Need A Simple Plan, Any Ideas?

I need some help here people. I need a plan. I have a goal, but not a plan. Umm... Here let me explain and maybe you can help.

I need ideas for how to simplify my basement quickly. Really quickly.

My house doesn't have a garage, it has a basement. In the basement are tools, boxes, plastic tubs, sporting equipment, and fermenting beverages. Some people have a junk room which hold these types of things. We have one of those as well, but I'll have to tackle that another day. Today is about the basement.

My goal is not to organize the basement, but to simplify it.

Storing things seems to be unavoidable. It would be much simpler to own so few items that there is no need to have storage space, but I have accepted it as a necessity. But how do I set rules about keeping some things, and throwing away others? How do I quickly sort through hundreds of books, papers, gadgets, tools, DVDs and stuff? This is a tedious process, and can get complicated quickly.

Let's revisit the goal. Simplicity. What is the opposite of simplicity? Complexity. See my problem?

If my problem is complexity in my basement, I can't solve the problem with a complex set of rules to eliminate and store stuff. On the contrary, my plan must be simple. So simple that anyone could simplify my basement. It has to be so simple that I can explain it to a 10 year old.

I need a plan. Help me please.