43 Folders

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Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.

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43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

How do you organize random crap?

I recently set about cleaning up my office (a terrifying and wholly unpredictable proposition) and realized that I have loads of tiny individual things that, if everything was to receive its own spot or container, would result in thousands of tiny boxes knocking around creating more clutter than before. Organized clutter, mind you, but still...

So, my question to you, 43F boarders, is this: How do you organize things that in the past would have gone in that most ubiquitous of locations: the hallway junk drawer. I ended up using shoeboxes, but I think this might be my i-don't-know-what-else-to-do-and-shoeboxes-are-the-only-solution-to-the-problem-that-i-know-of reaction to the problem. Suggestions and anecdotes are welcome!

TOPICS: Life Hacks
sonia_simone's picture

Shoe boxes should be just...

Shoe boxes should be just fine, but I suggest you create an inventory of what's in 'em and put that in a reference folder. (Filed under C for Crap of course . . . or should that be R for Random Crap?)

 
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