I don’t know about all of you, but at this time of year, my stress levels seem to rise. The time between Halloween and the holidays (a non-season of sorts) seems to be so busy for everyone. And, sadly, I’m about to add to that busyness. If you own a home or need to prepare for winter, these fall home maintenance tasks (and other life responsibilities) should be completed now.
Post Halloween Cleanup
You’re likely working at maximum capacity at the office, trying to finish a bunch of projects before the end of the year. Then there’s the fall organizing that must take place on the personal front. Firstly, this ‘non-season’ requires us to clean up after Halloween. I’m guessing you intended to start on November 1st, but, of course, didn’t quite finish on that date. Perhaps you took down the decorations and put them in the Halloween container (yes, you should invest in one or two of those), and then you ran out of energy and enthusiasm.
Additionally, you may need to empty leaves from the special Halloween leaf bags (the ones with funky faces on them) and place them in clear bags for recycling/composting. Of course, this leads to the need to clean up the rest of the leaves in the yard. Sigh….maybe not that much fun.
When I lived in a house, my excuse was that it was too cold by the time I took the decorations down, and I couldn’t face traipsing all the way to the shed to get the clear leaf bags. In fact, that excuse is referred to as a ‘limiting factor’ in completing a job. In hindsight, when I put the leaves in the funky bags, I should have grabbed the leaf bags and put them in the entryway closet.
We all know that putting it off won’t make it go away. So, please, do it today. You’ll be glad you did.
Preparing Your Home for Winter
Before you start thinking about the holiday season and all the tasks on that list, you should clean up outside your home. I do love autumn, but often by this point in the year, the garden is a disaster. And it always makes me a little sad when we have to make space in the shed for the patio furniture, which we won’t need until next spring.
Your fall home maintenance list should be something like this. I’m quite sure you could add more items, so it’s best to do that now while it’s in your head.
- Quickly clean up the garden, but please don’t fuss too much. It will keep until the spring. However, if you love gardening, then go for it, but not at the expense of other necessary tasks.
- Reorganize the shed to make room for the patio furniture. Take the opportunity to remove everything and eliminate what you don’t need.
- Move the patio furniture and other warm-weather items (e.g., plant pots, bicycles) to the shed.
- Get the car brushes and shovels out of the shed. Ugh, snow! What a thought!
- Block off a few hours to rake leaves. We usually ended up with 30 bags. Double, ugh!
- Drag all the leaf bags to the curb on the designated day.
- Find someone with a tall ladder, or hire a company to clean the gutters (Yup, those leaves again!).
Fall Tasks for Everyone
Now that I’m making a list, I’m thinking of more fall home maintenance tasks to do before the cold, winter weather descends upon us.
- Book an appointment to install snow tires on the car. I must confess that I left booking this too late, and this year my appointment isn’t until the end of November. It turns out I should have booked at the end of September, not near the end of October. In case it makes you feel better, I am not perfectly organized either.
- Move winter clothes from the back of the closet to the front. This includes winter coats, boots, scarves, mitts, and more. Then, put away summer and fall gear. I have confidence that you will do a little downsizing when changing out your seasonal clothing.
- Buy new winter gear or replace old ones. In Canada, winter outerwear sales start before the first flakes of snow fall. Shopping early means you can get a good deal on winter boots, gloves, or jackets in your size. Please donate or discard any old items that are still in good condition.
- Declutter and organize holiday decorations. Starting this task early means you can take the time to decide what you want to add or take away this year. Then, you won’t dread the thought of decorating in a few weeks.
Start with the Biggest Frog
As Brian Tracy says in his book Eat That Frog (it’s about how to stop procrastinating), “If you have to eat a live frog, it doesn’t pay to sit and look at it for very long.” That means we should conquer our least favourite fall home maintenance task first, then the next least favourite, and so on.
Gee whiz, I think I need a nap to rest up before I start all this. How’s that for a procrastination technique? Truly, I’m not going to do that, but I suggest you plan a nice nap or something else relaxing after you complete one or two tasks on the list. Looking forward to a reward always provides motivation.
Hey Jane! As always, you have great advice in each article. Here’s a perspective that popped into my head – why not put your “clear” garbage bag inside the Halloween funky ones when filling them. Thus, completing two steps in one? Just pull out the clear bag & fold up the seasonal ones to reuse next year.
So good to hear from you Nancy. And thanks for sharing a great organizing tip. Hope you are doing well.