So I finally started tackling the first of the trio of terror — the garage (the other two being my daughter’s toys and the attic). Seriously, I’d been putting this off for so long that it became this giant Everest in my head. Though, in fairness, it’s easy to see why:





My husband was convinced I was mad when I told him what I was going to do (although he’s been “convinced” of that for a long time now). He tried to persuade me to put it off to a day when he was available to help out, and after we’d bought all kinds of sealant and paint for the place. My reply? “Nope, I’ve already put it off for far too long. It’s on my to-do list for today and I’m doing it.” And — spoiler alert — I bloody did.

(I vlogged the process over on YouTube so if you’d prefer to head on over there to spare yourself the wordage, click here. *sob* Come back soon!)

It didn’t take nearly as long to empty the space as I thought. I was expecting a good hour of grunt work. Instead, it took a mere ten minutes.

And here’s what it looked like when I piled it all up outside:

Not the prettiest. And the vast majority of the pile belonged to my husband and my daughter, which I thought would make things a bit trickier for me. *cough* hoarder husband *cough*

But I was very pleasantly surprised! I followed my usual routine of texting pictures of items to my husband, and he replied with what he wanted to keep. That was the slowest part of the whole process and, honestly, it wasn’t even that slow. (But I did have to stop several times to go get a drink because my throat was choked with dust.)

Junk went straight in the bin, and anything being donated went straight into the boot of the car. (Two days later, they were dropped off at the local charity shop. ’Cause I’ve learned the lesson not to let things linger. Finally.)

I was hoping to get the space power-washed but, as it turns out, I was missing a connection from the washer I’d borrowed so that had to go on hold. Instead, I used a good old-fashioned yard brush to sweep the dirt and leaves and cobwebs out of the place. (Cue more coughing.) I was left with a blank space (albeit still pretty dank).

It only took me a few minutes to put the keepers back in place.

A strange space because there was nothing in it that really belonged solely to me so it wasn’t so much a case of what sparked joy as what my husband wouldn’t agree to part with. 😉 But, in fairness to him, he did a bang up job in the end. I was amazed at how much he got rid of. But it’s odd that nothing in the space really sparks any joy for me personally, except perhaps my daughter’s pram (and that’s more sentimental than anything).

Nonetheless, I had no idea how big an impact this small space would have on my life. It’s only after I cleared it out that I realised how much we use it and how much it had been bugging me. So three cheers for making getting out and about with my daughter that bit easier.

People without kids: “Let’s go out.” “Great idea, I’ll grab the keys.” People with kids: “Let’s go out.” … Two hours later: “I think we’re ready to go now.” Five minutes later: “Shit, I forgot the keys.”

Seriously, once I completed this category I felt like a super hero. The joy and relief of putting a big ol’ tick beside it on my ‘to do’ list was immense, and I’ve been on a productivity high ever since, cranking out tasks like there’s no tomorrow.

The two remaining categories — my daughter’s toys and the attic — don’t seem nearly as daunting now.

And d’you know what that means? It means the finish line is finally in sight! CANYOUTELLHOWEXCITEDIAM?! This has been a long but wonderful process and I’m so glad I’ve stuck with it so far. There’s no way I’m not finishing it now!

What category are you dreading? Will getting it done be the impetus you need to sprint to the finish?