How to Organize a Chaotic Space
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ธ.ค. 2023
- Does Adam Savage have any tips on how to do a big reorganization of a workshop? How does Adam dig himself out of a messy, chaotic space? Adam answers these questions from Tested members @joshuamartin7756 and Xander Moser, whom we thank for their support! What are YOUR organizing-a-messy-space tips?
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions:
/ @tested
Tested and Adam Savage Ts, stickers, (de) merit badges and more: tested-store.com
About Tested: www.tested.com/about
TikTok: / testedcom
Instagram: / testedcom
Twitter: / testedcom
Facebook: / testedcom
Discord: / discord
Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/adamsavage...
Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching! - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
What are YOUR organizing-a-messy-space tips?
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions:
th-cam.com/channels/iDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA.htmljoin
Tested and Adam Savage Ts, stickers, (de) merit badges and more: tested-store.com
A Maker Space is a living thing that's always changing to fit a specific need! 😂 I love that because it's what my grandpa's shop was both a machine/mechanic and a wood shop! Always changing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone at Tested! 🤟✌️🤘🖖❤️🌲🎄🧑🎄🎉🎊🎁🎆🎇😎
Try not to stack things more than 3 on top of each other. Things like boxes or containers that don't open on the side or that aren't in a shelf are incredibly annoying to get in and out.
The 6x3 mobile table works great, to make it simple just use a mobile tool chest of drawers with a timber top.
Rule:
You can't steer a boat that's not moving 🚣♂️
okay Adam,, I've got a great analogy for you from my old man. He was high level efficiency expert guy back when aerospace used to be in socal. As an adhd kid, sometimes Id get really overwhelmed and stuck. His analogy has helped me ever since. 8 man rowing shells are 100 ft long and have a rudder the size of credit card. U might ask, how can that little credit card steer a boat that's 100 ft long?! and you'd be right. it can't steer the boat......unless its moving:)
Tip from an ex-Industrial Engineer: create a spot for stuff you don't know what to do with (no home for it, maybe throw away but haven't decided, don't like it's current home, etc). We called this a "red tag area" because we put a red tag on it. Anyway... Organize everything and then when you're done, deal with the red tag stuff. Use a red tag spot in daily shop life as you work and just deal with it periodically instead of constantly struggling item by item.
YES! Once I figured this out, organizing my garage became 10x faster. I never realized the 2 or 3 "items without a home" were taking 50% of the time and it was a LOT quicker to tackle them at the end of the process after everything else was sorted. Of course the pile should be as small as possible, but for me it's never been nothing.
I’ve got some industrial bins I use on a shelf for this purpose, I fill them with the things I need to get to and when I find myself looking for something to do I grab a bin or something off of the shelf.
I think we all have that "red tag area", the problem is mine is overflowing. Admittedly, I hold on to stuff too long that should either be thrown away or otherwise gotten rid of. We all know the law of throwing stuff away though, even though you haven't used a item in 20 years, after you throw it away you'll need it within the next week.
@@m16ty preach! Wait until you have to move and all of a sudden that clutter becomes a nightmare of random containers and anxiety
This is a really excellent idea, thank you
I'd add - spend time in your workshop when you're not working on something. Have a coffee in there, make a call, write your Christmas plans etc. I can go in without a plan or intention to do something and end up tidying or making a home for something (even if it's just a hook on the wall) just because i became motivated or i notice some organizational low hanging fruit. It also helps clarify what the bigger organizing challenges are.
Great idea. Sometimes I’ll take my laptop down to my shop and work there as an office instead of working in my actual office upstairs. I’ll go down there in the evening after the kids are asleep and just brainstorm about future plans, layout, etc.
Yup! It's a subconscious thing I've done a few times. I'll go out there when I've got a stalled project to be near the project and just trying and think about new ways to approach it. If I get an idea on the project-fantastic! I move forward with it. If I don't get a project idea, I'll usually start fidgeting with some of my tools or materials and just start thinking "I should go put this away. I'll also take these things with me. ...wait, why do I even keep these items over here? I should move those now while no other work is being done." It's usually a pretty good way to get an entire workstation completely cleared up and a bit of start of getting the other workstations/storage areas cleared up due to them having more of their stuff back in the right area.
"where would i look for it?" is genius for solving new storage. I've been using it since I first heard it here and it has saved me hours of frustration, both in and out of the shop.
Problem is, it's always the last place you look for something that you find it. if only you could put it where you would look first. Other problem. significant other sees it somewhere and then decides, "that doesn't go there". and now no one can find it ;)
Adding to the fear of not “getting it right” is having limited time to “be creative” and having to decide between spending that limited time on a space re-org or “being creative”. Of course, reorganizing your space can make your creative time more effective! But it’s still one of those decisions that tie up our brains.
I try to tell myself there is no right...only right now. Its good enough for now. Otherwise I might go down a rabbit hole and end at good enough for the heat death of the universe.
With 2 little ones I often don't get time to work on projects and make my hand-made knives. I made a goal that I would get my shop put back together before it got cold, I made a lot of progress to the point where everything got repainted and organized both. Now I can go out to the shop when the kids go down for the night and freely work on my projects for 10 minutes or 2 hours and not have to worry about how much I have to get done. I have one day left of work for the year and I'm elated that I get to spend some quality time with my boy in the shop now instead of worrying about finding a home for everything. I'm a very visual person so all of the tools/items I use often are on the walls where I can see them. Horizontal space isn't something I have so everything had to go vertical.
This is something I struggle with. But I also understand that having my tools and supplies organized properly increases the time I spend making, decreases time repairing/maintaining vehicles and the house, and most importantly, makes the spaces I share with my family more pleasant. If everything has its own place, then everyone can use an item and return it so everyone else can find it again and it isn't underfoot.
This is also what I struggle with so so very much.
Reorganising is a creative process . The way to go about it it to just start , anywhere , and it will self dictate .
"Where would I put this if I needed it now" has been how I have rolled for 20+ years. Probably the best advice for a crammed shop ever!
And buy a label maker. Having every drawer and box clearly labeled with what’s in them is SO good. Especially if you move everything around and then forget what is where.
Me too. Then you can put many things away in drawers and always know to look for the labels.
I love label makers... been using them for years
Or a permanent marker to mark boxes/items, so you don't have to open them to see what's in them on the shelf.
Don't let perfection be the enemy of good enough!
I've been a facility manager for over 30 years, running a very large shop with tons of tools, bins, and parts. My experience is that my ultra creative and exceptionally talented employees tend to have the most (seemingly) disorganized work areas. It used to drive me out of my mind. We'd go through a huge shop deep clean and re-org and 2 days later their spaces looked like Sanford & Son. Over time I've come to accept this, if not embrace it, with the mindset that I value the talent over cleanliness.
Did it seem like these folks benefited from the occasional "reset"?
Going by that logic, I must be a genius, lol.
I tend to agree though. I've got an accountant that I consider one of the best in his field. When you go into his office it's a disaster, boxes and papers just scattered everywhere. It takes him time just to move enough stuff for you to sit down. I don't know how he does it, but he can always riffle though a few boxes and find my file surprisingly fast.
Where y'all see mess, there is actually a very intricate system there. I am the same way. My work areas are painfully cluttered... BUT I can almos t always find that one 3/4" sheet metal screw that I saw in that spot just last week. @@m16ty
I’m a millwright in a food facility. We are constantly growing and improving the equipment and experimenting with concepts. I have the messiest area. It dirty but multiple projects going on at the same time and all the concepts and what ifs or can we comes to me
@@user-zs9jp9nv4j I think so….but it was short lived
I remember my first job as a bottle washer at a lab which hadn't had one for a year. There was a counter next to the sink which appeared to be a mile long and stacked 6 feet high with dirty glassware. I stopped looking at the pile and just picked up one at a time and cleaned it. One day I reached for the next piece, and there wasn't one!
“Motion brings clarity” is what a mentor of mine used to say. I didn’t realize until I was an adult that I had paralyzing ADHD (when I recognized it in my son), and only then did I realize the wisdom of this advice. It’s not always about having the perfect plan. It’s about experiencing, learning & adapting.
One thing I have to say about tidying is you have to accept that before it gets tidy it WILL get worse before you finally get it better.
True words
but yet parents and relatives could never understand that...altho they mostly use the "shove it all in the closet/cabinet/drawer" method
"If you want to make an omelette you have to break a few eggs"
When someone walks into my mid-process chaos and asks what I'm doing I always say "breaking eggs"
Yeah! I just moved my round column mill out of the shop to replace it with a Wells-Index mill. The whole area is temporarily trashed but as I get the new-to-me mill closer to operational the better the whole shop looks.
The horror, the horror 🤣
I like that way of thinking about where to put something you aren't sure where its home is. Another good one I've heard recently is that if an item doesn't have a set or obvious home, to put it with eithers its 'neighbors, cousins, or co-workers', so either things where they are shaped similarly, have a similar function, or work together. It is a helpful way to thinking about it.
"Where would i look for it if i needed in right now?" That is so obvious and genius, its incredible
I have found that when there is a backlog of new stuff to be organised/stored for the first time, rather than the 'one piece at a time' approach, I have found that you take a big open table and start to put stuff in piles IN CATEGORIES, which helps you quantify how much storage space is needed to be allocated for it, and whether or not to create new storage space.
This is similar to an approach I take with data. I amass it way quicker than I can organize it into the file tree. What I do is, as I’m downloading or however I am acquiring, it gets put into a top level folder from there it disseminates in to the organic file tree. It has a structure, but every now and then something comes along that creates a new branch. Trick is not going to many layers deep. I should try this in conjunction with the red tag idea. Guess I just convinced myself to get to work.😂
@@Mikey-Plays-Bass As an ex-programmer myself, I can tell that you are a good one. Clear thinking. The world needs more of it.
I spent the last two years building up hardware stockpiles from estate sales and sorting everything into piles on my table is the most zen I've ever experienced. I don't know what I have or where it is going, but bolt by bolt and weird pin by strange screw, something organized emerges from the chaos, even if it is a far small bucket of "stuff that doesn't go anywhere."
One thing that helps me a great deal is the concept of the "Return Bin", especially when it comes to putting away scraps, bolts, and the little odd tools that don't always have an obvious home. Everything gets dumped in the Return Bin, and then from time to time I will address the single task of emptying the one bin. It's kind of a self-imposed mind game, but turning a nebulous task like "clean the shop" into a defined task like "empty the bin" seems to help me quite a bit. It also seems to keep the creeping mess confined to one location as opposed to just setting things down wherever I happen to be standing.
As someone with ADHD the first step towards cleaning the house is just picking up one sock, or only washing one coffee cup. Normally that's enough to kick start some cleaning
And here comes the hyperfocus freight train 😅
Loud music helps me with getting that one coffee cup started. A few songs later, I've loaded the dishwasher. Whatever it takes. :)
As someone else with ADHD, this works for me until I find that mystery sock, or other item that I cannot identify. Then I'm on the phone, texting folks, "Hey, did you leave a purple 10mm sock(et) at my place?", and then I'm watching TH-cam ...
@@petergamache5368 I have a "pile of perplexities" for things just like that which get saved until I need a side project to avoid my main project
@@29thedukemissing solemates bin for socks without a mate at our house.
It’s rough keeping organized with ADHD for sure because damn there’s a much more fun project to do now instead of the one I was working on.
I have an RC airplane factory and an electronics/drone workshop. They key for me is to keep them separately. I have a room devoted to the house for the electronics/drones. The RC airplane area is one bay of my garage. When I build projects, I keep the work area clean. Everything else is kept in bins which are meticulously labeled. I like using the clear plastic bins. In the airplane factory I mostly stand while I work. I make sure all tools and materials are within an arms distance from my build table. When I use something, I put it back right away. Do not let the worktable become home to items that you already found a home for. Once it is organized I never relocate the workshop. Only if I were to move into a new home, which I did two years ago. I swore I would never do that again, as the airplane factory alone took me 3 days by itself. Truthfully, as an Engineering and Maker, I loved every minute of it ;)
Organization is always a challenge. In the body shop I work at, organization is key to making money and getting stuff done. All of my trainees, I’ve taught them order of first retrieval. Few have stuck with it, because they’re young and sometimes have a hard time grasping the idea. They’ll buy a tool cart, fill it by how they think they want it, and then spend a few minutes trying to find the tool they need. And sometimes the shop itself has it’s own organizational chaos. Where do we need to put old/new parts, shop equipment where we can easily find and utilize it, etc. we’re constantly changing our approach to the issue of organization and Adam pretty much nailed it, when he says “one thing at a time.”
This video solely serves as a confirmation for why I admire you so much, Adam. This level of sincerity, a bit of vulnerability, but mostly just plain honesty of the state of things and exposure to your mindset about it, is really damn cool. It's nice to see someone who has a level of complexity *significantly* higher than mine struggle with many of the same things I do, and to see your process for dealing with those things, serially (fuck parallel), and just go one foot in front of the other. Thanks for bringing us along on your journey. Cheers!
Your functioning chaos has me hooked, this channel is helping me embrace my chaotic way instead of forcing myself to conform to a neat way that does not work for me.
I could not have said it better... amazing channel! life advise, wrapped up in shop talk!
I'm not the only 'special one' 😂
there should be a 'show us your messy workspace' with viewer contributed pictures.
@@mathurm100 lol, where do i post my pics ;)
His chaos is still fairly organized, it's amazing.
I always enjoy showing my chaotic "workspace" to others who think they have a messy shop. I'm not embarrassed and helps them feel better about their mess.
That deep intake of breath at the three minute mark… we’ve all been there. 😅 That realisation that it’s either rethink everything from the ground up or somehow compromise 😂
Some advice that was given to me many years ago: starting things is hard, but once you get going stopping is even harder.
To avoid being overwhelmed by "too much," I try to identify one small section of space and clear that first. It helps reduce my anxiety, and gives me a sense of " finished, " even if just for that one small area. It also creates momentum for the next section of space.
Years ago you mentioned something that has stuck with me. "When you look for something, the first place you look is where you should keep it once you find it."
I’m here for the technology, the ideas, the makers, the tools, the organization, and the philosophy. This is my happy place. Thank you.
“And since every tool is a hammer, these are particularly hammers” … pure gold
3:54 I'm so glad you touched on the messy room! I clicked this video specifically because my room is a disaster, and I didn't know where to start
I started listening to this while looking around my chaotic blacksmith shop and listening got me moving. Now I'm on a roll and it's the 3rd time around I've heard this in an hour. I'd pay for an indepth shop organizing podcast just to keep me inspired. Thank you for making this Adam, I'd love to send you some of my work one day I you could find a spot for a hand Forged knife.
This video popped up as im in the middle of a massive basement shop organization effort. Such good timing. I love that everyone else is feeling the same way this time of year. Always glad to have Adam and all the fellow makers to commiserate.
Thanks for the tips. Good luck with the chaos everyone!
My office/study got so cluttered that i couldn’t do anything in there, let alone organize it. So I bought a dozen bankers boxes and swept everything into them. I stacked the boxes in the living room and finished cleaning and organizing the space. Then every day I opened ONE box, sorted through the contents, and dealt with whatever I had found.
It took a few weeks (and an annoyed wife), but my office is now clean and organized, I know where everything is, and I wasn’t overwhelmed by how massive an undertaking it turned out to be.
You opened the boxes? .. I didn't know you were supposed to *open* the boxes ;-)
You too?
@@bigwave_dave8468
There was a LOT of stuff I needed to retrieve. I couldn’t find anything under all those piles.
WOW just wow that's impressive
Excellent, excellent advice. Reminds me of advice I got from my mentor in my first job, “Do something even if it is wrong.” That is better than doing nothing. Thank you for reminding me that it certainly applies to reorganizing the shop.
When you went on about spending an hour (sometimes an afternoon) building a place for the thing… you spoke directly to me. I start organizing but I always wind up making a thing. If I could stop that I’d be fine I think…maybe.
I second the picking something up and putting it someplace. I tend to get distracted reading papers that I have saved because of articles that I wanted to have available later from stuff that is pre-internet. I find a really good thing is to have a friend over while I'm cleaning. I don't need them to help me clean but I need somebody to hand something to so that I don't get bogged down trying to read it. And then I'll tell them about it in general and then where they can put it.
Thank you; my studio is a wreck and too many things are lost; my library is the same. Buoyed by my rediscovery of a few things today whose whereabouts had been unknown for too long (and driving me nuts), the next project is a major cleanup of both. I am motivated by today’s finds, and with Christmas presents off the loom and the knitting needles, the re-org is next! Also thank you for “where would I look for this?”
Yes! Yes! "Where would I look for it?" was a watershed moment for me in organizing!
I love the diversity of shop spaces all mentioned in the comments, electronics repair,, blacksmiths, lab work, auto body shops, model makers, wood workers, and on and on....neat to see so many walks of life leaning on Adam for inspiration😉👍 btw Im a messy desk model maker, cluttered garage classic car fixer upper and whete did that part I have go antique toy train restorer for anyone else keeping track😂
This is the video I’ve needed to watch for the last 20 years
I love this, and all the comments that help me understand there is a support group here for all of us who struggle with our chaos!
You hit the nail on the head with the fear of not getting it right. I have this issue with my kitchen as well. Perfect becomes the enemy of good.
I start cleaning but then i find inspiration for a new project and make a new mess
I believe that the psychology folks call this " decision fatigue". We get overwhelmed by all that is in front of us, and it is mentally painful so we avoid doing anything. One thing I have tried is to make it into a game... I set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and work as fast as I can. I don't go at it for hours on end. Hope this helps someone out there. Thanks Adam.
This segment needs to be my daily mantra. I've had fairly decent levels of anxiety over the last year or two because I can't nail down organization...and the biggest problem I have is the one you talk about. I don't know how it should look when it's done. For example, I don't want to invest in a bin or container system just to find out it's not going to work. I TOTALLY understand what you mean by your new law, and I think it's time to just...move in a direction!
“Getting it right is less important than trying different things” 🤯 that’s deep, love that philosophy
"they don't think it be like it is, but it do" - making stuff accumulates entropy.
I relate so hard to the "spend an hour making a thing for the soldering paste" bit. It happens all the time with me. I call it side-questing.
Not sure if it's an ADHD thing or not, feels like it is.
Look up "shaving the yak"
I like calling it side questing. I feel like most of my time around my shop (and house) is spent side questing
'Side questing' 😊 I like it! 👍
When I'm cleaning or reorganizing my shop I don't try to make it perfect, just better.
With my ADHD organization is difficult and chaos is the default, no matter what kind of space I am using. A general trick that I find helps a bit is to limit the scope in some way. Everything being everywhere is too overwhelming, especially when the right places to put things aren't available or even established.
Some examples:
- Pile of random things? Don't worry about all of them at once. instead go through it while filtering out one or two common groups of things that will go togther, while putting everything else into a smaller (and less random) pile.
- No space to work? Quickly compile your scattered messes into one single mess that leaves another space open. Also good for clearing the places to actually put things away properly.
- Would you rather be doing Literally Anything Else, and can only muster up the will not to for a short time? Make them near impossible, except by cleaning! Put the big pile in front of the door, on your bed, or covering your computer. Technically you could move the stuff quickly and putz about anyway, but the impulse to do it will be weaker.
Hope these help someone. Note: These probably won't make things *easy* for you, only less difficult. But that can often be enough.
“200 things into a bin” is so accurate
My shop and lab have been a state of organized fluid chaos for 3 decades, it’s ever evolving, usually as skills change and progress. My key: French cleats, everything goes on DIY cleats all over the walls so the space can change with me. I make all my own fixtures for them designed for the set of tools at hand. I learned a long time ago about first order retrieval and have used it ever since.
You waste more time, and kill workflow, more by not being able to find a tool than the time spent to find a home for it.
Not only do I need to re-organize my workshop, I need a proper workshop.
TRUTH. lol
Me too, but all I have now is my garage, so I make do. However I must note that I INSISTED on a 3-car garage and it was the best thing I ever did. I didn't care if I had to sleep in a dog bin and cook over a trash fire if I had room in my garage.
i am using the garage. its all i have. using what is available. my problem is I try stuff, then fade after a year or too, so I have 2 welders that arent being used anymore. pretty much new, only a few hours usage. im just gonna have to store them somewhere until I can sell or give them away.
A shop is never finished but lives in levels of functionality.
Adam, you build a lot of cases for things(i.e. the watchmakers lathe recently). Do you try to make any sort of standard size/form factor so they can be stored more easily? For instance, pick the smallest option as a 12x12 cube and everything else is a multiple of that, or even division of that and they can be stacked. Or just go with whatever makes sense for the tool/object and deal with the inefficiency of storage later?
I use the 5S method: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain
I determine a small amount of space that I will start on
Sort: I first determine what belongs in that area and everything else must go
Set in order: What ever I decided should stay in that area must get home WITH a label
Shine: Now that everything is where it belongs, I actually clean and polish each item and surface. Make it look nice
Standardize: This where I look for opportunities to make my shop standard, like using the same kinds of bins everywhere, or the same kinds of labels, or color coding
Sustain: Take photos of what it looked like when you are done and possibly even print and post it in the work area to keep in mind what it should look like when you clean up at the end of the day.
I think this has been one of my top favorite videos!! Ive always wondered the thought process of your chaotic space and always admired how smooth your workflow gets when you get zoned in. Can not express my gratitude enough for this information. I do tiny scale models at home and also have more hobbies around miniatures and the mess i create gets super overwhelming, hearing others with similar issues and how to resolve them is amazing. Thank u so so much.
I would like to delve further into the mindset of putting things where you'd look for them the next time you need them. While putting them where you'll think where you'll be looking for the next time can work for a solo workshop, it's going to be a nightmare if you're sharing the space. My dad does that all the time and when I needed something I couldn't find it and he couldn't recall where it was.
A better way for us was to just adopt a "put it back where it came from" mindset for two reasons. First is that it's easier to recall where you got it. Second reason is over time you will find a place for it and by putting it back where it came from you will eventually know where it will always be, and so will everyone else.
I started a woodworking business this year and thought I would have more time to get organized once I figured out what I was good at, what worked, what sold, etc, but it picked up so much faster than I was prepared for. The past few months have been absolute chaos, coming home from my day job to work all night on my own business leaves almost no time. I've decided after Christmas I will take a few weeks off and focus entirely on completing shop upgrades/projects I have pushed off. Perhaps it makes sense to keep a list of organizational ideas as you come across them, then set aside dedicated time to work through that list.
I was watching this video and you mentioned the germ of an idea early on, but then moved on to other thoughts on shop re-org. I could tell you were struggling to come up with the right answer to the question. Re-organization is not normally a one and done thing. You finally came back to this right at the end, and I said to myself, "Yes he got it". I have a hobby workbench for model building and I am constantly thinking of ways to improve it for my purposes. I recognize that a few key points when I do this.
First, I need to get started, even if it is simply just to clean the area.
Second, and you mentioned this, oftentimes starting one approach will lead to a better idea for doing that same thing. But trying to come up with the best idea before starting, will almost always result in nothing really getting done (during that session) - because we too often start overthinking the problem or the solution.
Third, accept that you will have to keep working at this until you get it right (and even then, you will probably have to revisit that "right" solution after using it for awhile.
Think out of the box and be prepared to look at ideas from unrelated fields. A good example of this which also also has elements of #2 & #3 above is my need for paint storage for model paints. Several times, I have fallen into the trap of making a paint storage rack that ended up either too small, too complicated, too expensive, and didn't take into account other items affected by the placement of this rack (i.e. "Where do I put these tools I always use that are being displaced by this new paint rack?"). The solution for me, inexpensive acrylic nail polish racks. These are cheap, easily purchased and assembled, and quickly bring some organization to my paint storage. However, I also recognize that I still want that more extensive paint storage solution at some point. But I now am a step closer and haven't spent a ton of money or time on a solution that isn't good enough. I learn what is missing from my cheap alternative and it helps to solidify my eventual long term solution. IN other words, I am prepared to revisit this and improve on it again.
Sorry, this was rather wordy, but having stuff easily accessible is a priority to me in my hobby so that I don't get bogged down in the overhead of setting up and tearing down my workspace every time.
Oooh, a shop reorganization video series is coming!!? Awesome
I have tape measures all over my house and garages, one in each of my two vehicles. Having muliple needed tools is subjective to the individual as to where they may feel they need them to save time. I have no issues with it personally. 😃
Oh wow! I could ramble on all night on this subject! I’m 63, a retired welder, and just love making! My garage has mig/TIG/stick welders, a 9x20 metal lathe, miter bandsaw, drill press, bender and an iron worker. The basement is home to the table saw, miter saw, planer, jointer, bandsaw, drill press, wood lathe, scroll saw etc, and an area for model making and Kumiko. Did I mention that the modeling area has 2 mini lathes and a mini mill? I try to focus on one project at a time, and making a mess only in the appropriate area, but “try” doesn’t often go far! I have a reprint of publication that Delta power tools put out monthly back in the ‘50’s featuring woodshop projects, including some shop tours, and they occasionally mention the “wonderfully cluttered” workspaces, touting those as a sign of greatness! Those editors would be as happy as a 2 peckered Billy goat in my work spaces! My biggest driving element is knowing when to get rid of things. Wooden jigs, metal jigs, that oddly shaped scrap of walnut, how many boxes of bits and bobs do I really need? Making is evidently a silent partner with hoarding! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to attempt to locate my Noga deburring tool! At least one of the three I own, but can never find! Merry Christmas! Subbed!
The universe knew I was at my shop cleaning this chaos
in the middle of a re-org of my home (broader spectrum, but also adhd). Started the planning weeks ago with many, many iterations, and landed on a 'simulated move-out'. Pack all my stuff into boxes by kind as if I'm moving out (great de-cluttering opportunity), while packing make a category list. Then group the list by room, then by place (and for my making space supplies: by project) and draft out the drawer organization and list out priorities/dependencies. Eg: I need clothes, so that's getting done first, the tools are second, because i'll need them for the rest of the re-org, maybe an area is waiting on something in the mail, put it for later in the list or maybe a closet needs better shelving or lighting, so its' contents need to wait on that. Black Friday trip to ikea (car load full of bins and drawer organizers), lots of labelling and move stuff back in one area at a time. I found having written down list to step through one line item at a time helps me stay somewhat on-task and crossing items off the list helps me feel like I'm getting stuff done without getting too overwhelmed by the rest of the list
So how did it work out in the end? I just moved. tried to make sure each box had a room and what kind of things are in it. so i could just put the boxes into the new home. i cant find anything now ;) My computer is the largest piece of furniture i have so i couldn't lose that. but everything else? no idea. One day i'll find what im looking for.
Great idea. At least one a year I transport most of what’s in the garage/shop out onto the driveway as if I was moving so I can get my head around the space that would be available with no clutter in it. Then try (oh I try…) to purge, reorg and repack.
Excellent advice that comes with age and working in a shop. Common sense to some.
I needed to hear this, thank you so much 🙏🏼 And thanks to whoever asked Adam that question!!
Adam I so enjoy watching your videos! I’ve lived in northern CA since 88, I sold my house of 1,600 sq ft and shop of 441 sq ft and moved into a 335 sq ft toy hauler rv! I have a small shop in it, and use your ideas on maximizing my space! Sometimes I have to try something, but have to redo it to better fit my work flow!
Keep up the awesome work!!
This is where I am right now. I am a woodworker. I also have a small laser business. And a cnc (which isn’t being used). And… I refurb furniture. To me… they all blend together. LOL.
To add to that… there was a time when I was a single mom of four kids and could not afford to buy material. I came somewhat of a wood hoarder during this time. Same with furniture flipping. During covid I ran out of furniture and couldn’t get pieces. So now when I come across good buys I buy it whether I have space or not. I have stopped acquiring any more material or furniture. But now I have to find places for the stuff I already have.
This video hit home because this is my life right now. LOL. Things you said is exactly how my brain is going. For the last two days I stopped trying to “plan” things and just started moving. And I started by 1)cleaning out a certain corner that was cluttered full of things that don’t belong in my Woodshop area. Once that happened I started with 2) taking a specific cart and cleaning it off. Deciding what is going to live on it and taking everything else off. Makes me happy to look at it. And then 3) I started cleaning and organizing my laser area. I knew it was going to be a larger project. I needed to finish the cabinet that I built for my laser. I never added the drawers. So I started the drawers tonight. It makes me feel better just getting small areas.
Things don’t have a home. So as i start to clean… I don’t have a place to put things. Or… they go… anywhere… and not with like items so when I need them I don’t know where to look.
For me, cleanup/reorg usually ends up with “more efficient storage”.. I had some work benches that i replaced with a couple of those US General tool chests on wheels. One chest was the same size and one of the benches but now had more drawers and a lot less wasted space in that footprint. I was able to put 10x as much tools and stuff in there and more things could be in the same location than before… So a lot less hunting around for things. Replaced my build table with one that now integrated my table saw, router, air compressor, dust vac (4x8 top and on wheels).. so no more having to set those things up when i needed them as they are always ready to go… just when i need the table saw, i have to put the fence back on and raise up the blade. My compound mitre saw, i took it off its mobile fold out cart and built it its own cabinet on wheels.. Below it, i was able to store all my paints and solvents which i added doors so i wouldn’t have to look at it. Behind the saw is shelving which holds things like my battery chargers shop stereo. So, another tool always ready to go, not setting up, is multi purpose storage on a 3x4 footprint. On a free wall, i setup a peg board, bought those peg board hooks where all my squares, levels, hand saws, extra saw blades (table/mitre, etc). Originally, my shop was just some regular work benches and several of those wire racks you get at home-depot. But its way more efficient storage and after i was done, i had regained A LOT of square footage. The other part of cleanup is adding some sort of cover on your exposed items. Look at Adams wood storage behind him. Its all organized and sorted.. But you can see it all. That makes something clean look messy or chaotic. Putting doors on them would instantly make it look cleaner/less chaotic. Half the “mess” we see is not necessarily a mess.. Its just the fact that practically everything you own is completely exposed. Also with doors, it helps keep the dust from collecting on things.
this was a video i needed at the most critical of times. i'm in the midst of completely reorganising the family kitchen now that i have become the master of the culinary domain, and having someone put the philosophy down into words instead of just having the abstract floating around in my head is really helping me figure things out!
I love the "this doesn't have a home, where would I look for it?", that and the red tag area mentioned previously. Those are problems to be solved later after I've de-chaos'd the area!!
If it is really scattered, like from not putting things away through several projects, what i do is assemble like kind things in separate piles.
Then I organize the piles into drawers, or other containers. all my drawers and racks have labels. I also have a list of categories, which has to be added to occasionally. once you have a place for everything, It's just a matter of the great fun of putting things away.
cheers.
Super struggling with the first organization of the shop which I'm putting together. Have acquired a bunch of tools over some time and now they are bundled in the shop with no room to move. Have recently learned about "just one thing" and it has helped. Hate to admit it, but turning off the radio and being alone and quiet in the space helps let ideas come to mind. Tend to look first for things that can go in the bin. Made a comfortable place to sit and think. Forcing myself to tough out the quiet and not-knowing seems to be the main thing now. I keep notes so I don't run off to the internet for a quick (hah!) bit of research. Always tempting because it looks like action. It's a REAL struggle. Thank you for sharing your own. Appreciate especially your philosophical input. Aloha
I just started this last week and made some progress. I found that I had to remove what I could to my driveway temporarily first to clear out the space in order to figure out how to put it back in the best place.
2 words- Tackle boxes. I have a lot of hobbies and a lot of those hobbies have their own specific tools and such. So I went out and bought like 8 of them that are the right size, they're uniform and I put tape and labeled them all and they all sit side by side on a shelf. So if I want to do leather work, I pull down that box, do the thing, put it back in and up on the shelf it goes. If I need to clean a gun down comes that box. Sewing? soldering? dremel? all have tackle boxes specific to them
The "where would I look for it id I needed it right now" when storing stuff has a great companion when you're looking for something: "where would I store this if I would store it right now." It's my #1 approach when looking for something and I dont immediately know where to look.
Cleaning the basement workshop up and organizing it after my father set it up four decades ago right now, this video helps immensely
I've been usiing your "where I would look for it when I need it?" method for a few years and I can say that is very useful and reliable.
I like drawing my space, then cutting out shapes of large objects like tables , saws etc then playing around with the placement and layout to get ideas of reorganizing it.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to put this video together! ❤
Adam,
This is the best life advise that I have heard in a long time. Just replace "the shop" with "Your Life" and it speaks volumes.
One thing I do to get me going when my maker-space becomes too much of a chaotic mess, is to ask help from someone. The job at itself is not the issue, it is the stepping up of the initiative that is hard. Having someone who is not as attached, and who can "give the first nudge", can make all the difference.
And heck, that applies to life too 🙂
Keep the content going and stay well.
Vincent
This is one of the best explanations I’ve ever heard. As a shop owner (automotive/single employee), I completely feel this. Very eloquently explained.
3:19 "First place: Best place" ...always put stuff away in the FIRST place you'd think to look. The first idea you have that jumps out is probably the right place. Even if time goes by and it's no longer the first place to check, it may end up being the 2nd or 3rd place to check and at least you'll still find it. Vs putting it in some special / weird place right away... in which case it's basically gone forever at that point.
I spent nearly a year planning my workshop reorg and I've been working on the actual execution the past 6 months. Almost every detail I had originally mapped out has been completely abandoned or altered multiple times. I was what I felt was about 90% done and then decided a month ago it just wasn't working out so I redid about half of what I'd spent the previous 5 months doing BUT it now flows much better and it "feels" right. Still a fair bit left to do but now I can pick away at it a little at a time. I think it will always be in a state of flux but at least it won't be in the state of confusion it had been for so long.
It helps! I’m always envious of your shop organization and this might be my favourite of all your videos. Thanks!
In this and in the Q&A video about starting a new shop, you touch on a few items that really resonated with me in terms of having the right mindset to get a shop off the ground. It took me about 3 years to from "this is a non-functional garage just storing stuff" to "ok, we're going to turn this into a workshop." That was the point where I completely gutted out all the old wiring that was inadequate, roughed in new wiring for drastically more lights and 110 receptacles everywhere, roughed in a couple of centralized 220 receptacles, did the math and added some reinforcements in order to setup a storage space in the attic for all of those "I rarely will ever need this thing, but it's irreplaceable" items, then added insulation and drywall, and light finishing across the whole space. With it now capable of so much more, I spent money on very general purpose storage systems and on a few specialized ones I already knew I needed. Mostly this was just getting shelving setup, but I had some oddball stuff like a wall-mounted tire rack, a garden tool storage and charging area, and a heavy duty shelf for some very bulky and very heavy electronics projects I work on.
In the year since the great reset, I've completely changed where I work and how I store things twice. Still lots of the same fundamental items, but the placement changed around, a flexible wall-mount system was setup, and I replaced my homebuilt workbench with one that was discarded from a commercial facility (made to work for my needs with a few small modifications). As my space is still primarily a garage for automotive work, I don't have too many established workstations for machine tools, woodworking, and the like. All my workspaces have to remain flexible in order to work for me. Because of that, the biggest help for me was just thinking about how I store items and tools, by starting out thinking about how I actually use my workshop. I thought about how trying to separate out a lot of my tools by "automotive stuff, carpentry stuff, electrical stuff, etc" didn't always work out so well, as there were so many tools that overlapped in task area. I had experimented with a few other ideas that didn't really work out so well, and at some point it finally clicked for me to just totally separate my tools from my materials.
My absolutely most basic tools are all right at my only workbench, either on the wall, on the shelf under the bench, or in the adjacent toolbox. There's space for a couple of portable toolboxes under the workbench that are setup for electrical work and general handyman work-any time I need to crossover tools, all my tools are right in the same area to freely plunder, fill that portable toolbox with the extra things I need, then go off and do the work that is needed. When I return, I get to empty out those tools I took, as well as replenish anything I used up (or throw away scrap I collected) to those portable cases. For all the other tools, I moved one large storage shelf to be by the workbench and went through the effort of getting every toolset into a case and every case labeled. Lots of my automotive tools already came in cases, so that part was easy. Everything else either found its way into cardboard boxes or small tool bags/boxes that could hold all the tool's needed accessories. Then, all of those tools made their way onto the shelving unit. There's a small shelf dedicated just to holding batteries and their chargers to keep that from scattering across the garage, and the shelves are loosely organized by purpose and by operating method (one shelf is just for air tools). This change made it incredibly easier to get tools put back away in the correct spot, and it's made it incredibly easy to find them again when I need them. It's considerate of my need to maintain a flexible workspace, while also permissive of the collection of specialty tools I have. I'm already seeing ways I can improve it, but for the first time in my adult life, it's a system that finally works for me!
I reorganize my shop periodically. As I do projects, I learn what I liked and didn’t like about layout of tools, flow, etc.
I do the same thing when I organize. I put things in places where I can “categorize” them, then I put the “misc” stuff in a “pile” and deal with that at the end when my brain is focused on that ONE thing.
As a person who has a near phobia-like aversion to stagnation, my entire life could be summed up by the sentiment of "most things are only discernable when they're moving." Maybe I'll get that as my next tattoo.
Also, as an ADHDer, disorganization is a constant struggle for me. One strategy I've learned is to stop trying to fight the mess by telling it where it needs to go, and start working with the mess by listening to where it wants to be. If I have a pile of clothes that keep accumulating in a certain space because it's easier for me to just dump them there than take them to the laundry, then obviously, that's where a nice, aesthetically pleasing laundry hamper needs to live.
Become a junk whisperer. Let it tell you where it wants to be, then make a tidy space for it there.
My workshop and general project flow was such a disaster until I discovered bucket organizers (paired with square kitty litter buckets as the base). I created a bucket for each type of "work" I do and tossed in the specialized tools and materials. Each bucket also gets a set of the "standards". I loaded up on screwdrivers, tape measures, hammers, flashlights, sharpies, utility knives, crescent wrenches, etc. and distributed them across the buckets $150 on facebook marketplace and estate sales got me all the standards I'll ever need. I didn't expect the bucket system to affect shop organization, but it did! I was no longer destroying my systems every time I had a project somewhere else in the house or yard or garage. My shop organization worked. In continued to work, and so I invested more effort into making it work. Also the buckets tuck nicely under the power tool station and are overflow for random things. Extra wire? Throw it in the electrical bucket. Some weird scraper? Throw it in the tiling bucket. Too many sharpies for the stained glass work station? The construction bucket always needs more. So the clutter is more...containable. When I have to do a plumbing project I literally dump the "stuff" from the bucket center before I start to figure out what I can use and what I need to go buy from the hardware store. No hunting for that bin that has old bits of pipe or the pvc glue, if it isn't there, I don't have it. Of course, you can reach a point where one bucket can't hold the detritus. But that is fine, the masonry and tile tools should have been separate any way. Construction could mean roofing or drywall---it could be one bucket or two. Buckets proliferate but can always tuck neatly under the workbench, and it is usually less than $50 to spawn a new bucket. I'm rambling but this system changed my life. I went from someone who couldn't organize anything, to someone who was hyper efficient and organized.
Don't underestimate the power of "5s" developed by the quality/continuous improvement movement in manufacturing (in my words): sort/simplify, straighten/set in order, shine/clean, standardize/repeatable controlled work processes (recipes for how tools, materials and methods are used in the making process). This leaves a clean workstation that does not limit creativity but enhances it - creating an 'open canvas' if you will. The sort/simplify stage makes you strategically focus on what you should keep and what you should throw out (or outsource, or rent, or make room for - such as that new solder paste you want to try). Finally there is a 6th 's': safety. If you can incorporate clean work areas and start thinking about repeatable, controllable work processes, your safety should increase and your work will be of higher quality.
I've built out a few shops at this point and have come to some approaches that work *for me*. Masterminding (big design) in advance is time consuming, subject to less-than-optimal outcomes, and brings stress to some personality types (particularly obsessives). Alternative: do the work and projects you do for a month, leave the tools and materials you used in the area where you did the work. You can wipe down and organize but DON'T tuck everything away in different areas. After a number of projects you'll likely see the concept of "stations" evolve with each having the relevant tools needed to do that type of work. THEN you can build some organization for each station . . . tool holders, containers, a shelf, etc. To get around perfection paralysis, understand you can do this over and over again until you no longer notice a need for change. Refinement and proofing over time and use. Mental peace. Efficiency. Yada yada.
There are tons of us out here with similar afflictions. If you or it is only visible when in motion then you/it must be a photon.
Best tips: Make a mobile stand for everything that's realistically moveable and built lots of drawers into each stand. Shallow drawers are often far more useful than deep ones. I have one bench that's average height, six feet wide and has 21 drawers of varying depths on ball bearing slides. It's awesome for lathe tooling, taps and dies, chucks, all of the little things used on a lathe, tailstock accessories and so on.
Something else that strike me with this video is how many of us aren't really machinists but use machine shop equipment like lathes and mills on a daily or near daily basis. Using large machinery and all of the tooling adds lots of additional issues. As a former PBS television production stills photographer I'm not star struck because of your television exposure; I see you as one of us. That's a compliment. I thoroughly enjoy your TH-cam content.
I keep all of my Amazon boxes. I fold the tops and sides back into the box to stiffen them up. They're usually way too large for what was shipped and make great containers and stack very easily because most of them are the same size boxes. I then have some tape that I will put on the outside and scribble what's in the box on the box. This allows me to stack them up and move them around and take them out and put projects and all the things that I'm working on for that project in that box. I don't have to spend any money and I have everything where I need it and I can move things around very quickly. So it's an organized chaos which is perfect for me. And it takes a little time and cost no money
I use a Bondhus 5mm T-handle daily and use it as a hammer also, I drilled an tapped one end for a brass bolt then ground it round, now I also have a brass hammer end.
Thank you, I’m glad to know I’m not alone in this struggle. I’ve been trying to organize my garage over the past month (an hour or two here and there) and freezing. Not just because of the cold (it’s February and I’m in the Northeast) but because I don’t know where to put anything… I’ve been trying to implement LEAN concepts so I’ve been scrapping or selling off things I know I’ll never use and grouping together stuff I plan to keep. To Adam’s point at the end of the video, you’re always reviewing and improving your process. But you have to try it to know if it works or not.
Best cleaning/organizing tip I know: Pick up like items. Ex: Pick up all the screwdrivers and put them away. Then, pick up all the hammers and put them away. Pick up all the drill bits and put them away. Etc... That way you're not making twenty trips over to the screwdriver drawer. Then fifteen trips to the hammer hangers. Then twenty trips to the scrap wood bin. And so on. I find it generally works best to pick up the big stuff first. Like, if you're picking up a child's bedroom: Pick up all the large toys first. Then pick up all the laundry. Then pick up all the small toys. Then pick up any garbage that needs to be thrown away. Etc...
Surprisingly, that is the exact mentality I had when I reworked my shortcut key configuration -- "where am I going to try to look for this shortcut on my keyboard" and I constantly kept moving several shortcut keys around for several days afterward since they didn't quite feel right. Just ran with whatever was completed and added more shortcuts at a later time when I felt they were needed
I've never needed to hear a piece of advice more. My room is nothing but chaos these days!
I love your organizational tips. I'm constantly using the "where would I look for this"? The other is the orders of retrievability idea. My major hang up is the moment I make headway, a new deadline either stops or rewinds the progress a bit.
Ok I just started rewatching Mythbusters on Max and I remember Adam once saying that with a couple episodes they were brought up for another season. My guess is that it was episode 2 of season one with the airplane toilet that did it! The look on Adam’s fav when he was sucked to the toilet was GOLDEN!! Classic!
OMG, that's HUGE! "Where would I look for it if I needed it now?" I always seem to know the answer to that question, but NEVER know the answer to "where does this go?"
Thank you for that. lol
My mother as a young lady, learned from an old lady that "Everything has a home" and that's how I've lived my life as far as organization. As a flat rate automotive technician, I have a tool cart with things I touch at least once a week, and everything else goes in my big box.