I have a very small basement. When I say small, I mean 1 x 3 meters small. I don’t like clutter, and I’ve been very smart and selective with the things that end up in the basement. If I have the chance, I either toss them, give them away, or try to flip them. I haven’t felt the need to reorganize my basement in years… until yesterday, when I had to clear up some space. So I went through boxes, bulky items, and objects that I placed in a corner thinking, “I’ll come back to it tomorrow,” until that became its permanent spot. Until yesterday.

Narrow space means little room for moving and reorganizing the volume of objects I’ve accumulated over the years. It was not a hard task, but in the end, I collected two IKEA bags full of old boxes and items I didn’t need. Old boxes went to the trash, broken items went to the trash, and old items went to charity. Everything (well, almost everything) is nicely organized now, and the shelves are free from clutter. Going to fetch things from the basement has become a pleasure again. I dropped so much dead weight that I feel lighter myself. Dead weight hangs by the back of your mind, and you carry it with you even if it’s hidden away in some basement corner.

Do yourself a favour and refactor your basement once a year.