your own design studio would be so awesome!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  4. Reem Faruqi says

    January 15, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    thank you for posting this!! This was our basement . I love how real these photos are. They made me feel a little better :). We still have a long way to go but this is so helpful. Thank you again!

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      January 17, 2019 at 1:13 pm

      So glad it was helpful for you. Hope you’re having a great week!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  5. Gailann McKee says

    October 6, 2019 at 9:47 am

    I need help in getting organized.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Primary Sidebar

Hey there, friend! I'm Abby, and I'm so thrilled you stopped by! I love working to create a beautiful, thriving home, life and business and helping others do the same.

Read my story→

Let’s Connect!

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Organize Your Household with Our Deluxe Home Binder

Deluxe Home Binder Printables | https://www.abbylawson.com/deluxe-home-binder-printables

Be Less Stressed This Holiday Season!

Deluxe Christmas Planner / Holiday Planner | https://www.abbylawson.com/deluxe-christmas-holiday-planner

How to Start a Blog

How to Start a Blog: The Definitive Guide for 2019

Our Course for Bloggers

Blogging: Organized

Deluxe Blogging Binder Printables | https://www.abbylawson.com/deluxe-blogging-binder-printables

Favorite Posts

Free Printable Library | 50+ Free Organizing Printables

50+ Free Printables to Organize Every Area of Your Life

home- cozy office nook, feminine home office, organized home office, small office, decorating, farmhouse office

A Cozy Office Nook

Ryan Homes Palermo Before and After Home Tour 2.5 Years In

Before and After Home Tour: Two and a Half Year Update

Free Printable Budget Planner

Budget Binder for 2020 (with FREE Printables!)

Home organization- How to Organize Every Space in Your House, declutter, organizing, small space organization

How to Organize Every Space in Your House

Free Printable Student Binder for Back to School and Back to College

Printable Student Binder

Personal Posts

Breast Cancer Awareness Month My Story by Just a Girl and Her Blog

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: My Story

This girl started out knowing nothing about blogging or online business and made 6 figures last year. Time to start that blog I've been thinking about!

From Hobby Blog to Thriving Business: My Blogging Story

Archives

Post Categories

Copyright

I love it when you share! Please keep in mind that all images and text on this site are property of Just a Girl and Her Blog. Feel free to use one or two photos provided that a link back to my original post is included. Please do not remove any watermarks, crop, or edit any of my images without first obtaining written permission from me. All free printables offered are for personal use only. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated! Thank you!

Privacy Policy & Disclosures

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Read our privacy policy and disclosures →

Copyright © 2019 Twenty Three Publishing, LLC · BRUNCH PRO THEME · GENESIS FRAMEWORK · PRIVACY POLICY & DISCLOSURES · BLOGGER RESOURCES · FLYWHEEL ♡