Guest Blog Post: Garage Organization Made Easy

By Stephanie Hanson of Monkey Bar Storage

Organizing the garage can seem completely overwhelming. In fact, so many people avoid cleaning out their garage because they just don’t know where to start. Use these tips to get your garage organized in a flash!

Pull It All Out: That’s right, the moment that you’ve been fearing for so long is here; it’s time to pull all the junk out of the garage. Do this will make you physically look at all your items and part with the items that you don’t need anymore. Make piles of items that you would like to sale, donate, keep and throw away. Having multiple piles will help you to categories things more effectively. If you can divide your stuff into even more piles, feel free. The more the merrier.

Determine Function: Everyone uses their garage for something different. What is the garage to you? Is it a place where you park your car? Do you use the garage to store old Christmas decorations? Do you use the garage as a craft room? Determine what you want to use the garage for, multiple functions are ok!

Create Spaces For Functions: Divide your remaining items into piles based on their functions. Then create spaces in the garage for those different functions. If you’re looking to use the garage as a storage space, consider utilizing shelving and overhead storage to free up floor space. If you are looking to use the garage as a craft room, then try out a workbench. There are many unique tools made for your unique hobbies and interests.

Decorate: Just because it is the garage, doesn’t mean that you don’t get to decorate it. There are many different colors and patterns of flooring and cabinets to choose from that can help you achieve the look that you want.

No matter the amount of stuff you have in your garage, you can organize it!

Stephanie Hanson is the Director of Community Relations at Monkey Bar Storage. She enjoys DIY projects, and playing with her pet lab, Oakly. 

Saving Space: Tiny Dining Room? No Problem

I was in Costco recently and I saw this beautiful compact dinning room table and chair set. I love that it takes up so little space yet has seating for four.  Most dinette sets (like the one we own) have only 2 chairs.  I love the dark wood stain, it brings a simple elegance to the space and for under $400, I think it's a deal!

Good job Costco!

30 Things You Can Do in 1 Hour Each Week to Stay Organized!

I challenge you to find one day a week, one hour in that day to do something organizing related.  Below are a list of things you can accomplish in one hour.  If you consistently give yourself just this one hour you'll be surprised how much you can "catch up" on. What will 52 hours a year net you? An organized closet? Donation boxes out the door? A cleared space to do crafting, exercise, or a room you can rent for income? A relief from the guilty feeling of "I need to {fill in the blank}" in the pit of your stomach?

I challenge you to put a "Dexterous HOUR" in your week, a time that you feel your best energy wise, that you can consistently do something.  To make it easier you can break it out into 30 minutes in two days or 15 minutes in four days. But do it, be consistent and put yourself back in your life.

1. Sort through mail - putting active items close by on board or on fridge until they are complete, active items on a tabletop file, and archive items in a file cabinet or scan them into your digital system.
2. Going through the pantry and cabinets and throwing out expired food and spices, then planning a menu for items that are near expired to be used.
3. Going through clothes and making repairs and sewing on buttons
4. Switching out seasonal clothing
5. Taking shoes that need repair to the cleaners for repair
6. Taking out worn out hangers and wire hangers from the cleaners out of the closet because they take up space.
7. Going through old files and shredding out dated information
8. Clearing your email inbox
9. Donating unread magazines to waiting rooms or homeless shelters
10. Ripping CD music onto computer making a MP3 file and load up in the cloud, then throwing away CDs
11. Getting rid cleaning product bottles that are almost empty and pouring into like bottles
12. Going through old greeting cards and getting rid of ones that have no sentiment or message inside it. Going through old photos and getting rid of duplicates, filing pictures into categories for scrap booking or photo albums
13. Take electronic cords and match them up with the electronic device; then label the cord and put away neatly to be found again.
14. Get rid of duplicate tools and keep tools in places that are handy (i.e. garage, in car trunk, in utility room, etc.) Go through gardening chemicals and make sure none are leaking or are not expired. 
15. Call bulk trash and schedule a pick up of items that need to be taken away.
16. Go through toys with kids (or make the decision for them) of toys they don't play with or have outgrown to be donated or discarded.
17. Call local charity to schedule a pick up and purge items in all closets.
18. Give not-yet-given gifts to people they were intended for
19. Go through home and look for things that belong to other people and arrange for them to pick it up or get delivered.
20. Get clothes or other items off of surfaces not intended for clothes - chairs, exercise equipment, floor, tabletops, etc.
21. Take inventory and photos/videos of items in your home for insurance purposes
22. Read about a new organizing tip or trick you can inculcate in your life 
23. Go through books on a bookshelf and get rid of books you've outgrown or don't intend on reading again
24. Move your DVDs or CDs from the jewel cases to a compact disc holder (throw out jewel cases)
25. Get rid of boxes of items you purchased (you probably don't need them).
26. Schedule your week and check for double-bookings or things you are over-extending yourself and make calls to reschedule
27. Learn how to use a productivity app like Evernote.
28. Schedule your doctor's appointments for the next two months for the whole family
29. Look at calendar for celebrations coming up and order gifts online to be sent to celebrator directly or put a reminder in your calendar to shop for a gift.
30. Schedule vet visit for your furry friend's yearly shots

Saving Space: High random windows can storage dishes

Often the complaint of clients is they don't have enough cabinet space, and most of the time they are right. In those cases, it takes a lot of ingenuity to create spaces for everyday useful items in the kitchen. I thought this idea was unique and obviously initiated by someone who isn't vertically challenged.  Or these plates are not used often, but too precious or beautiful to toss or donate.  Whatever the case, I like the clear, clean look.  The only con would be dust and dirt from the window.

What do you think? Would you use this storage method?

Pinned from The Kitchn.com

Saving Space: If you don't have a guest room

Most people in the Washington DC area who are young professionals don't have a guest room.  Even if they do have a spare bedroom, it often doubles as an office.  If you are in a studio apartment, or your spare bedroom isn't best used just for the occasional guest, it's usually a waste of space for a day bed to exist in a room that doesn't get used often.  I recently found this wonderful dual-purpose ottoman.  The only thing I question is it's comfort level, but if the only thing you have to offer is the couch or the floor it may be the better alternative.  Better yet, it may keep your house guest's stay just in the range of comfort for you...short and sweet! ;)

Inspiration & Motivation: Keep On Going

'nuff said. Right?

Book I Recommend Often: Organizing From the Inside Out

When I first became an Organizer, I went to my first NAPO meeting in June of 2010.  One of the organizers there mentioned I should read Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgernstern.  It changed my perspective on how to address people's organizing conundrums. It changed my perspective on what being organized really means.  It changed my perspective on how to tackle clutter consistently the same way to get a similar result each time.

I encourage, in fact I require that all of my Organizing Assistants read it before they intend to advance in working with Dexterous Organizing.

Have you read it? What do you think of the book?