A Little Breathing Room and a Plan
Woman sorting keepsakes in an organized storage unit with shelved bins, boxes, and a clear walkway.
If you’ve ever looked around your home and thought, “I’d love to sort through all of this, but where would I even begin?” I understand. Sometimes a house becomes so full that finding room to make decisions feels like a project all by itself. A family I’m working with recently reached that point, and their next step involved something I don’t often recommend—a storage unit. In their situation, with a thoughtful plan, it made sense.
When You Need Space to Get Started
This family has a large collection of memorabilia, books, toys, and other things they once imagined keeping. Over time, their interests changed. New collections came along, while the earlier ones still occupied space.
Their home felt too full to comfortably sort through everything. They were ready to sell or give away some items, and they wanted to keep those exchanges separate from their home.
So they rented a couple of storage units and began moving things over. Then they called me and asked me to take a look.
I’m so glad they did. They had a clear goal—more breathing room at home—and needed help organizing the steps to get there.
Give Every Space a Purpose
I’m careful about recommending storage units because it’s easy for them to become a place where decisions wait while monthly payments continue. But storage can serve a useful purpose. Keeping belongings out of the way during a home renovation, for example, can be a practical temporary solution.
For this family, the units needed to function as a place to work through their belongings.
During our walkthrough, we looked at how they would use each space and adjusted the arrangement to create a clear flow:
A place for incoming items.
An area for sorting and making decisions.
A designated space for items ready to sell or donate.
A clearly defined area for belongings they intended to keep in long-term storage.
That flow matters. When you arrive to sort, you want to know where to begin. When you’ve made a decision, you want a place for that item to go.
We also planned for their storage needs to become smaller. Once the sorting and selling are complete, they won’t need multiple units. Having that goal from the beginning helps give the whole project direction.
Make Room for Decisions at Your Own Pace
Selling belongings takes time and energy. Before you begin, it helps to ask yourself, “How much time do I want to give this?”
You might choose a date to review what has sold and decide whether you’re ready to donate the remaining items. A deadline can be a gentle guide—a way to keep the project moving while respecting your time.
Choosing to donate something after trying to sell it is a valid next step. You’ve learned what the process requires, and you get to decide what works for you.
For anything staying in long-term storage, I recommend a clear inventory and easy-to-read labels. You want to know what’s there, and you want your spouse or children to be able to understand it, too. A label that says “Family photographs, 1980–1995” offers much more help than one that simply says “Memories.”
Give those belongings a date to be revisited as well. What feels important to keep today may feel different later. If you want to continue using the same size unit, making room for new items will mean choosing some things to let go along the way.
A storage unit can give you useful breathing room when it has a purpose, an organized layout, and a plan for what happens next. You don’t have to make every decision today. One thoughtfully sorted box can make the next one feel a little easier. That’s the kind of progress I love helping people find—more ease in their homes and more confidence in their choices. Follow me online for more practical tips and gentle encouragement as you make room for the life you’re living now.
Pinky Jackson is a Decluttering Specialist and Home Organizing Expert. If you need expert organizing help, don't hesitate to reach out. Pinky and her team would love to help you. Onsite Organizing services are available in the Louisville, KY area and Virtual Organizing services are offered for clients in other locations and for those who prefer to work online. Visit pinkyjackson.com to learn about our services and schedule a free assessment.
