The secret is getting everything out first.

Yes. Pull everything out of the garage (or basement) onto the driveway or lawn. You cannot organize clutter you haven’t seen in three years. This is the only way.

Once it’s all out, you see the true scale of the problem. The half-empty paint cans, the broken snow blower, the box of cables from 2002. You can’t fool yourself into thinking it’s organized if you never actually face it. Sort into four piles: keep, donate, trash, and “relocate to where it belongs inside the house.” Be brutal.

The common mistake is trying to tidy around the stuff. That just moves the piles around. If you’re worried about weather, pick a dry day or split the job into sections. But don’t skip the full eviction. It’s the only method that actually resets the space.

Put nothing back unless you know exactly where it will live. Shelves, hooks, bins—they work only after the purge.

Future You will thank you when you park the car in November.