Creating an effective overhead garage storage system requires some planning. The system that is installed will affect how easy it is to get to the stored items. The type of items that are stored can dictate the type of storage system that will be most effective.

Before deciding on a storage system, one will want to sort their storage items to remove any clutter or unnecessary articles. A storage area can fill very quickly with belongings that a person may not want to store, but don’t have a spot in the home for. Getting rid of clutter before installing the storage system will give a person an accurate idea of the size of the system that will be needed.

Many garages are built with the needed components to create an overhead storage area. These garages have beams or fittings that will allow overhead storage systems to be installed easily. When the garage is clean and uncluttered a person can easily park their car in the garage, maintain a work bench, or keep children’s toys in the garage.

The type of system that a person installs for their overhead garage storage will depend on the amount of belongings that are to be stored and the weight of the items. Some systems are pre-fabricated and can be easily installed. These systems are rated for load bearing and can be placed through the entire garage or a small portion of it.

When deciding on the system to be installed a person will want to consider the possibility of animals getting into the area. If the system is made with sheltered corners and dark spaces, mice may nest in these areas. By using a more open system animals will be discouraged from nesting in the storage area and items that are stored in it.

Packing items for overhead garage storage can be a very important step. The items that can be damaged by fluctuating temperatures or humidity must be packed or wrapped in an absorbent material. Often one can find storage materials through a supplier that will protect important papers and documents when stored. Marking boxes clearly on all sides and making sure that any breakables are kept together when packing will also provide extra protection.

Organizing the overhead garage storage system to hold items in the order that they are used will help keep the storage organized. When the items that are used on a yearly basis are kept in the same place they are easy to retrieve and return to the storage system. When creating the storage system a person will find it helpful to research the different types of systems that are available and select the one that will best meet the needs of the home in which it will be used.

Store more in your garage by purchasing overhead garage storage. Different choices of garage storage systems are available to help you accomplish a clean and organized look. Buy your own today and get it all together!

Finally on a rainy day in September, a year and a half after we moved in, we decided to get the task done. Two-thirds of that stuff wound up being either donated or thrown out. We certainly didn’t need it now if we hadn’t needed it in the past 18 months. That corner is clean and clear now. When I go downstairs, I notice and appreciate the light that pours in the window. Physically that space is clear – but also clear now is the space in my head that was continually occupied by that unresolved pile of boxes.

The intense emotional connection we can, at times, have with the things we own, including our “intangible” possessions – our health, our beliefs about ourselves and others, our old grudges, and unresolved pain is an interesting and difficult issue to address. These are all things that take up space. Often times they take up so much space that it doesn’t leave room for anything else. We long for simplicity – but letting go can be difficult and painful for many reasons, even when holding on to these things is to our emotional detriment.

The way our brain processes input helps us understand this issue. “The path of reason” is one neurological path. It’s the part of our brain that sees just wood and fabric when we look at a chair, for example. The other neurological path is the one that is linked profoundly to emotion and memory. Through this path, when we again look at that chair, it recalls all things – pleasant and unpleasant – related to the chair. So something as simple and unemotional as a chair could actually, for it’s owner, be profoundly symbolic of experiences such as guilt, grief, a failed relationship, or a feeling of being constantly overwhelmed. As you can imagine, living peacefully in a house with these triggers can be extremely hard.

My friend Heidi DeCoux is a professional organizer specializing in home organization. She explains the cycle of physical and emotional chaos like this:

Everyone says that the problem is the clutter. In actuality, the real problem is…the lack of space. There is nowhere to grow and no room for anything new when we don’t have space. We then, instead, experience more stuffing and filling rather than positive, beneficial growth.

Recently, I had the chance to listen to a wonderful interview with coach and author of the book “Throw out Fifty Things, ” Gail Blanke. She made the point that removing clutter is not so that you can live in an immaculate environment (in fact, the need for perfection can be it’s own type of emotional clutter). It is so that we can make room for new possibilities and clear a path for productive, forward movement. Heidi’s work encompasses this philosophy: “Organizing is about seeing the transformation of people and not so much about organizing things.”

Blanke often refers to the “Rules of Disengagement” which is a kind of litmus test for letting go of the things that hinder us:

* Let it go – if the thing, idea, feeling, or person weighs you down, hurts you consistently, or holds you back.

* Let it go — if the thing, idea, feeling, or person just sits there, takes up space and contributes nothing.

* If you have to debate endlessly, forever weighing the pros and cons — Should I let it go? Should I keep it? — then let it go. As Heidi puts it, “Stuff you feel guilty about getting rid of creates an environment of guilt — who can grow in that?”

* Don’t make it so difficult. Things that cause us constant confusion and pain are not the things that are meant to be in our lives.

This is the time of year when we start consuming and accumulating in earnest. It seems like the perfect time to stop and breathe and ask: What could I be letting go of? What in my physical or emotional environment is no longer helping me move forward in my life? What might there be room for in my life if I let go of these items, this broken relationship, this disappointment, this fear?

The tendency in people is to fill in space. So, the question becomes, What should I fill it with?

Heidi DeCoux is a professional organizer & creator of The Fast-Filing Method home office filing system. To get her FREE Kit: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized & Stay Organized, visit ClearSimpleLiving.com. Siri Myhrom is an educator & therapeutic writing facilitator. To get a free subscription to Siri’s e-Magazine, Winter Oak Weekly, visit winter-oak.com.