Tis The Season… to Give & Donate!

We talk about donations all the time, but there really is no better time to donate and give than the holiday season. The holiday season is known to be the most wonderful time of the year, and we certainly think so! We love the holidays, but we also know and understand that for many, the holidays can also be an incredibly stressful time of year. Now, more than ever, people are in need of giving, love, and assistance.

So what should you donate? We all have tons of things we no longer use, and/or want that are typically in excellent condition, but usually just sit on the shelf and collect dust. From clothing to electronics, these items deserve a new loving home this holiday season, and since it's been a while since Spring Cleaning, we think it’s time to go through your closet, storage, garage, and/or your pantry, and get into Fall/Winter Cleaning mode because review should be a year round process.

We’ve made a list of some tips to help you get started reviewing what you have, and get you donating all year long.

SCHEDULE IT. Yes, schedule it! Why? You schedule every other area of your life, so why not schedule this. The reason things don’t get done is because you don’t do them. By adding this to your calendar, it helps you physically, mentally, and emotionally prepare for letting go. It also makes it a routine, and it creates accountability for you, and/or your family. So please go into your calendar NOW, pick one day a month, a quarter, or every other month - whatever works best for you, and block off two full hours for review. Maybe one month you will focus on your closet, another month you will work on storage, and another month you will tackle the garage. We suggest scheduling it on a Saturday morning at 8:00am. Why? We know you want to sleep in, but if you have stuff in a storage unit, most facilities allow Saturday morning access, and more importantly, once 10:00am rolls around, you will not only feel accomplished, but you will also have the rest of the weekend ahead of you to relax.

PLAN AHEAD. Set a goal. Example: “I want to sort through all my summer clothes;” or “We are going to review all of the old books in storage.” If you have a very clear, and measurable goal, it will be easier for you to measure your accomplishment, see progress, and want to continue reviewing other areas of your life. Also, have bags or bins ready to sort items into TOSS, DONATE, and SELL piles. The more regularly you do this practice, the easier this will become, and it will also gradually reduce what you need to go through the next time, and make the process feel less daunting.

DONATE. Decide where you plan to donate your belongings. Some people have charities that they work with regularly and some people do not. It’s good to do some research and have something established ahead of time, so that you can immediately remove the items from your home, garage, or storage, and take them to their next destination / new home as soon as you finish going through everything. When you don’t have a plan as to where the items will go, they typically sit in the “Donation Bag” by the front door, or in the garage, and they just become a new bag to go through at a later date. Decide where your things will be going, so you can drop them off immediately after you are finished.

We hope this has helped inspire you to give the gift of giving this holiday season. Remember that this is a trifecta of giving: 1). You are giving yourself the freedom from things you don’t need and no longer serve you, and the stress that comes with going through these items; 2). You are giving your family the gift of never having to take on the emotional burden of reviewing these items for you; and MOST IMPORTANTLY 3). You are giving to causes, organizations, and people in need, and these donations can have an incredibly meaningful impact on the lives of many this holiday season.

If you need help reviewing your stuff, please reach out. We are always here to help you through the organization process and would love to hear form you.

Until next month!

Your Friends 

@ My ARTIST ARCHIVE

P.S... Have questions? Wanna hear more about our services or speak to someone regarding scheduling an appointment.  Send us an email @ info@myartistarchive.com or fill out the form on our CONTACT page!

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