Over time, we all tend to collect stuff. It might be clothes, books, furniture, electronics, or even keepsakes of various sorts. But unless you’re constantly moving to places that have more and more room for these things, eventually you’re going to come to a point where you have less space than you need to effectively keep things, and that’s when it comes time to address the problem.

And there are five specific ways that you can approach this as well, including using self-storage units, minimizing, creating multiple uses for things, having some type of seasonal clothing plan in place, and creating a use it or lose it rule for your belongings.

For Lots of Stuff, Self-Storage Is the Way To Go

Especially if you’re moving from one location to another, you may run into a serious shortage of space very quickly. That’s one of those times when your smartest course of action is going to be to rent a self-storage unit. These places come in various sizes, are secure, weatherproof, and you have easy access to them at least during open hours. They can be expensive, but in terms of short-term efficiency, you can’t beat them for value!

Minimize

Another more thoughtful way to handle the storage issue is to learn to minimize. There are countless different ways to cut down on your belongings, from giving things to friends or to donation centers, to just finding loose objects and packing them more tightly together. Anything that you have double of, you can start eliminating from your stacks of things as well. Especially when it comes to things like tools or loose furniture, getting rid of excess is a great step in the right direction.

Double and Triple Up On Usefulness

And then there’s the method of using one item for multiple tasks. For instance, if you know you occasionally need storage buckets, but you more frequently need a bench, you can put a plank over your buckets, add a drop cloth, and now you have a seat!

Have a Seasonal Clothing Plan

You don’t need access to your winter clothes in summer, and vice versa. So, if you make a seasonal clothing storage plan, that will help your overall efficiency level as well. So create a space where non-seasonal clothes go, then change it out every three months or so to keep your clutter to a minimum.

Create a Use It Or Lose It Rule

And if you’re not sure whether certain things are worth keeping or not, consider creating a ‘use it or lose it’ list. Set time limits to say if you don’t use something within, say, six months, then you’re going to downsize and get rid of it.