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notes on organization

published 2024-09-08

5 rules of Organization

Taken from Van Neistat

no stacks - one handed

Do not stack dissimilar items, it invites chaos
Stack bowls with bowls, cups with cups, etc.
Place things so that they can be retrieved with one hand

kit your shit

Kit things that go together
Kits stay where they are
Do not migrate the contents of the kits to others
Do not migrate the kits themselves

find your organizational talismans

What makes organization happen for you?
Rubber bands, paper clips, binder clips, pins, markers, post-its

learn to build shelves

Shelves allow for easy retrievability
Drawers are where things go to die

customize

Break from the default boxes that things come in.
Consider your item(s) and the spaces they need to go.
Can you use foam? wood? cut, screw, make it fit.
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First Order Retrievability

Adam Savage talked about the importance of this while working in the shop at ILM (Industrial Light and Margic). Creating his own toolbox, he customized everything to fit his needs and fit his tools exactly.
Every tool needs to be accessible without having to move another tool.

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Organizing in the middle of things

"The key to staying ahead on a busy station is moving on a dish as soon as its name is out of (food runners) mouth-setting up the pan, doing the pre-searing, getting it into the oven quickly, making the initial moves. So that later, when the whole board is fluttering with dupes, I can still tell what I have working and what I have waiting without having to read the actual tickets again."
-Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

His work serves as a tracker of itself.

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digital organization

Adopt the ISO 8601 interntational standard for your dates, especaially in file names. Using YYYY-MM-DD will allow for proper sorting in files. For multiple drafts, use the date, name, and append with v1, v2, v3. This will allow for easy viewing of the most recent file, as well as backing up old drafts. No more "final.pdf" / "finalFINAL.pdf" / "FINALPRINTTHISONE.pdf" ex:


This is particularly helpful with my work, as I need to organize receipts for purchases over a number of days. Including the needed info in the file name itself makes it easier when entering the data into our expense software.
So when importing receipts and renaming, I normally do:
YYYY-MM-DD Receipt Descr $00.00
I know some want to do the whole YYYYMMDD, but I will add the two extra keystrokes for additional readability.

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misc notes

Keep tools with the things they're made for.
Do not use them for other tasks or move them away from their home.
Examples:
I tape the allen keys that come with IKEA furniture to the bottom of that thing, so it'll always be with it. 3, 4, and 5mm hex keys are the most common sizes with IKEA. I would just splurge on a metric set from Wera (fine German engineering!)
(this helped during my last few moves)
Keep the wrench used to remove the arbor nuts of stationary tools, open access panels, etc. attached to the body of the tool (also, stop using an adjustable wrench on nuts for routine tasks and maintenance)
Tie the chuck key to your drill press.


Make most, if not all, surfaces at a universal height. Tables can then easily be positioned for improvised larger work areas.