Happy New Year to all my readers!!
Gwen from Bremerton, Washington wrote me and wants to know "how do I label boxes for storage and then keep track of them. For example, which box has the Christmas decorations and where in the attic did I put it??"
Gwen, thanks for your question. This is a common problem for a lot of folks, but the solutions are actually simple. Like most anything in your life that you've set out to organize, it involves thinking ahead. I believe that's half the battle but the trouble is, it's the half that most people aren't willing to do. When you think ahead, the solutions begin to reveal themselves. For example, when you move into a new house and set up your kitchen, you might just choose a random cabinet for your pots and pans. But if you take a few extra seconds to think ahead and ask yourself, "What are these items used for?" that will tell you where they should live. It's simple; cooking items should live near the stove.
So using the same concept, think about your storage system before you create it, and the answers will reveal themselves to you. If the challenge is remembering what's inside each box and then remembering where each box is, address each problem separately. Every time you pack something away, just create...
a simple inventory list for each box as you pack it, whether it's Christmas decorations, table linens, seasonal clothing, toys, books, or whatever. It doesn't matter. And hey, your list doesn't have to be fancy or high-tech either. A simple piece of copy paper and a Sharpie will do. Write large enough so you can read the list from six feet away, and tape it to the side of the box. (NOT the top!) This way, even if boxes are stacked, you can tell what's inside each one by scanning your list.
To remember where each category of items lives, make a very simple Excel spread sheet listing the categories and the locations of each box. Christmas boxes are in the attic at the right under the window, seasonal clothing is in the basement below the stairs, and so on. Don't use your brain to store silly things like this. Use simple tools like the Sharpie and the Excel spread sheet so you can write it down and forget about it until you need to know. Then when you need to find something, just pull up your spread sheet and you're good to go. Gwen, I hope this helps!
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