Jun 15 - Decluttering Dad's Domain - GON in 5 Minutes Newsletter

Published: Sun, 06/15/25

Updated: Mon, 06/16/25

Get Organized Now!

In Less Than 5 Minutes!

by Maria Gracia

June 15, 2025

GetOrganizedNow.com

We respect your time.

This newsletter will take

5:00 minutes to read.

Grab a roll of painter’s tape and a Sharpie and label shelves, drawers, and bins in the garage or shed. It’s a simple way to make your space work better—no more digging for that one tool you know you have somewhere.

Decluttering Dad's Domain

Whether you're a dad reclaiming your space, a wife helping your husband tackle the garage, honoring your father by organizing his old workshop, or just trying to make the basement safer and more functional—these classic “dad spaces” often become clutter zones.

Here are ten practical and creative ideas to help you tidy things up, one smart step at a time.

1. Use painter’s tape to make life easier. Skip the fancy labels—just grab a roll of painter’s tape and a Sharpie. Stick a label right on the edge of a shelf, bin, or drawer. It’s fast, flexible, and easy to change later if something moves. Labeling helps everyone—not just the original owner—know where things belong.

2. Divide and conquer the junk drawer. If there’s a catch-all drawer full of odds and ends, give it structure. Use drawer organizers, food containers, or even cupcake tins to separate categories: zip ties in one, random nails in another, flashlight batteries in another. Grouping similar items together makes them easy to find and keeps things from migrating to every area of the room.

3. Create parking spaces for tools. Mount a pegboard on the wall and use a pegboard organizer kit with assorted hooks, bins, and brackets to hang your tools. You can outline each tool’s shape with a marker or painter’s tape so everything has a designated “parking space” if you wish. Not only does this make it easy to grab what you need, it also shows you exactly what’s missing when something’s in use—or lost.

4. Clear out rust and duplicates. Pick one afternoon to gather up all the screwdrivers, pliers, or grill tongs and line them up. Toss the rusted, bent, or broken ones. Keep just one or two of each size or style. And if there are five tape measures? Keep the best two, and let the rest go. You’re not trying to erase a lifetime of usefulness—just trim it to what’s still useful today.

5. Mount mason jars under a shelf for small parts.
Screw the lids of mason jars directly into the underside of a wooden shelf or beam. Then simply twist the jars on and off to store nails, screws, washers, or wire nuts. You can see what’s inside, they stay out of the way, and you won’t knock over a dozen little containers just trying to find the right bolt. It’s functional, tidy, and satisfying to use.

6. Hang the big stuff with heavy-duty garage hooks. Free up floor space by using a set of strong, wall-mounted utility hooks...perfect for hanging ladders, power tools, garden hoses, bikes, extension cords, and even bulkier items that never seem to fit anywhere else. Mount them to studs or a solid support, and you’ll instantly make the space safer, cleaner, and easier to move through.

7. Create a 'project in progress' zone. Set aside one small work surface or cart to hold only items related to current projects. Everything else gets stored. If something sits in the ‘project zone’ for more than a few weeks with no progress, it’s time to reconsider if it’s still a priority—or if it’s just clutter dressed as intention.

8. Set up a grilling grab-and-go bin. Use a handled tote or plastic bin to hold BBQ tools like thermometers, tongs, grill brushes, skewers, and even a few favorite dry rubs. Keep it near the patio door or in a cabinet near the kitchen. Instead of rummaging through three drawers and two shelves every time the grill gets fired up, everything’s ready to go in one easy-to-carry bin.

9. Make use of a clear parts organizer. Pick up a plastic organizer with clear drawers or compartments—often used for beads or hardware—and dedicate it to all the little bits that never seem to find a home: picture hangers, hooks, nails, spare keys, etc. Label each compartment. Seeing inside helps you know exactly what you have and prevents duplicate purchases.

10. Save one shelf for memories. If this space belonged to a father or grandfather who’s no longer with you, choose one shelf or shadow box to hold meaningful items—an old hammer, a coffee mug with his favorite sports team, or a photo of him at the grill. The rest of the space can be cleared and organized without losing the history.

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads, grandpas, and other father-figures!

On another note...

Soak up every moment of summer with these handpicked essentials...

Sunshine Must-Haves for Summer

It's Not Just Storage...It's History

There’s something special about a well-used garage or workshop—it tells a quiet story of projects built, things fixed, and time well spent. You’ll often find license plates from past cars, fishing gear waiting for the next trip, and that trusty tool that’s been around longer than most of the kids. It’s not just storage—it’s history.

Look a little closer and you’ll spot a few classics: the coffee can filled with mismatched screws and bolts, a fishing rod propped in the corner, or an old cooler still good for one more road trip. These spaces aren’t just practical—they're deeply personal, filled with items that once had a purpose or still might.

This Father’s Day, take a few minutes to appreciate the stories behind those items—and then decide what stays.

Maybe it’s time to let go of what’s no longer needed. Then grab that fishing pole, wipe off the dust, and finally enjoy the day it has been waiting for.

Enjoying my newsletter? Please REPLY and let me know! Also, please forward this newsletter to 5 of your family members and/or friends and share the love!

Here's what just one GON reader had to say...

"I never thought I’d be the type to subscribe to an organizing newsletter, but I’ve got to admit—it’s been surprisingly helpful.

The tips are practical and easy to follow, and I’ve actually made real progress clearing out my garage and home office.

My wife noticed the difference right away. I look forward to each issue now. Thanks!”

-- Carl M., Concord, NC

Leave Your Loved Ones

the Gift of Peace of Mind and Heart

When They Need it Most

with my NEW Resource...

Peace of Mind and Heart

Plus, Get 5 Complimentary Bonuses
Only Until Friday, June 20th

For super quick details on how to get your very own copy right now...

Click Here for
Peace of Mind and Heart

Have you ever thought, If something happened to me tomorrow, would my family know what to do?

That question inspired me to create Peace of Mind and Heart—a comprehensive, comforting system designed to walk you through organizing the most important parts of your life.

Inside this package, you’ll find a detailed guide and a companion workbook that you can begin filling out right away. These are details you can reference now—and important notes your family can rely on later.

You'll get...

-- A clear, compassionate guide that walks you through everything your loved ones will need — from key documents and accounts to personal wishes and final details

-- A companion workbook that includes clear prompts and fill-in-the-blank sections to help you organize your most important life details

-- Checklists to gather your documents, digital logins, and financial accounts

-- Large-print format for easy reading

-- Peaceful design and layout to keep the process calm and manageable

Click Here for
Peace of Mind and Heart

P.S. Don't miss out...New Resource Special!
Claim your very own copy of Peace of Mind and Heart before FRIDAY, June 20th and you'll get...

5 COMPLIMENTARY BONUSES (These thoughtful extras will make it even easier to share your legacy and give peace of mind to the people you love!)

GON Member Bonus!

As a valued member of my GON in 5 Minutes Newsletter, you get exclusive bonuses—PLUS unlimited access to all of my previous ones. This month's featured bonus is my...

GON Summer Bucket List

This isn’t your average bucket list — it’s a collection of simple pleasures, joyful adventures, and relaxing escapes. 25 hand-picked ideas to help you slow down, soak up the sunshine, and savor everything the season has to offer!

Also, if you don't already have it, my 2025 Monthly Organizing Calendar is still available. Jump in today and start tackling those organizing tasks.

To access these free resources, click here

Results of Last Month's Web Poll: How many books do you read in a typical month? Access the results of this poll including a bunch of GON Reader Comments

New Web Poll: Your dryer cycle just ended. What do you do? Vote in my GON Reader Poll on my website home page and let us know

June Organizing Challenge: Uplift Yourself and Others: Includes a series of small actions designed to boost your mood, strengthen your relationships, and bring positive energy into your everyday life. Take the challenge here

June 2025 Organizing Checklist: Kick off summer with my June 2025 monthly organizing checklist packed with quick, effective tasks to help you declutter, clean, and more

"The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get."
-- Tim Russert

I'd love to hear from you.

I LOVE GON reader mail! Whether it's a comment, suggestion, or just a note to say hello, REPLY to this email with a short note.

And remember...there's no better time to get organized, than to Get Organized Now!

Warmly,

Maria Gracia
GetOrganizedNow.com

How to Use This Newsletter

In this newsletter, you will find stories, ideas, inspiration, links and more to help you live a less stressful, more organized, more fulfilling life.

We encourage you to apply these ideas to your own life AND share them liberally with your family, friends, and fan base via email, on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, other social media outlets, and in person, of course!

When you share, please mention my name and web site - Maria Gracia - GetOrganizedNow.com as the source.

Thank you for helping to spread the gift of organizing far and wide!

-- Maria

Maria Gracia,

Get Organized Now!

* Copyright, contact and reprint information:

CONTACT MARIA

* You signed up to receive our Idea-Kit and/or our Newsletter at our Get Organized Now! Web site. We never add names unless you have voluntarily opted in.

* We never rent, trade or sell our email list to anyone. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list.

* If you happen to purchase anything I recommend in this newsletter, or any of my communications, I may receive compensation. Still, I only recommend what I truly believe in and share with my friends and family. If you ever have an issue with anything I recommend, please let me know. I want to make sure I am always serving you at the highest level.

* Received this e-mail from a friend?

SUBSCRIBE HERE

Thinking of unsubscribing?

Please reconsider. If you unsubscribe, you'll lose all the complimentary organizing resources I share with my loyal GON in Five Minutes! members each week.

You'll lose the tips, reader ideas, reader clinics, complimentary videos, ebooks, resource recommendations, and the many valuable bonuses I offer you each month.

Plus, our ezine is designed to use Repetitive Reminders in every issue to help you make "small" organizing actions a permanent part of your mind -- and your life. You may not even realize how much more organized you are becoming -- automatically.

And you will accomplish all of that in less than 5 minutes a day!

Please don't go. I love sending you all of this free training. If there is something more you would like from my newsletters, then please reply to this email and let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

-- Maria Gracia

Get Organized Now!
611 Arlington Way
Watertown Wisconsin 53094
USA

Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options