March of the shoebox
Friday, 19Jun2015 Filed in: Life Hacks & Organize
I’ve been tackling organizing my stuff.
I have way too many books and not nearly enough shelf space. Years ago I started organizing with milk crates and indexing on my computer.
I had read about the New York City Public Reference library and how it had to organize books by size because the library didn’t have enough space to do anything else. And I had seen Mythbusters and the infamous Wall O’Boxes. So it seemed a natural solution.
And the whole thing depends on computer software. Personally I use Readerware although there are alternatives. I use Dymo labels on the books and on the crates.
The thing is, the milk crates don’t keep out the dust. So I’ve been switching to covered storage boxes. I’m still experimenting, but I think I can do them four high. And since each crate is numbered, my computer will tell me what’s in each.
Then there are the tools. Like most American men, I collect tools for this and that. I also have a tool fetish. It’s way too easy to get way too many tools. Right now I have three major toolboxes. One lives in my car. My main general purpose tool box lives just inside the outside door of my sanctum next to the umbrella stand. I inherited my last tool box from my father, it has all sorts of pull out drawers.
The last tool box lives on my utility cart and and goes between my desk and the wall. It holds most of my pocket or specialized tools.
But beyond the tool boxes are the plastic shoe boxes. I’m repurposing my plastic milk crates to hold these wonders.
For example, I have a small computer vacuum. It’s cheaper than all the canned air I used to buy. Well, there are all the bits and pieces. It all lives in my shoebox.
I use paracord. Not nearly as much as some people, but it’s handy stuff. I’ve a shoebox of that with a Bic lighter and a pair of scissors.
Each of the different kinds of lab ware I use has it’s own shoebox. Some I empty a lot faster than others.
And then there are the project boxes. Sometimes it’s just wood glue, some toothpicks, and a screwdriver to fix a cabinet. Sometimes it’s something that will take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. Still, it’s easier to throw a few tools into a shoebox than it is moving the whole main tool box.
Those little shoeboxes are handy. And they help keep me organized.
If it’s a long term project or regular storage, the box gets label
I have way too many books and not nearly enough shelf space. Years ago I started organizing with milk crates and indexing on my computer.
I had read about the New York City Public Reference library and how it had to organize books by size because the library didn’t have enough space to do anything else. And I had seen Mythbusters and the infamous Wall O’Boxes. So it seemed a natural solution.
And the whole thing depends on computer software. Personally I use Readerware although there are alternatives. I use Dymo labels on the books and on the crates.
The thing is, the milk crates don’t keep out the dust. So I’ve been switching to covered storage boxes. I’m still experimenting, but I think I can do them four high. And since each crate is numbered, my computer will tell me what’s in each.
Then there are the tools. Like most American men, I collect tools for this and that. I also have a tool fetish. It’s way too easy to get way too many tools. Right now I have three major toolboxes. One lives in my car. My main general purpose tool box lives just inside the outside door of my sanctum next to the umbrella stand. I inherited my last tool box from my father, it has all sorts of pull out drawers.
The last tool box lives on my utility cart and and goes between my desk and the wall. It holds most of my pocket or specialized tools.
But beyond the tool boxes are the plastic shoe boxes. I’m repurposing my plastic milk crates to hold these wonders.
For example, I have a small computer vacuum. It’s cheaper than all the canned air I used to buy. Well, there are all the bits and pieces. It all lives in my shoebox.
I use paracord. Not nearly as much as some people, but it’s handy stuff. I’ve a shoebox of that with a Bic lighter and a pair of scissors.
Each of the different kinds of lab ware I use has it’s own shoebox. Some I empty a lot faster than others.
And then there are the project boxes. Sometimes it’s just wood glue, some toothpicks, and a screwdriver to fix a cabinet. Sometimes it’s something that will take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. Still, it’s easier to throw a few tools into a shoebox than it is moving the whole main tool box.
Those little shoeboxes are handy. And they help keep me organized.
If it’s a long term project or regular storage, the box gets label
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