A
Anonymous
Guest
Your list idea is great for things used rarely and that you do not want to have to drag out to see exactly what you have (such as costumes, your whole wine celler, food in freezer, the questionnaires we use at work and can easily run out of) but I chafe at combining unlike items. I tend to find it more intuitive to use two strategies--first, keep like objects together and second, if possible, store at point of most frequent use. Sometimes this results in a conflict, in which in case I favor duplicates labelled with adresses ( pliers to keep at workbench and pliers to keep in kitchen drawer, label each as such). I favor any plan that cuts down on thinking steps and makes it as easy to put away the thing as to take ot out. Basically I can get these under control with checklists, labels and my constant vigilance for strays. However, there are several categories of objects that require advanced methods and I still stuggle with them : 1) ERs=Emergency but Rarely used items. These are things you may need to find in dark and at short notice, such as flsh lights, fever thermometers, fire extinquisher, special medications. 2)MIAs=Missing In Action= objects used by more than one person and in more than one place (scissors, tweezers, pliers, bug spray). 3) Moving Targets=things that need Next Actions by more than one person before going to a final destination such as, kids' homework and report cards that both parents should sign, RSVPS, damaged items for all to insoect, bids for work to be reviewed. 4)"Whose-N-Whats?" =stuff you find around the house that you have little idea to whom it belongs or what it is. 5)ELVS = Easily Lost Vital Stuff (important items that are easy to lose, destroy or throw out, such as directions for electronic gizmos, keys to curios and clocks, chuck for electric drill. And finally ESPs =Essential Small Parts which are the things you need to put back together or small pieces of hardware that you need to to take to hardware store to get one the same or larger or smaller, a shirt to take to the sewing store to get new buttons for. I think we might need a whole Forum on objects!