3 tips for organizing your garage

Getting your garage organized like this one pictured from Wall Control can seem like a huge project. While it may take a little time, the benefits are well worth it. According to AllExperts, a well-organized and made-over garage can increase the value of a home by $2,000 to $10,000.

That being said, according to Hints for Homeowners , a recent Gladiator GarageWorks consumer survey found that nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of consumers characterize their garage as a "don't wan to go in there" space. While many said their garage is "clean cut and simple," the survey revealed that 32 percent of consumers today can't get their car into the garage.“Many garages are chaotic piles of seasonal tools, gadgets and equipment that are often left on the floor or force-fit into mismatched organizational solutions. In fact, company research shows that the top drivers for purchasing organizational products for the garage are wanting a more organized look and getting things off the floor. We feel creating the right plan and products to meet many lifestyles makes all the difference in addressing this need,” said garage organization expert Lou Ann Schafer.

So here are three tips shared by Gladiator GarageWorks.

1. One Size Does Not Fit All: Bins are not an organizational solution for everyone. Instead, identify your lifestyle needs and then embark on an organizational plan. Are you a golfer, gardener, bike rider? Specifically tailored storage solutions will help you manage these interests.
2. Identify Zones: The garage can serve many purposes. Lay the space out like you would a room inside your house. Is there room for the car? What storage solutions can be hung on the wall to free up floor space? A sample garage blueprint tool can be found on the Gladiator brand Web site.
3. The Garage Is For Everyone: Once considered the guy’s domain, the garage is increasingly becoming a shared family space. Take all parties’ interests and needs into consideration when organizing and get them involved. This can include the integration of specific solutions, such as ball caddies, bike hooks and mobile, modular cabinets.

Using these tips can turn that "don't want to go in there" space into a well-organized impressive place you won't mind showing off to the neighbors, that is, unless you are afraid they will just be coming over to borrow your tools!

Organizing your garage

I like to keep on the lookout for ideas to keep myself organized, and for information to pass on. Today my son, Brian, pointed me to a great article on organizing your garage.

This article takes you from beginning to end, from organizing the rest of the house first, through labeling, to the garage sale, to keeping organized on a yearly basis. This is an excellent article. I highly recommend it. It needs no further comment. Go and read it there.

Organize by pre-bussing

Today's organizational thoughts have grown out of the restaurant industry. Being a restaurant manager, I have learned a lot about how people work, or try to get out of work.

Pre-bus: When people are eating at a restaurant, the servers are supposed to remove dishes that are no longer needed while the customer is still there. That is referred to as pre-bussing. When the main dish is brought out, the salad plates and soup bowls should be removed provided the customer is finished with them. When dessert is served, the plates used for the meal are to be removed, again as long as the customer is finished. That gives the customers more room as they talk and finish their drinks and get the kids ready to go. Plus it means most of the work of cleaning off the table is already done, saving valuable time later when we need the table for the next customers.

Here's the problem. Most of the servers will try to avoid this part of their job by saying they don't have time to pre-bus. At the same time, they will walk past their tables to the kitchen ten times with empty trays. If they just picked up one item on each trip, the job would be done with no extra steps or effort. They are already going that way anyway.

So, I'm going to apply this pre-bus option to staying organized at work or at home. When leaving your desk, check to see if there is a pop can, coffee cup, or book that you will no longer be using. Take it along with you and you will be one step closer to a cleaner desk without any extra effort. Heading out to the garage? Grab the tool that is out of place and take it along. Coming in from the car? Bring along anything that shouldn't stay in the car and you won't have to wonder where it is later. Going to the kitchen after eating a "couch potato" snack? Put the dishes or glasses in the dish washer rather than on the counter where it constitutes clutter. These are restaurant pre-bussing techniques which can help keep us organized at home or at the office. As we say at the restaurant, "It is easier to keep up than to catch up!"

It wasn't my table! Another way servers will try to avoid work is to say, "That wasn't my table." Their section doesn't have any clean tables, so they can't get sat to make more money. Yet they don't want to clean off a table that is available because it wasn't theirs originally. Meanwhile, the original server is busy in a new section and can't get it cleaned off. As I look at it, they are being lazy and losing money. It doesn't make any difference whose table it was. It needs to be cleaned. The sooner the better. It is called turnover. The quicker the turnover, the more money they make.

So at home or at the office. It doesn't make any difference who put it there. If it doesn't belong there it should be moved, put away, or tossed in the trash. It's your office, your home, your car, your desk. It doesn't matter who put something there, you can take care of it.

Don't wait for the bus! As managers, one of our responsibilities is to watch labor. We are allowed so many labor hours for so many customers. When the customer count begins to die down, we have to start cutting workers to keep the labor hours in line with the customer count. We are constantly being told, "You cannot wait for the bus." In other words, don't keep a lot of workers on the clock just in case a bus load of people show up.

In our case at home, or at the office, don't wait until it will take a bus to cart off all the mess. Keep at it continually and it will never build up to an unsightly mess. It takes a little ongoing effort, but in the long run will save time. It takes a while to fill the bus when it gets that messy. It takes a while to find something when you have to sort through a bunch of things that shouldn't be there. Don't wait until you need a bus.

Don't put it where it doesn't belong! The best clutter-prevention is don't put something where it doesn't belong in the first place. Of course, when you are having a cup of coffee, you need the coffee cup there. But when you are done, don't leave it where it shouldn't be. Don't put it on the counter where it doesn't belong. Put it in the dishwasher, or wash it and hang it up, or whatever you need to do at the office.

You'll be glad you did! In the long run, you'll appreciate the little extra effort you put in along the way. When you come back to your desk, or back to the kitchen, you'll like the way it looks. You'll be able to get at your next task without having to clean up first. You won't have to worry about someone seeing it looking like a mess.

It is not that I am a neat freak. That would be closer to a description for my wife. But I appreciate that about her. I have loved her that way for 38 years next month. She's not going to change now, and I wouldn't want her to.

We used to play golf with some other couples. Afterwards we would go to one of our houses for cards. We usually took turns, but often the others would say, "We have to go home and clean up first." We would have to wait and come later, or volunteer our house. People could/can walk into our house any time and find it neat and clean. That is a good feeling. It is simply because my wife follows the procedures I'm talking about. She wants everything put back where it belongs, picked up as we go, and put away when we're done. I like the end result.

Organize by looking at the small picture

Getting organized can seem to be an overwhelming task. It is no fun looking at a cluttered room like that pictured on the right, or a desk that needs to be cleaned up. Looking at that large stack of papers that has built up on the "To do" pile can destroy one's motivation. Thinking "I need to clean up my whole house" or "I need to get this office straightened up" can seem like an endless task. We feel defeated before we even begin. Getting started can be the hardest step.

It helps to begin by dividing the task into small parts, looking at the small picture. Divide the house into rooms, then the room into sections and decide to get one of those small sections organized first. Do that entire small section until you are satisfied rather than doing a little here and there in the whole room. When that small section looks good, you will feel better. Then take a break and pat yourself on the back for a good start. When you are ready to tackle some more, do another small section.

Do the same with the office, desk or workbench. Start with the small picture -- a drawer or tool chest that needs to be cleaned out. Get that done first and you will have room to put some of the other things that you need to save but have just piled on top. Or begin with a corner of the desk or workbench. Tell yourself you'll get that done first. Then do another small section another time. In the mean time, be sure to keep the original small section clean.

If you have decided to take on the "to do" pile, take a small stack off the top. Actually the bottom portion of the pile is probably the oldest and needs to be done first. Do a quick sort to get at the smaller picture. Some items will be out of date and can be tossed in the waste basket. Toss them fast. Don't hesitate and think maybe you will look at them some other day. Some items will be important and should be taken care of immediately. Some can wait. Deal with the urgent stack of items immediately. Take care of them by dealing with them once. Don't allow yourself to put them back on the "To do" pile or you'll end up having to start all over. See my previous post in this blog on "Organize by dealing with it once." When you get that small stack done, take a short break, then do another stack. Or promise yourself you will do another small stack first thing in the morning. Get a small stack done each day. As long as you take more off the pile than you put on that day, you'll soon catch up and have that mess of a "To do" pile conquered. Then do your best to keep up with it each day so the pile doesn't grow again.

Break any organizational job into smaller tasks and look at the small picture only. Then the project won't be so overwhelming. Don't try to take on the entire house, or office, or utility shed, or garage. Break it up into a smaller picture. You'll get more done, and can be satisfied with each step accomplished. Soon you will feel good about being organized and it will be much easier to stay organized.