shop clean up strategies??

[smithgl12]

Over the past year, I've been getting frustrated with my shop's state of organization and my discipline to keep it that way.  On the spectrum of naturally obsessive to clutter-blind I fall in the middle somewhere (though my wife would say more toward the clutter-blind
) Lately it's become overwhelming and I tend to not want to go down there because my time is less productive. I suspect I'm not alone in this. 

1. How have like minded woodworkers solved the same problem? 
2. What strategies have you employed to maintain a shop with clear, clean flat surfaces? 
3. What rules or systems do you have for tools and wood organization?
3. Also realizing for me this is partly because of unfinished projects piling up, how do you keep momentum to the end of a project? 

Here's some panos to give you some idea of how bad it is and some well-needed public shaming
https://photos.app.goo.gl/j2dY2LvtavqwX7Az1

[MarkSingleton]

Items need their own storage area.  It IS a constant battle.
Clamps all go in one rack/area/place.  Fasteners in another.
Etc.
I tend to "set it down" for a bit, cut offs being an example,
and periodically have to STOP and put stuff away or even
THROW IT OUT if it is just taking up space to no purpose.
That last is much more key than many of us would admit....

[TomFromStLouis]

I have two rules that help me.

!. Everything has a place to go. 
2. If I am unable to find what I need in just a glance or two then it is time to put a few things where they belong.

My real problem is that I do not have a place for all the wood scraps I save, so they are always in the way.

[atgcpaul]

That's cluttered?!!!  I can see still your TS top!

After 11 years of cluttering up my shop, the best thing I did was move.  It took me weeks but I managed to turn a much more cluttered space with more stuff than yours into an organized, packed-up space that returned to an empty 2 car garage.

OK, that is extreme, but I did have to put myself in a certain mindset.  I had a finite amount of time--moving day--so priority #1 was to not take on any more projects until anything active was finished.  Priority #2 was to see what projects I still had in the queue (mostly last minute home improvement things) and see if any of those could be handled at the same time (like sanding or finishing) or which ones needed special attention.  Then I spent every spare moment after finishing up my other "chores" focused on that.

After that was deciding what I really needed to keep and what I could throw away or donate.  The little pieces of scrap wood I was holding on to for just the right project was overwhelming.  I made a burn box for our firepit.  Wife and kids were happy to toast smores and I got a cleaner shop.  All the while as I was moving about the shop, I was mindful to put things away in their proper place and not just think, Oh, I'll remember to do that later.  NO.  If I knew where it belonged right then and there and I wasn't using it, I stopped what I was doing and made the effort to put it away.  Random screw or bolt?  Stop.  Put it away in its proper place.

No doubt, it takes time and whole lot of patience and resolve, but it can be done.  Trust me, my shop was in much worse shape than yours and if I can do it, you can do it.  For me, it takes A LOT of discipline, but it's in there.

Good luck.

[DaveParkis]

I aspire to getting my shop that clean. Seriously. If that's not orderly enough, there are lots of YouTube videos on clamp storage, etc. Good luck.

[Cecil]

Over the past year, I've been getting frustrated with my shop's state of organization and my discipline to keep it that way.  On the spectrum of naturally obsessive to clutter-blind I fall in the middle somewhere (though my wife would say more toward the clutter-blind
) Lately it's become overwhelming and I tend to not want to go down there because my time is less productive. I suspect I'm not alone in this. 

1. How have like minded woodworkers solved the same problem? 
2. What strategies have you employed to maintain a shop with clear, clean flat surfaces? 
3. What rules or systems do you have for tools and wood organization?
3. Also realizing for me this is partly because of unfinished projects piling up, how do you keep momentum to the end of a project? 

Here's some panos to give you some idea of how bad it is and some well-needed public shaming
https://photos.app.goo.gl/j2dY2LvtavqwX7Az1

5S

It is a common methodology in business.

Google it.  Here is a Wiki article about it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)

Once you have sorted, and set in order, be sure to take a picture.

One main task in 5S is to maintain.  Daily walk through the shop and put stuff away.

I do not 5S at my home workshop, though weekly I walk through and put most, but not all stuff away.

[Lucky Irish]

Your shop looks about like mine. While being unable to get out to the shop for the last 8 weeks, due to ulnar nerve and carpal tunnel release surgery, I made it my goal to get the workbench finished up and then do a complete shop re-organization.
New clamp racks, saw till, brace till, tool cabinet....

[srv52761]

Your first sentence was the key to my decluttering/cleaning.
It did not get in that state overnight, so it was not going to be rectified overnight.

Disclaimer, mine was worse....

I chose one thing, my welding table.  It had become a catch-all.  I dedicated myself to clearing it and making it ready for the next project. Added wheels, a place to hang the stinger, extra rods and a bar for my welding clamps.  Added a shelf for misc tools.

Then I kept it clear. The next weekend I chose one thing.  My workbench top.  Removed pieces of projects gone by, organized a few hand tools, replaced my sacrificial top (the half next to my welding table has cement board, the other half has masonite)

The following weekend I chose one thing, my clamp storage area....

And so on.  I was a teacher, so this occurred over the summer.  I started the second week in June and was finished by August.  But not really.  I had gotten into the habit of doing just one thing.  So, later I did just one thing, I made an organizer for my sockets and wrenches.  Then later I did just one thing, converted an old base cabinet into sandpaper, sander, sharpening station.
And then later I 

 Once I got into the routine, it stayed pretty presentable, but if I noticed it needed work, I would chose just one thing..

I had discovered the enormity of the total mess would actually cause me to not want to tackle it.  But, heck, I could get that welding table clean in 30 minutes, and spot welding a couple of bent rebar pieces for holders was nothing and.....

[goaliedad]

My solution- not one that I recommend- was to get sick and have surgery. Then my wife stepped in.

While I was recovering our dishwasher and clothes washer decided to spring leaks. The best route into the house is thru my car car garage/shop that had been neglected all winter. I was back to work, limited hours and a 10 pound lift restriction. I came home to find a pile in front of the garage door. That weekend we finished the task, with a few conversations. She was actually pretty understanding, but I did allow a few things to go that I really did not agree with.

I still have a lot of detail purging to do, but I am well on my way. I still have the lift restrictions for a couple of weeks

[smithgl12]

Thanks for all the great tips and commiseration. Keep it coming. I knew I was not alone here. I found a few hrs today to get the table saw and workbench clear. Felt good. Decided to finish the workbench last steps. Dogholes in the top and last box to fill the split tops. Chipping away. Love the 5S mind set if I can stick with it. “One thing at a time” is good advice too. My favorite advice is the getting my wife to do it but sounds like that can be dangerous