Get Schooled In Garage Organization by Julie Morgenstern (NAPSA)—Meeting a timecrunched school schedule can be a challenge. Organization plays a key role in maintaining order and preventing morning meltdowns. To ease the switch and make the school season more manageable, here are sometips: 1. Analyze. With after-school sports, school projects and a barrage of friends at the door, getting the family and house ready is essential. Ask yourself what works and what doesn’t work with the current setup. For example, if you have limited access to essential items, write it down and address it. Hold a family meeting to discuss the value of organizing the space from everyone’s point of view. Be sure the plan benefits each family member so everyone buysinto the project. 2. Sort. Garages are notorious dumping grounds for things you used to use, thought you might use or didn’t know whereelse to store. With kids searching for sport- ing equipment and toys or areas to store their science experiment, this is the time to get organized and keep only the things you and your family feel have real value. Remember, if you’re unable to access a thing, it’s useless anyway. Pare down to focus on what is useful and make things more accessible. 3. Zone Out. Think of a kindergarten classroom as a modelfor designing your space by dividing it into self-contained “activity zones.” For easy access, store everything related to each activity in their own zone, such Julie Morgenstern’s Top Tips For a Back-to-School Ready Garage. as gloves, bats and balls in the Sports Zone and hand tools in the Home Repair Zone. Having everything at your fingertips pre- vents the before-school scramble and helps you focus more on your family. 4, Step Up. Shelves and hooks on the walls are great for hanging backpacks and coats, storing shoes or even arts and crafts. For instance, Gladiator™ GarageWorks by Whirlpool Corporation has durable products that are designed specifically for the garage. There’s an entire wall system that comes with paneling, hooks, baskets and shelving as well as appliances to meet all of your storage needs. e Julie Morgenstern is a nationally renowned organizing and time management consultant, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of Julie Morgenstern Enterprises, LLC which provides individual consulting, speaking, training, books, videos and prod- ucts that help people becomebetter organized and productive.
