As you're tripping over paint cans and bumping into rusty sleds, you may not realize that your garage is the most functional space in the house. After all, what other room can serve as workshop, potting shed, storage locker, recycling plant, and carport all at once? But versatility — sadly, inevitably — leads to chaos. And, of course, untangling the chaos (and those 50 feet of bright orange indoor-outdoor extension cord) always takes longer than creating it. You can, however, cut the job down to size: Clean out one area at a time instead of tackling the whole mess at once. Do what you can when you can. You don't need to devote an entire weekend to the project. When you have an hour, sort a couple of shelves or two boxes of old clothes. When you have a day, sort a whole wall. On the following pages, you'll find our step-by-step strategy for making your hardest-working space work better. And wouldn't it be great if your car fit in there somewhere, too?