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The deck, seven zones

The Garage Deck

80 cards: the Manual's real seven Garage zones, the frictions each one causes, the 16 root causes underneath, the actions that fix them, and the standard each zone keeps. Typeset and free. No illustrations yet, so every card reads as text, not a photograph.

Read the deck

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This is the first Garage deck on the site: built straight from the same Manual as the Kitchen, Entryway, Laundry Room, Home Office and Primary Bathroom decks, with the same rules.

Built from the Manual, not around it

Seven zones, real diagnosis, nothing invented

The garage takes what every other room in the house evicts, and because the door stays shut most of the week, nothing ever forces a verdict on any of it. That is why your best chisel and a box you have not opened since you moved in can sit on the same shelf. Start at the workbench, because until one solid surface is clear, everything you pick up just goes back down somewhere else.

Every card here is real: written from the same source as the Manual and the zone pages, gated so a root cause with no friction pointing at it, or an action nobody's problem needs, cannot ship. None of it is generated placeholder copy. What is missing is photography, which this deck does not pretend to have. A family-coloured panel and the card's own symbol stand where a photograph will eventually go.

80 cards, seven kinds

One zone, one friction, one cause, one fix, one standard

A Zone card names the place. Friction cards say what a household actually complains about there. Each friction points at a Root Cause, and each cause names the Action that fixes it. A Standard card is what you write down and keep. Event cards are the days that test whether it held.

  • Room · 1
  • Zone · 7
  • Friction · 25
  • Root Cause · 16
  • Action · 17
  • Standard · 7
  • Event · 7

The deck

Read it here, zone by zone

Tap a card's "How it works" to see its back. Start at the workbench: it is the one surface the whole garage depends on, and clearing it changes what you can get done in every other zone.

The Garage

RoomGAR-001

THE GARAGE

SEVEN ZONES. START WITH THE BENCH.

●○○○○

The garage takes what every other room in the house evicts, and it carries three problems no other room has all at once: fuel and garden chemicals stored a few feet from where a car parks, heavy bins stacked overhead above where people walk and park, and edged power tools within reach of a child's hand. This card is the map and the order.

How it works

Start here. GAZ-001 Primary Workbench. Start with the workbench, not the pile inside the door. A cleared bench top gives you somewhere to lay out the contents of a bin while you judge them, and it is the one part of the garage that pays you back the same afternoon. The slab comes last, once the wall rails and the overhead racks have taken what belongs on them.

The seven zones, in order

  1. GAZ-001 Primary Workbench
  2. GAZ-002 Hand Tool Wall and Cabinets
  3. GAZ-003 Power Tool and Battery Zone
  4. GAZ-004 Automotive Care Zone
  5. GAZ-005 Sports and Recreation Zone
  6. GAZ-006 Lawn and Garden Tool Zone
  7. GAZ-007 Bulk and Overhead Storage

How to play

  1. Deal the seven ZONE cards face up. Pick the one that is annoying you today, or take the one this card says to start at.
  2. Lay out that zone's FRICTION cards. Keep the ones that are true in your garage. Put the rest back.
  3. Turn a friction card over and pick the answer that is true. It names a ROOT CAUSE.
  4. The root cause card names the ACTION cards that fix that cause. Pick the one that matches the time you actually have: fifteen or thirty minutes.
  5. Do it standing up, with the card in your hand.
  6. Read the victory condition out loud. If it is not true yet, you are not finished, and that is the whole scoring system.
  7. Fill in the zone's STANDARD card with a pen and put it where the zone is.
  8. Draw an EVENT card when an ordinary hard day happens, and see whether the standard held.

Players. 1 to 4. With more than one, split the chain: one clears the bench and tool wall, another works the power tools and the overhead rack.

Safety first. Do GAA-015 The Fuel-and-Chemistry Walk before any rebuild. It takes thirty minutes and covers what makes this room different from every other: fuel, lithium packs and garden chemicals a few feet from where the car parks.

Primary Workbench

ZoneGAZ-001

PRIMARY WORKBENCH

Zone 1 of 7 · Garage

BARE TOP. ONE TRAY. SWEPT CONCRETE BENEATH.

●●●○○

The one surface in the house where things get fixed, glued, cut, and assembled.

How it works

Done looks like: A bare bench top holding only the vise and the task light, one tray with the current job in it, clamps racked on the rail, and swept concrete visible under the bench.

Six things to check

  1. A bare bench top holding only the vise and the task light
  2. One tray holding the current job, nothing else
  3. Clamps racked on the rail within reach
  4. Swept concrete visible under the bench
  5. No cord crossing the strip of floor you stand on
  6. No chisel or blade resting edge-up on the top

Fall, cut, or crush Chisels, utility knives, and handsaws loose in the bench drawer or lying edge-up on the top where you sweep with a bare hand.

Burn or fire Rags soaked with oil, stain, or solvent left balled in an open bin under the bench. They can heat on their own with no flame anywhere near them.

The project that has been there since spring. Name the half-finished thing sitting on your bench right now. It gets one of three verdicts today: a specific weekend written on it to finish it, a breakdown that returns the timber, hardware, and hinges to stock, or the skip. The rule that settles it is that anything which has sat untouched through one full season is not a project any more, it is furniture with your intentions stacked on top. Do not solve this by lifting it onto a shelf. That only moves the decision somewhere darker and costs you the bench in the meantime, which is the one surface the whole garage depends on.

What it uses

  • Compact vacuum with attachments
  • Color-coded microfiber cloth set
  • Neutral pH multi-surface cleaner
  • Small detail brush set
  • Portable cleaning caddy
  • Light machine oil

Three frictions, then the fix

FrictionGAF-001

CLEAR AT NOON, BURIED BY FIVE

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“The bench is never clear enough to start a job on.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Finished jobs are pushed aside rather than put away → MISSING TRIGGER
  2. It is the largest flat surface in the house, so everything gets parked on it → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  3. More than one job is part-done at the same time → UNRESOLVED DECISION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-002

THE FIVE-MINUTE HUNT BEFORE EVERY JOB

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“I spend longer finding the tool than doing the job.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Tools stay where they were last used instead of going back → MISSING STANDARD
  2. The tools this bench needs are stored across the garage → WRONG LOCATION
  3. Two people use this bench and put things back differently → CONFLICTING USERS

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-003

TRIPPING OVER THE JOB ITSELF

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“There is always something underfoot while I am working.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Offcuts and packaging go on the floor because there is no bin here → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  2. Extension cords run across the walking line to the nearest socket → SAFETY CONSTRAINT
  3. Boxes are stored under the bench where the broom should reach → WRONG LOCATION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

ActionGAA-001

CLEAR THE BENCH TO THE VISE AND THE LIGHT

15 MINUTES. 1.

●●○○○

Clear the bench top down to the vise and the task light, put the current job in one tray, rack the clamps, and sweep until concrete shows underneath.

How it works

A bench with no boundary on what belongs there is why the next job never gets a clear surface to start on, and 'I might need it later' is not the same test as 'this is today's job.'

You need

  • a tray for the current job
  • a broom
  • nothing else beyond fifteen minutes

Steps

  1. Clear the bench top down to the vise and the task light, put the current job in one tray, rack the clamps on the rail, and sweep until you can see concrete under the bench.
  2. Wipe the vise screw and give it a drop of oil before you close up.
  3. Check the bench outlet and task light cord for nicks while you're down there.

Victory. A bare bench, one tray holding one job, and swept concrete visible underneath.

If this keeps happening

Part of: PRIMARY WORKBENCH and PRIMARY WORKBENCH STANDARD

Next: PRIMARY WORKBENCH STANDARD

ActionGAA-002

GIVE EVERY BENCH TOOL ITS OWN CORNER

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Settle where the vise, the current-job tray and the clamp rail each live permanently, and move anything that isn't a bench tool off the top for good.

How it works

The largest flat surface in the house collects everything with nowhere else to go, and a tool with no fixed corner on the bench is a tool that drifts back into the middle of it by next week.

You need

  • a marker or tape for corners
  • a box for anything relocated

Steps

  1. Mark or tape off the vise's own corner with a full arm's length of open top in front of it.
  2. Confirm fasteners have a fixed drawer directly beneath where they're used, not a jar lid on the top.
  3. Carry anything that isn't a bench tool, like a parcel or a paint tin, to the zone it actually belongs to.
  4. Agree who ends each session with the sweep, tied to unplugging the bench outlet.

Victory. The vise, the tray and the clamp rail each have a fixed corner, and nothing that isn't a bench tool is resting on the top.

If this keeps happening

Part of: PRIMARY WORKBENCH and PRIMARY WORKBENCH STANDARD

Next: CLEAR THE BENCH TO THE VISE AND THE LIGHT

StandardGAS-001

PRIMARY WORKBENCH STANDARD

WRITE IT. SIGN IT. PUT IT WHERE IT HAPPENS.

●○○○○

The bench ends every session bare except the vise and the task light.

How it works

Trigger: When you pull the last plug out of the bench outlet, that is the signal to sweep. The plug leaving the wall, not the clock on your phone.

Write on

  • Who agreed this: ______________ and ______________
  • Date: ____ / ____ / ______
  • Where this card lives: ______________________________

This is a write on card. Fill it in with a pen, in your own words if the printed sentence is not yours, and put it where the zone is. A standard nobody signed is a preference.

Ninety seconds, if that is what you have

  • Lift everything off the bench top and confirm bare wood shows edge to edge.
  • Rack every clamp on the rail and confirm none are left on the bench top.
  • Vacuum the bench dog holes and confirm no sawdust or filings remain.

Hand Tool Wall and Cabinets

ZoneGAZ-002

HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS

Zone 2 of 7 · Garage

EVERY TOOL ON ITS OUTLINE. NOTHING BLANK.

●●●○○

Keeps the tools you reach for weekly visible, findable, and provably all present.

How it works

Done looks like: Every hand tool hanging on its own drawn outline with no blank silhouettes, one hammer and one adjustable wrench at chest height nearest the door, saw teeth sheathed, and the cabinet latched.

Six things to check

  1. Every hand tool hanging on its own drawn outline
  2. No blank silhouette anywhere on the board
  3. One hammer at chest height nearest the door
  4. One adjustable wrench at chest height nearest the door
  5. Saw teeth sheathed
  6. The cabinet door latched

Fall, cut, or crush Unsheathed saw teeth and chisel edges hung at hand height, and heavy wrenches on shallow hooks directly above where you stand to work.

Poison, choke, or strangle An unlatched low cabinet holding loose box-cutter blades, screws, and drill bits within a toddler's reach.

The third hammer. You almost certainly own three claw hammers, four adjustable wrenches, and a fistful of Phillips drivers, and the reason you have never thinned them is that each one, held on its own, still works. Working is not the test. The test is which one your hand actually goes to. Keep that one, plus exactly one deliberate spare parked where a second person would need it, the kitchen drawer or the boot of the car. Every remaining duplicate goes today to a friend, a tool library, or the metal skip. A hammer you keep because it still works and never choose is taking the hook that would have made the hammer you love findable in one glance from the door.

What it uses

  • Compact vacuum with attachments
  • Small detail brush set
  • Color-coded microfiber cloth set
  • Neutral pH multi-surface cleaner
  • Portable cleaning caddy
  • Light machine oil

Three frictions, then the fix

FrictionGAF-004

GONE, AND NOBODY SAW IT LEAVE

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“A tool is missing and nobody knows where it went.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Tools hang with no outline behind them, so nothing shows a gap → POOR VISIBILITY
  2. Tools get taken for jobs elsewhere and not brought back → UNCLEAR OWNERSHIP
  3. Nothing prompts a check at the end of a job → MISSING TRIGGER

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-005

THE THIRD WRENCH IN AS MANY DRAWERS

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“I own three of the same tool and still nearly bought another.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Duplicates are spread between the wall, the cabinet and a toolbox → POOR VISIBILITY
  2. The one I reach for first has no fixed place → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  3. Buying another is quicker than finding the one I own → EXCESS MOTION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-006

A REACH THAT COULD DRAW BLOOD

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Somebody could get hurt reaching into this cabinet.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Saw teeth and chisel edges are stored unsheathed → SAFETY CONSTRAINT
  2. Heavy tools hang above head height → WRONG LOCATION
  3. Nothing was ever agreed about which tools children may handle → MISSING STANDARD

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

ActionGAA-003

OUTLINE EVERY TOOL AND SHEATH THE EDGES

15 MINUTES. 1.

●●○○○

Draw an outline behind every hand tool, move the two you reach for most to chest height by the door, and sheath everything sharp.

How it works

A blank outline tells you a tool is missing before you go looking for it, and an unsheathed blade at hand height is one careless reach away from a cut.

You need

  • a marker or paint pen
  • sheaths or blade guards for saws and chisels

Steps

  1. Draw an outline behind every hand tool that hangs, move one hammer and one adjustable wrench to chest height nearest the door, sheath every saw and chisel, and latch the cabinet.
  2. Seat every pegboard hook firmly so nothing heavy sits on a loose one.
  3. Fit a latch on the low cabinet if children ever come into the garage.

Victory. Every tool on its own outline with no blank silhouettes, the two you reach for most at chest height by the door, and nothing sharp left unsheathed.

If this keeps happening

Part of: HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS and HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS STANDARD

Next: HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS STANDARD

ActionGAA-004

SETTLE THE DUPLICATE HAMMERS AND WRENCHES

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Work through every duplicate hand tool on the wall and in the cabinet, and keep only the one your hand actually reaches for plus one deliberate spare.

How it works

Owning three claw hammers because each one still works is not the same as needing three, and every duplicate is taking the hook that would make the one you love findable from the door.

You need

  • a bag for tools leaving the house
  • a box for the one deliberate spare

Steps

  1. Pull every duplicate hammer, wrench and driver into one pile on the bench.
  2. Test which one your hand actually reaches for, and keep that one plus exactly one deliberate spare parked elsewhere in the house.
  3. Give every remaining duplicate to a friend, a tool library or the metal skip today.
  4. Confirm the tools left on the wall are spread by how often your hand reaches, not grouped by family.

Victory. Only one of each hand tool hangs on the wall, plus one named deliberate spare kept somewhere else.

If this keeps happening

Part of: HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS and HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS STANDARD

Next: OUTLINE EVERY TOOL AND SHEATH THE EDGES

StandardGAS-002

HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS STANDARD

WRITE IT. SIGN IT. PUT IT WHERE IT HAPPENS.

●○○○○

Every hand tool has a drawn outline, and a blank outline means you find that tool before you close up.

How it works

Trigger: When you carry the toolbox back in from a job, its contents go on the wall before you set the box down on the floor.

Write on

  • Who agreed this: ______________ and ______________
  • Date: ____ / ____ / ______
  • Where this card lives: ______________________________

This is a write on card. Fill it in with a pen, in your own words if the printed sentence is not yours, and put it where the zone is. A standard nobody signed is a preference.

Ninety seconds, if that is what you have

  • Pick one hand tool off the wall and confirm it has its own drawn outline behind it.
  • Check the low cabinet door and confirm the latch actually catches.
  • Confirm the hammer and adjustable wrench nearest the door sit at chest height.

Power Tool and Battery Zone

ZoneGAZ-003

POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE

Zone 3 of 7 · Garage

ONE SHELF PER SYSTEM. NO PACK LEFT CHARGING.

●●●○○

Holds the powered tools, their packs, and their chargers so a tool is always ready to run and nothing is left charging unattended.

How it works

Done looks like: One shelf per battery system with its charger mounted at the front edge and no pack sitting on it, every drill and saw in its case or on a labelled hook with guards down, and bits, blades, and sanding discs in the shallow drawer underneath.

Six things to check

  1. One shelf per battery system
  2. A charger mounted at the front edge of each shelf
  3. No battery pack sitting on any charger
  4. Every drill and saw in its case or on a labelled hook
  5. Every blade guard down
  6. Bits, blades and sanding discs in the shallow drawer underneath

Burn or fire Lithium packs left charging overnight on a wooden shelf, or stored alongside the petrol can and the rag bin.

Fall, cut, or crush A circular saw stored with its guard wedged open, or a table saw blade left raised where a hand reaches across the shelf for a pack.

The tool whose batteries no longer exist. Somewhere on that shelf is a good tool on a dead platform: the drill from the brand you left behind, one tired pack, and a charger nobody makes any more. You keep it because the tool itself is fine, and it is. Decide this with money rather than loyalty. Price one replacement pack today. If a pack costs more than half what a current equivalent tool costs, or you cannot buy one at all, the tool is finished, so sell it with its charger while it still means something to somebody, or take it to electrical recycling. Running two battery systems is a cost you can defend. Running three means a hunt through three shelves every time you want to put a hole in a wall.

What it uses

  • Compact vacuum with attachments
  • Color-coded microfiber cloth set
  • Neutral pH multi-surface cleaner
  • Portable cleaning caddy
  • Soft brush or compressed air
  • Electrical contact cleaner

Three frictions, then the fix

FrictionGAF-007

DEAD ON ARRIVAL, EVERY TIME

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“The tool I need is flat when I pick it up.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Packs go back on the shelf without going on the charger → MISSING TRIGGER
  2. Charged and flat packs sit together with nothing telling them apart → POOR VISIBILITY
  3. Whoever runs a pack flat is not the one who charges them → UNCLEAR OWNERSHIP

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-008

STILL ON THE CHARGER AT DAWN

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Packs are left charging overnight, or for days.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Nothing says a pack comes off the charger when it is full → MISSING STANDARD
  2. The charger is somewhere nobody walks past → WRONG LOCATION
  3. The shelf is crowded, so a full pack has nowhere to move to → INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-009

THE DRAWER THAT NEVER HOLDS AN EDGE

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Blades and bits are blunt, missing, or loose in the drawer.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Bits live in pockets and tool cases rather than the shallow drawer → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  2. Nothing marks a blade as blunt, so it goes back in with the sharp ones → POOR VISIBILITY
  3. Blades are stored unguarded where a hand goes looking → SAFETY CONSTRAINT

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

ActionGAA-005

ONE SHELF PER SYSTEM, EVERY GUARD DOWN

15 MINUTES. 1.

●●○○○

Give each battery system its own shelf, pull every pack off its charger, and settle every tool into its case or hook with the guard down.

How it works

A pack left sleeping on a charger is the one habit in this room whose failure cannot be undone by tidying afterward, and mixing platforms on one shelf is why the wrong pack keeps going to the wrong tool.

You need

  • labelled hooks or bins for each system
  • nothing else beyond fifteen minutes

Steps

  1. Give each battery system one shelf, mount its charger at the front edge, take every pack off every charger, put each tool in its case or on a labelled hook with guards down, and put the bits and blades in the shallow drawer.
  2. Brush or blow the motor vents clear on the tool you use most before it goes back.
  3. Confirm no charger sits directly on the slab where meltwater runs off a car.

Victory. One shelf per system, no pack sitting on a charger, every guard down, and bits and blades in one drawer.

If this keeps happening

Part of: POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE and POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE STANDARD

Next: POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE STANDARD

ActionGAA-006

FIX THE MOMENT A FULL PACK COMES OFF

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Agree out loud who takes a pack off the charger once it's full, and tie that moment to something that already happens every day.

How it works

Nothing prompts a pack to come off the charger once it's full, and the shelf being crowded is exactly why a full pack has nowhere to move to once it's done.

You need

  • nothing beyond thirty minutes
  • a label for the shelf edge

Steps

  1. Agree who checks the charger shelf, and tie it to locking the side door for the night since that route already passes it.
  2. Label each shelf with its battery system so a pack never lands on the wrong platform's charger.
  3. Clear enough shelf space that a full pack has somewhere to move to, off the charger.
  4. Test the new habit tonight: lock up, and confirm nothing is left sitting on a charger.

Victory. Everyone in the house can say when a full pack comes off the charger, and the shelf has room for it to move to.

If this keeps happening

Part of: POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE and POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE STANDARD

Next: ONE SHELF PER SYSTEM, EVERY GUARD DOWN

StandardGAS-003

POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE STANDARD

WRITE IT. SIGN IT. PUT IT WHERE IT HAPPENS.

●○○○○

No battery sleeps on a charger, and no tool goes back on the shelf with its guard held open.

How it works

Trigger: When you lock the side door for the night, your route takes you past the charger shelf, and anything still sitting on a charger comes off on the way.

Write on

  • Who agreed this: ______________ and ______________
  • Date: ____ / ____ / ______
  • Where this card lives: ______________________________

This is a write on card. Fill it in with a pen, in your own words if the printed sentence is not yours, and put it where the zone is. A standard nobody signed is a preference.

Ninety seconds, if that is what you have

  • Check every charger on the shelf and confirm no battery pack is still sitting on one.
  • Open the shallow drawer and confirm the bits and blades are sorted, not loose.
  • Confirm every blade guard springs back on its own when released.

Automotive Care Zone

ZoneGAZ-004

AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE

Zone 4 of 7 · Garage

UPRIGHT. DATED. ONLY THIS DRIVEWAY'S CARS.

●●○○○

Keeps the fluids, cables, and cleaning kit for the cars you actually own upright, labelled, and separate from everything the household touches.

How it works

Done looks like: Every fluid bottle standing upright on a clean drip tray with its opened date written on the shoulder, jumper cables and tyre gauge together in one bag by the door, rags in a closed metal can, and not a single bottle for a car nobody here drives.

Six things to check

  1. Every fluid bottle standing upright on a clean drip tray
  2. Each opened bottle dated on its shoulder
  3. Jumper cables and tyre gauge together in one bag by the door
  4. Oily rags sealed inside a closed metal can
  5. Not a single bottle for a car nobody here drives
  6. A dry, ring-free drip tray under every bottle

Burn or fire Petrol vapour pooling low near the water heater pilot, and polish or oil rags heating in a closed plastic bin.

Poison, choke, or strangle Antifreeze tastes sweet, and a spilled puddle or a decanted unlabelled bottle will kill a dog or a curious child.

The fluids for the car you no longer own. The hardest bottles here are the two thirds full ones. They cost real money, they have not gone off, and they fit nothing on your driveway. The rule is that every bottle must match a vehicle parked at this address, and no match means no keep. Offer them this week to the neighbour who drives that model, and take whatever is unclaimed to your council's household hazardous waste collection, never down a drain. Then write the opened date on every bottle from today onward, because the only reason this shelf grew this deep is that nobody could tell which ones were still good, so nothing was ever thrown out.

What it uses

  • Neutral pH multi-surface cleaner
  • Color-coded microfiber cloth set
  • Compact vacuum with attachments
  • Portable cleaning caddy
  • Oil-absorbent granules

Four frictions, then the fix

FrictionGAF-010

FLUID FOR A CAR THAT LEFT YEARS AGO

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“There are bottles here for a car we no longer own.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. They were expensive and still half full, so nothing is decided → UNRESOLVED DECISION
  2. Nothing ever prompts a check of the shelf against the driveway → MISSING TRIGGER
  3. Bottles are unlabelled, so nobody can tell what fits what → POOR VISIBILITY

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-011

THE PUDDLE NOBODY CAN EXPLAIN

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“There is a sticky film or a puddle under the shelf.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Bottles are stored lying down or leaning → MISSING STANDARD
  2. There is no tray, so a weep goes straight onto the slab → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  3. The shelf is too deep to reach the back of and wipe → DIFFICULT TO CLEAN

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-012

DEAD BATTERY, NO CABLES IN SIGHT

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“In an emergency I could not lay my hands on the jump leads.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Cables, gauge and torch are stored in three different places → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  2. They are at the back of the garage rather than by the door → WRONG LOCATION
  3. They are in a bag under something heavy → EXCESS MOTION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-013

ONE SHELF AWAY FROM A BAD NIGHT

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Something here is a fire or poisoning risk.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Oily rags are in an open or plastic bin → SAFETY CONSTRAINT
  2. Antifreeze has been decanted into an unlabelled container → MISSING STANDARD
  3. Petrol or solvent is stored low near the water heater pilot → WRONG LOCATION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

ActionGAA-007

STAND, DATE, AND MATCH TO THE DRIVEWAY

15 MINUTES. 1.

●●○○○

Stand every fluid bottle upright on one tray, date every opened one, and clear anything that fits no car parked outside.

How it works

A bottle you can't date is a bottle nobody can judge, and the only real test for keeping one is whether it matches a car actually on the driveway today.

You need

  • a wipeable tray
  • a marker
  • a metal can with a lid for rags

Steps

  1. Stand every bottle upright on one wipeable tray, write today's date on the shoulder of each one you have opened, bin anything that fits no car on this driveway, and put the oily rags in a metal can with a lid.
  2. Check the tray itself for a fresh ring before you set the bottles back on it.
  3. Coil the jumper cables and put them, with the tyre gauge, in one bag by the door.

Victory. Every bottle upright and dated on one tray, nothing for a car you do not own, and the rags in a closed metal can.

If this keeps happening

Part of: AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE and AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE STANDARD

Next: AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE STANDARD

ActionGAA-008

SEPARATE WHAT COULD MIX AND SEAL WHAT LEAKS

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Move anything corrosive or flammable off a shared shelf, patch or replace anything visibly seeping, and confirm the tray actually catches a drip.

How it works

A puddle under the shelf is the sign that something is already seeping, and a fire or poisoning risk here does not wait for you to notice it on your own schedule.

You need

  • oil-absorbent granules
  • a replacement container for anything decanted

Steps

  1. Check every container for a weeping cap or a spreading stain underneath it.
  2. Move petrol, or any can that has ever held it, well clear of the water heater's pilot flame.
  3. Confirm nothing has been decanted into an unlabelled bottle, and relabel anything that has.
  4. Work oil-absorbent granules into any fresh stain on the slab and sweep it clean.

Victory. No container is seeping, nothing flammable sits near a flame, and every bottle is labelled for what it actually holds.

If this keeps happening

Part of: AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE and AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE STANDARD

Next: STAND, DATE, AND MATCH TO THE DRIVEWAY

StandardGAS-004

AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE STANDARD

WRITE IT. SIGN IT. PUT IT WHERE IT HAPPENS.

●○○○○

Every fluid stands upright on the tray, wears an opened date, and belongs to a car on this driveway.

How it works

Trigger: When the bonnet is already up for the oil check, that is when the tray gets its look.

Write on

  • Who agreed this: ______________ and ______________
  • Date: ____ / ____ / ______
  • Where this card lives: ______________________________

This is a write on card. Fill it in with a pen, in your own words if the printed sentence is not yours, and put it where the zone is. A standard nobody signed is a preference.

Ninety seconds, if that is what you have

  • Lift one fluid bottle and confirm the opened date sits on its shoulder.
  • Check the drip tray under the bottles for a fresh ring.
  • Confirm the jumper cables and tyre gauge sit together in one bag by the door.

Sports and Recreation Zone

ZoneGAZ-005

SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE

Zone 5 of 7 · Garage

BIKES UP. BARE FLOOR. HELMETS THAT STILL FIT.

●●○○○

Holds the gear for the sports this household currently plays, with the in-season kit easiest to grab.

How it works

Done looks like: Bikes on wall hooks with bare floor beneath them, one labelled bin per activity, this season's kit at the front of the shelf, and every helmet in the garage belonging to a head that still wears it.

Six things to check

  1. Bikes hanging on wall hooks
  2. Bare floor visible beneath the hanging bikes
  3. One labelled bin per activity
  4. This season's kit sitting at the front of the shelf
  5. Every helmet belonging to a head that still wears it
  6. Off-season kit pushed to the back of the shelf

Fall, cut, or crush A bike coming off an overhead hook onto a parked car roof or a person underneath, and skis stored edge-out at head height.

Burn or fire Camp stove canisters and lantern fuel stored in among the sports bins instead of outside with the other flammables.

The gear from the sport you stopped playing. Skis, golf clubs, a good tent, the road bike. Each was expensive, each still works, and each stands for a version of your week that has not actually happened in years. That is what makes this the slowest shelf in the garage, and no amount of restacking will settle it. The rule is two full seasons of the right weather with no use, which means you are not on a break, you have stopped. Sell it while the bindings and the groupset are still current, or hand it to someone just starting out, which is a better ending than a decade under a dust sheet. The one exception worth honouring is a named date: if you can finish the sentence "I will use this on ___", keep it and write that date on the bin. If you cannot finish the sentence, it goes this month.

What it uses

  • Portable cleaning caddy
  • Compact vacuum with attachments
  • Color-coded microfiber cloth set
  • Neutral pH multi-surface cleaner
  • Garden hose
  • Baking soda
  • Mild gear disinfectant

Four frictions, then the fix

FrictionGAF-014

THREE THINGS MOVED BEFORE ONE BIKE COMES OUT

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Getting the bikes out means moving three other things first.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Bikes stand on the floor rather than hanging on hooks → EXCESS MOTION
  2. Bins are stored in the path to the door → WRONG LOCATION
  3. The floor under the bikes has become storage → NO ASSIGNED HOME

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-015

THIS MONTH'S GEAR, BURIED AT THE BACK

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Kit for the sport we are playing this month is the hardest to reach.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Nothing moves the in-season kit to the front when the season turns → MISSING TRIGGER
  2. Bins are not labelled, so the nearest one gets used for anything → POOR VISIBILITY
  3. The bins a child needs are above their reach → POOR ACCESSIBILITY

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-016

THE SHELF FOR A SPORT NOBODY PLAYS NOW

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“There is gear here for sports nobody plays any more.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. It cost a lot and giving it up feels like admitting something → SENTIMENTAL ATTACHMENT
  2. Nobody has decided whether that sport is coming back → UNRESOLVED DECISION
  3. It has been in the corner so long the eye stops seeing it → PERCEPTUAL BLINDNESS

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-017

A HELMET NOBODY CAN VOUCH FOR

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“I am not sure the helmets here are safe to wear.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Nobody knows how old any of them are or whether one was dropped → MISSING STANDARD
  2. They are kept for a head that has outgrown them → EXCESS
  3. Nothing ever prompts a check → MISSING TRIGGER

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

ActionGAA-009

HANG THE BIKES AND LABEL BY WHO PLAYS

15 MINUTES. 1.

●●○○○

Hang every bike on its hook, label one bin per sport this household actually plays, and confirm every helmet fits the head wearing it.

How it works

A bike standing on the floor is why three things have to move before it comes out, and a helmet nobody can vouch for is the one piece of gear here that genuinely protects nobody.

You need

  • wall hooks rated for the bike weight
  • labels for each bin

Steps

  1. Hang the bikes on wall hooks and clear the floor beneath them, label one bin per activity this household currently plays, move this season's kit to the front of the shelf, and try every helmet on the head it belongs to.
  2. Retire any helmet that has taken a real impact or is past the date moulded inside it, even if the shell looks fine.
  3. Confirm the bike hooks are driven into studs, not drywall.

Victory. Bikes hanging over bare floor, one labelled bin per sport still played, this season's kit at the front, and every helmet fitting a head that still wears it.

If this keeps happening

Part of: SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE and SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE STANDARD

Next: SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE STANDARD

ActionGAA-010

RETIRE THE SPORT NOBODY PLAYS ANY MORE

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Judge every piece of equipment against two full seasons of no use, and let go of the gear from a sport that has actually stopped.

How it works

Skis and a good tent each still work and each stands for a version of the week that has not happened in years, and no amount of restacking settles that; only a real season count does.

You need

  • nothing beyond thirty minutes
  • a bag for whatever leaves

Steps

  1. For each piece of stored-away gear, name the sport and ask if two full seasons of the right weather have passed with no use.
  2. If you can finish the sentence 'I will use this on ___', keep it and write that date on the bin.
  3. If you cannot finish the sentence, sell it or hand it to somebody just starting out this month.
  4. Move the bins that survive to the back of the shelf, behind this season's kit.

Victory. Every piece of gear kept for a sport nobody plays has either a named date on its bin or has left the garage.

If this keeps happening

Part of: SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE and SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE STANDARD

Next: HANG THE BIKES AND LABEL BY WHO PLAYS

StandardGAS-005

SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE STANDARD

WRITE IT. SIGN IT. PUT IT WHERE IT HAPPENS.

●○○○○

Every bin carries a sport and a person's name, and this season's kit sits at the front of the shelf.

How it works

Trigger: The first weekend you turn the heating on, the front and back of the shelf trade places.

Write on

  • Who agreed this: ______________ and ______________
  • Date: ____ / ____ / ______
  • Where this card lives: ______________________________

This is a write on card. Fill it in with a pen, in your own words if the printed sentence is not yours, and put it where the zone is. A standard nobody signed is a preference.

Ninety seconds, if that is what you have

  • Lift a bike off its wall hook and confirm the floor beneath it is bare.
  • Check one labelled bin and confirm the name on it matches a person who still plays that sport.
  • Try on one helmet and confirm it still fits the head that wears it.

Lawn and Garden Tool Zone

ZoneGAZ-006

LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE

Zone 6 of 7 · Garage

HEAD-UP ON THE RAIL. CHEMICALS LATCHED HIGH.

●●●○○

Stores the yard tools and outdoor supplies so long handles stay off the floor and garden chemicals stay latched away from everything else.

How it works

Done looks like: Every long-handled tool hanging head-up on the rail with nothing leaning in a corner, the hose coiled on its reel beside the door it goes out of, and all garden chemicals in their original labelled containers behind a latch above head height.

Six things to check

  1. Every long-handled tool hanging head-up on the rail
  2. No tool leaning in a corner
  3. The hose coiled on its reel
  4. The reel positioned beside the door the hose goes out of
  5. Garden chemicals in their original labelled containers
  6. The chemical shelf latched above head height

Poison, choke, or strangle Concentrated weed killer decanted into an unlabelled bottle, and slug pellets or granular feed left where a dog can reach and will eat them.

Fall, cut, or crush Rakes and forks standing loose in a corner waiting to be stepped on or to topple handle-first, and unguarded hedge shear blades on an open shelf.

The half-used chemicals. The shelf holds a bag of feed with the top rolled over, a jug of concentrate that moved here from your last house, and something in an unlabelled sprayer that you are fairly confident is weed killer. Start with the unlabelled one, because it is the easy call: you cannot safely use what you cannot name, so it goes to hazardous waste this month without being opened again. For the rest, apply one season of intent. If you will not genuinely use it before the next growing season ends, you are storing a poison above your children's heads for no reason. Take it to a hazardous waste day, or offer it to a neighbour in its own labelled container. Never pour any of it down a drain, into a gutter, or onto the ground behind the shed.

What it uses

  • Compact vacuum with attachments
  • Neutral pH multi-surface cleaner
  • Floor-material-compatible cleaner
  • Color-coded microfiber cloth set
  • Wire brush or scraper
  • Light machine oil
  • Flat file
  • Garden hose

Four frictions, then the fix

FrictionGAF-018

EVERY FORK LEANING, NONE HANGING

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Long-handled tools live leaning in a corner.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. There are more handles than there are hooks on the rail → INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY
  2. There is no rail, so leaning is the only option → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  3. The rail is too high for the person who puts them away → POOR ACCESSIBILITY

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-019

THE HOSE THAT FIGHTS BACK EVERY TIME

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“The hose is a tangle on the floor, or it leaks.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. It is coiled by hand on the slab instead of onto a reel → MISSING STANDARD
  2. The reel is not beside the door the hose goes out of → WRONG LOCATION
  3. It is left connected and pressurised through a frost → MISSING TRIGGER

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-020

A BOTTLE NOBODY CAN NAME

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“I cannot tell what is in some of these containers.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Something was decanted out of its original container → MISSING STANDARD
  2. The label has weathered off and nobody rewrote it → POOR VISIBILITY
  3. Nobody knows who bought it or what it was for → UNCLEAR OWNERSHIP

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-021

WITHIN REACH OF A CURIOUS HAND

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“A child or a pet could reach the garden chemicals.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. They sit on an open shelf at or below head height → SAFETY CONSTRAINT
  2. There is nowhere latched to put them, so they stay on the open shelf → NO ASSIGNED HOME
  3. Empty containers wait in an open bin where they look like toys → WRONG LOCATION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

ActionGAA-011

HANG THE HANDLES AND LATCH THE CHEMICALS

15 MINUTES. 1.

●●○○○

Hang every long-handled tool head-up on the rail, coil the hose onto its reel, and move every garden chemical behind a latch above head height.

How it works

A rake leaning in a corner falls on somebody eventually, and a decanted weed killer in an unlabelled bottle within reach is the single most dangerous ordinary object most garages hold.

You need

  • a wall rail with enough hooks
  • a latched cupboard above head height

Steps

  1. Hang every long handle head-up on the rail, coil the hose onto its reel beside the door it goes out of, and move every garden chemical into a latched cupboard above head height, binning anything whose label you cannot read.
  2. Scrape and oil the spade and hoe blades before they go back on the rail.
  3. Confirm the string trimmer and hedge shears hang with their cutting ends pointing away from the aisle.

Victory. Nothing leaning in a corner, a hose on its reel by the right door, and every chemical labelled, latched and above head height.

If this keeps happening

Part of: LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE and LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE STANDARD

Next: LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE STANDARD

ActionGAA-012

NAME THE UNLABELLED BOTTLE AND SET THE SEASON RULE

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Settle every chemical container you cannot confidently name, and apply a one-season rule to everything else on the shelf.

How it works

You cannot safely use what you cannot name, and a chemical kept 'just in case' past one growing season is a poison stored above a child's head for no working reason.

You need

  • a hazardous waste bag
  • a marker for relabelling

Steps

  1. Start with anything unlabelled or unreadable and take it straight to household hazardous waste this month, unopened again.
  2. For everything else, ask honestly whether it will genuinely be used before the next growing season ends.
  3. Offer anything you won't use to a neighbour in its own original container.
  4. Confirm the chemical shelf carries nothing but garden chemicals, nothing else stored alongside them.

Victory. Every remaining chemical is named, in date for one growing season, and stored on a shelf holding nothing else.

If this keeps happening

Part of: LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE and LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE STANDARD

Next: HANG THE HANDLES AND LATCH THE CHEMICALS

StandardGAS-006

LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE STANDARD

WRITE IT. SIGN IT. PUT IT WHERE IT HAPPENS.

●○○○○

Every long tool hangs on its taped strip, and nothing but garden chemicals lives on the latched shelf.

How it works

Trigger: While the mower is cooling after a cut, that is when the blades get scraped, wiped, and hung.

Write on

  • Who agreed this: ______________ and ______________
  • Date: ____ / ____ / ______
  • Where this card lives: ______________________________

This is a write on card. Fill it in with a pen, in your own words if the printed sentence is not yours, and put it where the zone is. A standard nobody signed is a preference.

Ninety seconds, if that is what you have

  • Hang one long-handled tool head-up on the rail and confirm nothing leans in the corner.
  • Coil the hose onto its reel and confirm it sits beside the door it goes out of.
  • Check the chemical shelf latch and confirm it sits above head height.

Bulk and Overhead Storage

ZoneGAZ-007

BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE

Zone 7 of 7 · Garage

LABELLED. DATED. HEAVIEST BINS DOWN LOW.

●●●○○

Holds the things you genuinely need once or twice a year, high up and out of the way, without becoming the place decisions go to hide.

How it works

Done looks like: Every overhead bin labelled in letters you can read standing on the slab, a last-opened month and year on the end of each one, the heaviest bins on the lowest rack, nothing overhanging the parking bay, and a small map taped beside the light switch.

Six things to check

  1. Every overhead bin labelled large enough to read from the slab
  2. A last-opened month and year marked on the end of each bin
  3. The heaviest bins on the lowest rack
  4. Lighter bulky items on the highest rack
  5. Nothing overhanging the parking bay
  6. A small map taped beside the light switch

Fall Working from a ladder rocking on a sloped slab, or coming down with a bin in both arms and no free hand for the stile.

Fall, cut, or crush An overloaded rack, or bins stacked so they overhang the rails directly above where people get in and out of a car.

The box you have never opened. There is at least one box up there that moved in with you and has not been opened since. You keep it because opening it costs an afternoon and might cost more than that. Here is what settles it. Bring it down, open it on the floor with three things beside you: a rubbish sack, a donation box, and one empty container. Whatever you truly want to keep has to fit inside that single container and has to have a living person's name attached to it. Anything you cannot name an owner for goes today. Do not tape it up and send it back overhead, because a box that goes back unopened has just bought itself another five years and taught the rack that this is allowed.

What it uses

  • Compact vacuum with attachments
  • Color-coded microfiber cloth set
  • Neutral pH multi-surface cleaner
  • Portable cleaning caddy
  • Extendable duster
  • Stable step ladder

Four frictions, then the fix

FrictionGAF-022

THREE BINS DOWN BEFORE THE RIGHT ONE

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“I have to get a ladder and open three bins to find one thing.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Labels are too small to read standing on the slab → POOR VISIBILITY
  2. Bins are grouped by what things are, not by when they come down → MISSING STANDARD
  3. There is no map by the light switch → EXCESS MOTION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-023

UNTOUCHED SINCE THE MOVE-IN DAY

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“There are bins up there nobody has opened in years.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. Nothing records when each bin was last opened → MISSING TRIGGER
  2. They hold things kept for what they represent → SENTIMENTAL ATTACHMENT
  3. They hold a decision that has been postponed by putting it up high → UNRESOLVED DECISION

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-024

A TWO-PERSON LIFT FOR A ONE-PERSON JOB

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Getting a bin down is a two-person job, or a risky one.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. The heaviest bins are on the highest rack → SAFETY CONSTRAINT
  2. Bins are packed to a weight nobody can lower at arm's length → EXCESS
  3. There is no stable ladder, so a chair or a bumper gets used → POOR ACCESSIBILITY

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

FrictionGAF-025

HANGING OVER WHERE THE CAR PARKS

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN WHY.

●○○○○

“Something up there overhangs where the car parks.”

How it works

Why does this happen here?

  1. The rack was loaded past its own footprint → INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY
  2. Nothing marks how far the bins may come forward → MISSING STANDARD
  3. It has been like that so long nobody sees it when parking → PERCEPTUAL BLINDNESS

Pick the answer that is true in your garage, then turn to that root cause card. If two are true, take the one you could change this week.

ActionGAA-013

RELABEL, DATE, AND MAP THE OVERHEAD RACK

15 MINUTES. 1.

●●○○○

Relabel every overhead bin to read from the slab, date the ones you open, move the heaviest to the lowest rack, and map the rack by the light switch.

How it works

A bin nobody can read from the floor is a bin that costs a ladder just to find out what's in it, and the heaviest bins belong low, not high, long before anyone climbs for them.

You need

  • a large marker
  • tape for the map

Steps

  1. Relabel every overhead bin in letters you can read standing on the slab, write the month and year on the end of each one you open, move the heaviest bins to the lowest rack, and tape a map of what is where beside the light switch.
  2. Confirm the rack bolts land in a joist, not just plasterboard.
  3. Check that nothing on the rack overhangs the parking bay.

Victory. Labels readable from the floor, a date on every bin, the heaviest ones lowest, and a map by the light switch.

If this keeps happening

Part of: BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE and BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE STANDARD

Next: BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE STANDARD

ActionGAA-014

OPEN THE BIN NOBODY HAS TOUCHED IN YEARS

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Bring down the bin with the oldest last-opened date, and give everything inside it a real owner or a real ending.

How it works

Height protects the drift up here, because checking costs a ladder, so a bin can hold an unmade decision for years without anyone feeling it; the only fix is opening it on purpose.

You need

  • a rubbish sack
  • a donation box
  • one empty container

Steps

  1. Bring the oldest-dated bin down to the floor before judging anything in it.
  2. Open it beside a rubbish sack, a donation box and one empty container.
  3. Keep only what fits in that one container and has a living person's name attached to it.
  4. Write today's date on the bin before it goes back up, whatever is left inside it.

Victory. The oldest bin in the garage has a fresh date on it, and everything inside it now has either a name or an ending.

If this keeps happening

Part of: BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE and BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE STANDARD

Next: RELABEL, DATE, AND MAP THE OVERHEAD RACK

StandardGAS-007

BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE STANDARD

WRITE IT. SIGN IT. PUT IT WHERE IT HAPPENS.

●○○○○

Every overhead bin is labelled to be read from the slab and carries the date it was last opened.

How it works

Trigger: When a bin comes down, the new date goes on the end of it before it goes back up.

Write on

  • Who agreed this: ______________ and ______________
  • Date: ____ / ____ / ______
  • Where this card lives: ______________________________

This is a write on card. Fill it in with a pen, in your own words if the printed sentence is not yours, and put it where the zone is. A standard nobody signed is a preference.

Ninety seconds, if that is what you have

  • Check the last-opened date on one bin and confirm it is less than two years old.
  • Confirm the heaviest bins sit on the lowest rack, not the highest.
  • Read the map beside the light switch and confirm it still names what is where.

Whole garage

Three cards that are not one zone’s job: a walk that checks nothing flammable sits near a spark or a flame anywhere in the room, a check that every hook, rail and overhead rack is rated for what it actually carries, and a sweep that gives a real verdict, today, to anything sitting there postponed rather than stored.

ActionGAA-015

THE FUEL-AND-CHEMISTRY WALK

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Walk every zone once, checking that nothing flammable sits near a spark or pilot flame, and that no two chemicals stored close together could ever mix.

How it works

This is the one room in the house where petrol, lithium batteries, oily rags, fertiliser and weed killer all live within a few feet of each other, and none of them announce themselves as dangerous until the day they combine.

You need

  • nothing beyond thirty minutes
  • a high latched shelf for anything relocated

Steps

  1. Check the workbench for oil-soaked rags balled loose in an open bin, and move them to a metal can with a lid.
  2. Confirm no battery pack is charging beside the fuel can or the rag bin.
  3. Check the automotive shelf and the garden chemical shelf for anything that could react if it spilled onto the other.
  4. Confirm petrol, or anything that has ever held it, is capped tight and stored away from the water heater's pilot flame.

Victory. You can name, out loud, that nothing flammable in this garage sits near a spark or flame, and no two chemicals are stored close enough to mix.

If this keeps happening

Next: THE OVERHEAD-AND-HOOK LOAD CHECK

ActionGAA-016

THE OVERHEAD-AND-HOOK LOAD CHECK

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Walk every wall hook, rail and overhead rack in the garage once, and confirm each one is rated and anchored for what's actually hanging or stacked on it.

How it works

A bike hook, a tool rail and an overhead bin rack all fail the same way, quietly, into a drywall anchor instead of a stud, until the day a full load comes down on a car roof or a person underneath.

You need

  • a step ladder
  • nothing else beyond thirty minutes

Steps

  1. Check that bike hooks and the tool rail are driven into studs, not drywall anchors, and that no bike hangs where a car door swings open into it.
  2. Confirm the overhead rack's heaviest bins sit on the lowest rack, not the highest.
  3. Confirm nothing on the overhead rack overhangs the parking bay.
  4. Check that nothing overhead needs two hands and a wobble to bring down safely.

Victory. Every hook, rail and rack in the garage has been checked for what it actually carries, and nothing overhangs the parking bay.

If this keeps happening

Next: THE VERDICT SWEEP

ActionGAA-017

THE VERDICT SWEEP

30 MINUTES. 1.

●●●○○

Walk every zone once and give a real verdict, today, to anything that has been sitting there postponed rather than stored.

How it works

The garage is where the rest of the house sends what it could not decide about, and anything carried in with no rail, shelf or bin already waiting for it either gets a verdict the same day or quietly becomes part of the floor.

You need

  • a rubbish sack
  • a donation box
  • nothing else beyond thirty minutes

Steps

  1. Name the half-finished project on the workbench and give it a weekend, a breakdown back to stock, or the skip.
  2. Check the automotive shelf for a bottle that matches no car on the driveway, and the sports shelf for gear nobody plays any more.
  3. Open one overhead bin that has not been touched this year and give everything in it a name and an owner, or let it go.
  4. Carry out anything with no rail, shelf or bin waiting for it right now, rather than setting it down on the floor.

Victory. Nothing in the garage is sitting there postponed. Every item has either a real home or has left the building today.

If this keeps happening

Next: THE FUEL-AND-CHEMISTRY WALK

Root causes, the shared deck

Every friction card in the garage points at one of these 16, the same vocabulary the Kitchen, Entryway, Laundry Room, Home Office and Primary Bathroom decks use. Pull one when a friction card sends you here.

Root CauseKC-001

EXCESS

SORT FIXES THIS ONE.

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More things are kept here than the zone's job needs.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Count what you used in the past month. If the honest number is a third of what is stored here, the space is not too small.

This is a Sort problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-002

NO ASSIGNED HOME

STRAIGHTEN FIXES THIS ONE.

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The thing has no single defined destination, so it lands wherever the hand opens.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Ask where one specific item lives. If two people answer differently, or nobody answers, it has no home.

This is a Straighten problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-003

WRONG LOCATION

STRAIGHTEN FIXES THIS ONE.

●●○○○

It is stored somewhere, just not where it is used.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Stand where you use it and count the steps to where it is kept. More than two is the wrong cabinet.

This is a Straighten problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-004

EXCESS MOTION

STRAIGHTEN FIXES THIS ONE.

●●○○○

Getting it out means bending, lifting, unstacking, or moving something else first: too many steps.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Fetch it once and count the movements. More than two and the storage is charging you rent every time.

This is a Straighten problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-005

POOR VISIBILITY

STRAIGHTEN FIXES THIS ONE.

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You own it, but you cannot see it, so you buy it again or forget it.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Open the door and, without moving anything, name what is at the back. If you cannot, that stock is invisible.

This is a Straighten problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-006

POOR ACCESSIBILITY

SAFETY FIXES THIS ONE.

●●○○○

The people who use it cannot reach it safely, or at all.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Have the shortest person who uses this zone fetch what they need daily. If they climb, reach overhead, or ask for help, the height is wrong.

This is a Safety problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-007

INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY

SORT FIXES THIS ONE.

●●○○○

The right storage exists and genuinely cannot hold what belongs in it.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Put back only what belongs here. If it still will not close, or still stacks four deep, the capacity is the problem, not the habit.

This is a Sort problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-008

MISSING STANDARD

STANDARDIZE FIXES THIS ONE.

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Nobody agreed what good looks like, so everybody is right.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Ask two people what this surface should look like at bedtime. Two answers means there is no standard to keep.

This is a Standardize problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-009

MISSING TRIGGER

SUSTAIN FIXES THIS ONE.

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The reset is a good intention with nothing to attach it to.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Name the moment it happens. If the answer is "when I get round to it", there is no trigger and it will not survive a bad week.

This is a Sustain problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-010

SAFETY CONSTRAINT

SAFETY FIXES THIS ONE.

●●○○○

The current arrangement can hurt somebody, and that outranks tidy.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Look for the four: a blade your hand would meet, weight above shoulder height, heat beside something that burns, and an unsafe placement near a child's reach.

This is a Safety problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseKC-012

CONFLICTING USERS

STANDARDIZE FIXES THIS ONE.

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Two people run one zone by two designs, so it is permanently half of each.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Do the shared task together, once. The argument that starts is the conflict, and it is a design problem, not a character problem.

This is a Standardize problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseRC-013

UNCLEAR OWNERSHIP

SUSTAIN FIXES THIS ONE.

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Nobody specific is responsible for resetting this zone, so upkeep depends on whoever notices first.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Ask who resets this zone. If the honest answer is "whoever gets to it" or two names with no agreement, there is no owner.

This is a Sustain problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseRC-014

SENTIMENTAL ATTACHMENT

SORT FIXES THIS ONE.

●●○○○

The item is kept for what it represents, not because it is used, and the guilt stalls Sort indefinitely.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Ask if you would buy this again today for what it does. If the answer is no but you still cannot decide, the hold is sentimental.

This is a Sort problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseRC-015

UNRESOLVED DECISION

SORT FIXES THIS ONE.

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The item is not clutter, it is a decision that has not been made, so it is stacked instead of acted on.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Pick up one piece. If your first thought is a verb (pay, sign, call, decide) rather than a place, it needs a decision, not a home.

This is a Sort problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseRC-016

DIFFICULT TO CLEAN

SHINE FIXES THIS ONE.

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Reaching the surface to clean it costs more effort than the rest of the zone combined, so it gets skipped.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Time how long it actually takes to reach and wipe the surface. If it requires moving something first, that cost is why it is skipped.

This is a Shine problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Root CauseRC-017

PERCEPTUAL BLINDNESS

SORT FIXES THIS ONE.

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The clutter has been visible so long the eye stops flagging it as a problem.

How it works

Confirm in 30 seconds: Ask someone who does not live here to name what looks out of place. If they see it instantly and you had stopped noticing, this is the cause.

This is a Sort problem. Draw one of the action cards listed and do it now, at the length you actually have.

Draw one of these

Events, the day that tests it

Draw one when an ordinary hard day happens, and see whether the standard held.

EventGAE-001

THE FRIDAY-NIGHT REPAIR

THE DAY THAT TESTS IT.

●●●○○

A hinge breaks on the back door at nine at night and you need the bench clear enough to fix it right now, with the one tool you need somewhere findable.

How it works

Tests: PRIMARY WORKBENCH

It held if: The bench top is bare enough to lay the door flat, and the tool you need is exactly where the outline says it is.

If it did not: If you had to shift someone else's half-finished project first, the bench's own bare standard was not being kept. Draw GAA-001 or GAA-002.

EventGAE-002

THE BORROWED-DRILL SATURDAY

THE DAY THAT TESTS IT.

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A neighbour asks to borrow exactly one screwdriver for twenty minutes, and you need to hand it over and get it back without emptying a drawer.

How it works

Tests: HAND TOOL WALL AND CABINETS

It held if: You find the driver on its outline in one glance, hand it over, and its outline tells you the moment it has not come back.

If it did not: If you had to hunt for it, or didn't notice it was still out three days later, the outline standard was not being kept. Draw GAA-003 or GAA-004.

EventGAE-003

THE CORDLESS-EVERYTHING WEEKEND

THE DAY THAT TESTS IT.

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You've got three jobs lined up this weekend and need every cordless tool charged and ready before the first one starts.

How it works

Tests: POWER TOOL AND BATTERY ZONE

It held if: Every pack on the shelf reads full at a glance, and no tool waits behind a dead battery.

If it did not: If a pack was still on the charger from last week, or flat when you reached for it, the one-shelf standard was not being kept. Draw GAA-005 or GAA-006.

EventGAE-004

THE ROADSIDE BREAKDOWN CALL

THE DAY THAT TESTS IT.

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A family member calls from the roadside with a dead battery and needs you to grab the jump leads and go within five minutes.

How it works

Tests: AUTOMOTIVE CARE ZONE

It held if: The jumper cables and tyre gauge come off the shelf in one motion, already together in their bag by the door.

If it did not: If you had to search two shelves for the cables, the automotive standard was not being kept. Draw GAA-007 or GAA-008.

EventGAE-005

THE SUDDEN INVITE TO PLAY

THE DAY THAT TESTS IT.

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A friend calls with two spare tickets to play this afternoon, and you need the right kit and a helmet that actually fits, in the next ten minutes.

How it works

Tests: SPORTS AND RECREATION ZONE

It held if: The labelled bin for that sport is at the front of the shelf, and the helmet fits without a second thought.

If it did not: If you had to dig past off-season bins or question the helmet, the sports standard was not being kept. Draw GAA-009 or GAA-010.

EventGAE-006

THE FIRST FROST OF THE SEASON

THE DAY THAT TESTS IT.

●●●○○

The forecast turns to frost overnight and you need the hose drained and put away, and the mower's fuel dealt with, before dark.

How it works

Tests: LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL ZONE

It held if: The hose comes straight off its reel by the door, and every long tool is already off the wet ground and on the rail.

If it did not: If a tool was found leaning in a corner, or the hose was tangled on the slab, the lawn and garden standard was not being kept. Draw GAA-011 or GAA-012.

EventGAE-007

THE NEIGHBOUR'S ROOF-LEAK SCARE

THE DAY THAT TESTS IT.

●●●○○

A neighbour's roof leaked and you want to check your own overhead bins for water damage tonight, without a ladder mishap in the dark.

How it works

Tests: BULK AND OVERHEAD STORAGE

It held if: Every label reads from the slab, the map by the light switch says exactly which bay to check first, and the heaviest bins are already low enough to check without climbing.

If it did not: If you had to climb blind or guess which bin was which, the overhead standard was not being kept. Draw GAA-013 or GAA-014.