How to remember what you stored in that out of sight storage option

 

Recently I worked with a client who throws a lot of parties. She’s very good at it and so as well as hosting her own, many people come to her for help or to borrow her equipment. By the time we started working together her party equipment was being stored across many spots ranging from the garage, to the pantry, to the multi purpose study room.

My client complained that she was often buying duplicates of things because she’d forget what she already had as her collection wasn’t centrally located. Another problem that emerged from this complaint was that my client would often think about her garage storage at inopportune times (when it was too dark to venture out or when there wasn’t enough time to rummage).

With this information at hand we developed an action plan. Firstly, we collected all the party things together and went through it to make sure that only what was relevant was left to store.

Secondly, we categorised and got the items stored in a manageable and accessible way.

Using the garage proved to be the best home for the party equipment but what changed my client’s relationship to the garage and her way of handling the party equipment, was photographing her party equipment collection.

By taking photographs of the party gear and saving these in Evernote – my client can refer to them easily and quickly whether inside her house or speaking with friends and family about an upcoming party.

If you’re unable to photograph your out of sight storage space then sketching a note on a phone app or taking a photo of a doodle is a useful method. I do this to keep track of what I’m storing under my bed. I have several plastic roller containers that I use for off season clothing and for other irregularly used items. Rather than dragging out what I think might be the correct container, I check my sketch and get it right every time! Saves time and muscle energy!

What out of sight storage have you under utilized of late? Will photographing or sketching it help you efficiently retrieve it later?

Organising heart, head, and home

Flor&order