cleaning my garage - the before.

My garage is a mess.

It's cluttered, dirty, and dusty. It's full of leaves that have swept in with the dogs, the wind, and/or the rain. There are paint supplies, in-progress projects, and tons of things waiting to be either thrown out or donated. The cabinet contains some of my stuff, and some of the stuff the previous owners left. Other than the painting supplies and spray paint, I'm not even really sure what all is in there.

The garage is also where my washer and dryer are located, and because the dryer doesn't vent to the outside (and because I don't use the lint trap contraption the way I'm supposed to), there's dryer lint all over the place (fire hazard, I know).

There are scraps of wood from various projects, the armoire that was in my bedroom before I moved in, and the old railing from steps leading from the kitchen.

In fact, the only really organized section is this one, which is filled with Christmas decorations. (I think I've already established my obsession with Christmas).

Cleaning out the garage is #16 on my list of goals for the year, and I finally figured out that if I wait for a weekend and inspiration, I'd never get it done. Instead, I'm committing to 15 minutes a day, every day for the next week (through Friday, because then I'll be headed out of town to a friend's wedding).

I honestly don't expect to finish everything by the weekend. What I am hoping is that my progress will be visible enough to give me motivation to keep going (and maybe even to finish some other projects on my master list).

And the public accountability can't hurt.