Free Ideas for Organizing Clutter

Free ideas for organizing clutter include everything from philosophy to taking action. This page gives you everything you need to know to tackle clutter in your garage, as well as in your home.

Take it from Albert Einstein… "Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity, from discord find harmony, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity " What a great statement that is, especially in terms of garage utilization and clutter.

Ok... first things first. Clutter is inevitable! Once you accept the fact that clutter is simply a part of life, then you're already half-way ahead of the game. The other half of the game is understanding that you are in charge, not the clutter. As simple as this sounds, it's the main reason why clutter piles up in the first place.

Use some of the following free ideas for organizing clutter to make your garage more useful, and your home more efficient.

Having less clutter in your garage is a good thing. It reduces stress, saves you time when you're looking for something specific, and gives you more time to work on household projects.

Tips on Getting Organized

I challenge anyone who believes that getting organized begins with something other than getting rid of as much clutter as possible in the first place.

Do 5 Things at Once

Does this sound stressful? I see how it could, but It's really not! I'm not saying to multitask 5 things, but rather take care of 5 items of clutter at any one time. This is one of my absolute favorite tips on getting organized because it provides a measurable sense of accomplishment even if you're facing a pile a mile high.

It's amazing how fast clutter disappears this way. 5 is a great number because it's significant, yet it's not overwhelming. Before you know it, you've taken care of 100 items of clutter, but it wasn't painful or dreadful in any way.

Be Swift and Thrifty

One of the roadblocks to getting organized that I come across a lot is figuring out where to put stuff. This seems so simple, and it really is, but it can also prevent progress in a big way.

A good solution is to use containers you already have around the house. It might look nicer to go out and buy matching containers or storage cabinets, but using good old cardboard boxes and any other containers you have laying around (which may be part of the clutter you're trying to organize!) is fast, cheap, and very effective.

Just S.T.O.R.M. It!

A while ago, I came up with a method I call STORM for dealing with clutter. STORM stands for Survey, Time, Organize, Reduce, and Make. Check it out! STORM is one of the best free ideas for organizing clutter that I have ever used.

Garage Organizing Ideas

You can apply any one of the free ideas for organizing clutter that you find on this page, this site, or anywhere else on Earth, and you'll find that you need a clear and strong vision for your garage before you can truly reap any real benefits.

Define purpose of your garage

If you really want to get organized, then you really need to know how you want to use your garage. It's easy to overlook how important it is to have an overall goal for accomplishing any kind of organization. Most garages I have ever seen, including my own, is used for a variety of things like parking, working on household projects, and storage. The key here is to not limit your ideas, yet keep it real as well.

Paint a picture, what's your vision?

Once you know what you want the purpose of your garage to be, then it's time to brainstorm the road map on how to get there. Another one of the free ideas for organizing clutter focuses on this "vision" for your garage. At this point, you can begin focusing on what stays and what needs to go away in order to achieve the vision. This is where you realize that everything in your garage MUST have a place, and if you can't find a place for it, then it's time to remove it from your garage all together.

Keep it Simple

I've lost track of how many variations I've heard of KISS… aka... "Keep it Simple, Stupid" and "Keep it Simple and Stupid", "Keep it Simple and Short" , etc. No matter which variation you prefer, the principle is solid and worthy of attention. Personally, the more I worry about being sophisticated and creative while organizing my garage, the more I lose focus of my overall intended purpose and vision. Basically, it's good to imagine, but it's essential to take action, snd keeping it simple promotes action every time.

State of Mind

The best free ideas for organizing clutter in a home garage have to do with the mental aspects of clutter more than the physical aspects. I know… you might be thinking, "what the heck is he talking about? I came here for free ideas, not psycho babble". Hey, I get it. But read on, you'll see how important emotions are in terms of getting organized.

Keep Anxiety Away

Anxiety just might be the #1 reason why so many garages continue to pile up with clutter. It's easy to understand… all it takes is a single negative thought to snowball into chaos. Next thing you know, anxiety has taken over and you can forget about any free ideas for organizing clutter at that point. The solution... stay positive and walk away if you start feeling negative about getting organized. Come back later and try again, there's no hurry.

Stay Motivated

Another key issue that gets in the way of all free ideas for organizing clutter is losing motivation. Personally, this is one I struggle with from time to time… don't we all? Of course! When this happens to you, I recommend stepping back for a short while and focusing on something else. By doing so, you'll not only be fending off anxiety, but you'll be staving off stress as well. Re-gaining motivation is much easier this way.

Don't Stress Out

Speaking of stress, here we have yet another roadbloack to actually using any of these free ideas for organizing clutter. In a similar fashion as what to do when you lose motivation, I have found that simply walking away from the garage for a short time not only prevents stress, but promotes new ideas as well. Another great idea to reduce the stress of dealing with garage clutter is to get rid of items you don't use. Out of sight, out of mind, out of stress.

Go for it!

No matter which one or how many of the free ideas for organizing clutter you choose to use, the true key is to remember that you don't have to surrender to clutter. It will always find a way in, but you always have the power to make it go away.

Take a suggestion from this page and put it to work in your garage. Fighting back against clutter produces fast and rewarding results.

I couldn't agree more with the following quote from feng shui expert H.G. Chissell... "Clutter is a physical manifestation of fear that cripples our ability to grow" This is so true. Think about it for a few moments, then go out there and start removing clutter from your garage!