Aid to failing memory

[mklotz]

I find that a very large part of shop organization revolves around observing how your mind works and capitalizing or compensating for what that understanding implies.

My shop is very small so stuff gets stored where there is available room; very often that is not the most logical storage place. Long ago I discovered that if I put something in the first place that springs to (my) mind, when I next search for it, the first place to search that pops into my mind will likely be the same as the one that surfaced when I stored it.

It works for me but that's only because of the way my mind works. Everyone has his own mental quirks; you need to exploit them to avoid chaos.

Never reorganize your entire shop at once. Try to reorganize a certain aspect just before you're about to use that element extensively. The immediate use of the reorganized element will "imprint" its new location on your mind in the same way we develop muscle memory for oft-repeated tasks.

Accept the fact that all organization (shop, life, whatever) is evolutionary; it's impossible to work out a perfect solution a priori. Make your plan flexible. Your needs will change with interests, age, available resources.