Follow these 5 steps and you will be enjoying the boost you feel when order saves the day.
Step 1. Get Help. Rare is the individual who wants to attack a garage alone. There must be someone who can help you, a friend, neighbor, a hungry teenager? The key is the right attitude. Your helper must want to help. Morale support, another pair of hands, and accountability are the keys to your success.
Step 2. Start Anywhere. OK, you’ve already committed yourself to tackling the garage. I generally work left to right, but really, just start, anywhere, post haste.
Step 3. Sort Everything. This is where the fun begins. Ask yourself what stays, what goes, what lives elsewhere? As you haul your stuff out of the garage, sort it as you go. The camping equipment in one pile, in other piles trash, tools, tires, Goodwill, lives elsewhere (borrowed from neighbors), etc.
If it’s broken, be honest with yourself about the chances it will get repaired, especially if you have already replaced it. If you have multiple items, do you need them or do you love them or do they just get in the way? Let’s say you have three lawn rakes but there are only two of you and only one of you rakes. It’s time to give the extras new homes.
Step 4. Establish a System. It is very important to find a permanent place where each item can be stored. Label its location (shelf, bin, hook) so everyone puts it back in the same place.
Step 5. Follow Through. This is where system maintenance comes into play. You must form the habit of putting things back in their places. If you skip Step 4, it makes follow through difficult if not impossible. Sure everything looks better after you sort, but if there is no assignment of a permanent location, you will be back to disorder in no time.
If there isn’t anyone in your world that is passionate about garage organization, then call the staff at Bettina & Company.
