My low-tech solution to organizing electronic parts is to use shoeboxes, with written labels at the end, and plastic bags inside to organize the various groups of items.

They stack, and I am lazy, and so I put the one I just pulled out from the middle of the stack back on top. So the ones on top are the ones I use. If they are at the bottom they don't get used much.

On the other hand, I don't care which ones I use a lot as I am not trying find candidates for eviction. I just care about not having to pull items out of the bottom of a stack of five shoeboxes. It happens, because frequency != importance.

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heyethan 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Yeah, frequency and importance are different signals.

This works well for deciding what stays nearby, but not necessarily what to get rid of.

Something like a toolbox or a charger you rarely use might only get a few dots, but when you need it, you really need it.

	▲	bluGill 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		IT is still a signal because you only need to look at things with few dots. Maybe that charger is for something that broke years ago and you can get rid of it this time. Meanwhile you don't even need to ask about the boxes of things you use often but don't think of (nor do you confuse them for the boxes of almost the same thing you never use)

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scottlawson 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

shoeboxes are a great size for containers, but does it bother you that they aren't transparent? I really like having clear containers.

	▲	shermantanktop 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		No, I think I prefer it. Less visual noise.
	▲	bloomingeek 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		It does. I have a sizeable ball cap collection, all in labeled shoe boxes. I'll be changing them for plastic bins on my next Ikea Swedish meatball run.