If all clutter is “postponed decisions” (and it is, buy the book), then it is probably safe to say the decisions in the attic are the MOSTponed.
I have found that decisions are easier to make when seasoned with time. The more time that passes, the more you find your priorities changing. Things that might have seemed very important to hang on to 10 years ago, tend to become much less valuable. Of course there are a few special keepsakes, that actually become more valuable. Either way, there tend to be a lot of quick wins in an attic and space can be cleared quickly, using the right strategies.
The Matt Baier Organizing team recently decluttered and organized an attic using these strategies. Here are three key steps:

As with any room in the house, it makes sense to first consider where all the contents are going to go. If you think it’s all going into a dumpster, you’re kidding yourself. Before we address the attic, we rearranged and edited things in the garage, to open up space for exit zones. There may be items coming from the attic that no longer serve you, but are still perfectly good. For those items, create a donate zone. If there are items like that, that have value, create a sell zone. Attics also tend to have a lot of items that need to go to other people (often adult children), so also establish a give-to zone. Oh and yes, of course, you will need a toss zone.
2. Establish a Processing Room

3. Establish Dedicated Zones
Once you have clarified the major categories that are going back in the attic, establish dedicated zones, based on the 
Our client made the decision to review and reduce his archives in a second stage of purging, therefore he chose to have his boxes of paper located close to the door. This made perfect sense.
Remember, organizing is ultimately not about sorting out your stuff, but about sorting out your priorities. Everybody has different priorities and priorities are always changing. So it doesn’t make sense to have rigid organizing systems, that don’t allow for shifting priorities.
That said, no matter what priorities your attic holds, the excess will need a place to go, you will need the room to process, and you will save time by keeping the most used items, most accessible.
Finally, if you want to maximize your attic storage, here are a couple products that can help.

It makes sense to look at storing vertically, wherever possible, but many shelves that work in a garage or basement, won’t work in attic, because of the angled ceiling. The AtticMaxx Shelving System offers a great way to maximize truss storage.
To see our client’s attic organizing story (and the surprises he discovered!), tune in Monday, March 7, 3:00pm, on Better Connecticut, WFSB, Channel 3.
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