Sports Then and Now

Locked up in the house and looking for something to do? Get organized! It’s a great way to relieve stress, and you get the added benefit of being able to find all your stuff!

Think of it — you’ll never again spend hours searching for that pump to inflate a soccer ball, or wonder where the other badminton racket you know you own has gotten off to. The savings in redundant equipment alone are impressive, but the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing where your stuff is makes this a truly worthwhile endeavor.

Step 1: Divide and Conquer

Chances are good that if you have enough stuff to need some organizing, you have lots of stuff! Before it can be in the right place, it all has to be in the same place. From there, you can categorize and plan storage solutions for each of your specific items.

Decide where you want to work. Many families like to store their sporting equipment in a mudroom or a well-maintained garage with easy in-and-out access and plenty of space. Then, gather your gear. It might look messy right now, but you’re on your way!

Step 2: Corral Those Loose Items

After you’ve collected all of your sporting equipment and placed it in a good workspace, decide how you’ll separate and create homes for different items. We suggest using containers, which you can get at many hardware stores in rectangular, square and cylindrical shapes.

Another tried-and-true method is the old plastic trash can, but the use of dedicated containers can make it easier to find a specific item without digging through every piece of sporting equipment you own. It’ll also help you avoid damaging sensitive items when they are crushed by larger ones.

Create a strategy for how you store things. For example, you might have one container per sport, or you could choose to sort items by size, with larger items in a large container and smaller items in small containers. You can always change it up in the future or add more containers if you need them.

Step 3: Get Big Items off the Floor

Okay, so you’ve got the mitts, croquet set and slip-n-slide neatly stored away. But what about the pair of ocean kayaks you picked up last summer on Craigslist? Those aren’t going to fit easily into any sort of box.

Large gear items like bikes and boats are best stored mounted. Drill some hooks into the wall to hang bicycles, or mount some shelving above head-level so that you can place your boats up and out of the way and then quickly lower them down when it’s time to go out. Make sure that you use durable materials that will stand up to the dust and moisture these sorts of toys will bring in.

An Organized Home Is Worth the Effort

Why go to all the trouble, you ask? Because you really only have to do this once and then just remain disciplined. As long as you can stick to your habit of returning items to their proper container, hanger or shelf, they’ll always be where you left them.

See? That wasn’t so bad. So make a plan and get organized this weekend! What are you waiting for?