In our area of Northern Illinois, people feel an urgency to get their cars in the garage before winter hits. However, walking into a large, disorganized space can feel like a big and scary task. I just completed a fall cleanup in my OWN garage and, to be honest, I much prefer to be in other people's garages! Garages are one of my favorite spaces to organize for clients and my tips in this blog come from the  common categories of clutter that I see in many of those garages. Read on to see if you recognize any of these common struggles and the solutions that I implemented with clients (and myself). 

Excess Packaging

Boxes and bags are a good thing to have on hand - to a point. However, I frequently see a huge amount of space in clients’ garages devoted to storing empty boxes and plastic bags. That inventory is a problem when it is preventing us from finding the things we need. A recent client had purchased new gardening supplies because her bag and box collection made it difficult to see that she already owned what she needed. While it may feel economical to hang onto these supplies, the costs of buying new boxes and bags are very low compared to buying extras of almost anything else. Solution -  determine a reasonable amount of boxes and bags to keep based on the space you have to store them in and then recycle the extras.

Disposal Confusion

I find a lot of good recycling intentions in garages –  paint, electronics, batteries, and bags of plastic bags. The recycling tasks pile up because people may not know how and where to recycle or they may not have the time or energy to take care of those errands. If the budget allows, I will take all those items and run the errands for my client and they can enjoy the space savings immediately. Or, if the budget is tighter for the client, I will make recommendations to make recycling as easy and economical as possible. Solution - First, group all the items together in a location that is visible and more convenient to be loaded into the car. 

Projects 

The table that needs to be painted, the picture frame we mean to glue, the broken flower pot - they all end up in the garage because it is the most logical and appropriate place to do these projects. The problem of projects is when they take over the garage and prevent more necessary activities like parking the car. I recently worked with a client who had a large number of projects but they were also in the middle of a major life transition, meaning they really were understandably not in a place to make their best decisions or complete projects in the next few months. Solution - identify an area of the garage to home the projects and then store them in order of intended completion. I find it extra helpful to identify the easiest ones to complete and have the client do those first. It’s motivating to see the project pile get smaller. In the case of my recent, very overwhelmed client, we also identified one project that would be economical to outsource. This will free up up some mental space for her and physical space to make working in the garage easier. Final tip - if you dread starting that project, you probably will not feel any different about it next year. Let it go.

Duplication

I often say that sorting is the organizing super power. This is proven true with a recent client frustrated by how disorganized his tools were. Actually, his wife was frustrated with how disorganized his tools were because he would buy new tools rather than search through the tools he already owned. I spent a few hours sorting a garage of tools onto some folding tables and categorizing them into groups. Seeing his tools grouped like this helped the client realize that the VOLUME of tools was getting in the way of actually using his tools. Solution - we worked together to identify specific zones and homes for his tools. Every tool was grouped, categorized, stored and labeled. Now that the client knows where everything is, he can gradually work to reduce the volume of each category to a more manageable level. 

Life Changes

Our stuff my not reflect the life we are living now. Instead the objects we are storing are often associated with our habits and activities of the past or a future we intended (referred to as aspirational clutter). This is the stuff that is HARD to let go because we have to acknowledge those changes. For example, wonderful memories of long ago camping trips may create such a strong emotional connection that it’s hard to see that tent for what it is NOW - a musty space waster. I personally struggled with this category in my own garage cleanout. Some of my old sports equipment is gathering dust as I work to rehab a hip injury. To be honest, I’m not going to be wakeboarding or rollerblading much anymore. Two things have helped me part with the equipment for these activities – I’ve embraced hiking and paddleboarding. Solution - Acknowledge that letting go of the old equipment may be painful, but it will provide the space – mentally and physically - to do new activities and to better meet current needs. 

No one, even professional organizers, enjoys organizing their garages but the benefits are huge. For many of us, we enter our home through the garage and it’s incredibly calming to have this space organized and tidy. It’s motivating, as well. I’ve been procrastinating my writing but organizing my own garage has provided with a burst of creative energy.  Organizing garages is not as time intensive as other spaces -  a few hours can give us a big factor worthy of an organizing show.  I recently worked with the sweetest lady and we had her car in the garage and functional storage in less than 2.5 hours. She thought we would be working for days. The final benefit - we won’t be scraping snow off our cars while our clutter is warm and toasty in the garage.