It has taken me more than a week to organize my office workspace, in what has been a painful and painfully slow process.
I thought I’d share about the experience, as I can’t be the only one who suffers from “too much stuff” syndrome.
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Let’s say I was tasked with setting up a new industrial space, with fixed goals, needs, and requirements. I’d be efficient and practical, and would have everything nice and neat too.
So why I do I fail so miserably at maintaining a healthily efficient workspace for myself?
Things were so much easier when a single handheld plastic tool box fit all my hand tools. And when I started working with cordless and corded power tools, I could probably fit them all into a single milk crate.
Now…
Shown above is one of two screwdriver drawers. It’s poorly organized at the moment, but the main thing to show is that it isn’t filled to the brim. I might swap some of these out for others, but the key word is swap. Aside from bringing back some of my precision screwdrivers, I don’t need my full range of drivers in this space, at least not for 95% of my typical hand-fastening tasks.
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Here’s my wrench and “some other stuff” drawer, a work in progress. I need to add my mini Facom metric wrench set to the mix, if I can figure out where I put it last.
Don’t worry, this isn’t the full extent of my hand tools, just the remaining tools I think I’ll need in this space. I also have compact 1/4″ and 3/8″ socket sets in a cabinet. If I need my full range of wrenches, ratchets, breaker bars, or what-not, I can access them easily. But, I don’t need them right here.
That’s the mindset I’ve been focusing on – “do I need these tools right here?”
I really don’t want to show you the number of screwdrivers that are leaving this space, it’s too embarrassing.
I found 4 pairs of safety goggles. So that’s where they all went. I also found 3 pairs of earmuffs, and two packages of reusable earplugs, which I left in one of the drawers above.
This space that I’ve been clearing up, I designated it as my office and electronics workspace. I can do more than “clean” work, and it generally only involves bringing in a portable dust collector or vac.
I can be lazy. In truth, I generally have two primary settings – obsessively thorough or lazily sufficient.
A month ago, I posted about how I wasted an hour trying to save myself 5 minutes. I didn’t tell you the full story. The desoldering task I inevitably needed to do would have taken me 5 minutes, but maybe a half hour to properly set up for. Stuff ends up on my benchtop, and I don’t really have a lot of workspace.
You don’t even want to know what my computer desk looked like. I downgraded from a massive L-shaped desk to a 48″ x 30″ desk, and although there’s some clutter already, I can still see the worktop.
Do I need that tool in this space? If the answer is no, into a bin it goes, and from there it’ll go into the basement, garage, or donation/give away box.
My hope is that stripping things down to bare necessities will help me be more productive.
Greater efficiency will mean faster and easier content creation, which will benefit ToolGuyd, but admittedly that’s only part of my goal. Really, I just want more time to work on projects. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I could spend a half hour clearing and cleaning and then a whole day conducting testing, bench tests, or project work. It wasn’t perfect, but I was able to ignore the state of things. Now? If I have a half hour block of uninterrupted time, I want it spent on projects, testing, and review activities, not on clearing space or hunting down the tool(s) I need.
There are two main problems I have been seeking to address: 1) I can’t find the tools, parts, or supplies I need to complete a task, and 2) I have been lacking the space to work on necessary or desired tasks.
It’s a gargantuan task, to basically set up my working spaces from scratch while they’re still in use. I’ve been putting it off, but finally, it has to get done.
Starting a few months ago, I’ve been doing the same process everywhere – cleaning, sorting, organizing.
Here’s what I did for my office workspace:
Step 1: Clear the desk, workbench, remove all tools and parts from the room.
Step 2: Downgrade desk size, mostly finish workbenches.
Step 3: Bring contents back, loosely sort through it all, then empty drawers, cabinets, and continue to sort.
Step 4: Organize what will remain, remove tools and supplies that will not.
It’s a hard process, extremely laborious indeed, and I find myself psychologically attached to a lot of what’s leaving this space.
But… I really want/need to review that different style of screwdriver I bought specifically for ToolGuyd review purposes.
But… one of my next projects will involve those pneumatic cylinders!
But… I really love using those pliers, despite having a duplicate style that I use more often 9 times out of 10.
I know it’s not just me. I’ve seen many others’ garages, work trucks, vans, basements, offices. Many of us are prone to collecting more things in a single space than is practical.
About 3 weeks ago, I wrote a post titled the number of tools I need vs. how many I have.
See also: The Number of Tools I Need vs. How Many I Have
It might seem ridiculous for me to both lack all of the tools I need and to also have way too many. But, it comes down to some needs being met – often in multiple ways – and other needs not being met.
Consider the cook who has a 4-burner stovetop. What’s the point of 10 skillets when they still need a stockpot to make chili or soup?
In this space I’m working on now, I am not yet thinking about what I might need or what I could add, although there are some boxed-up tools I’ve been trying to make space for, I’m really trying to pare down and reclaim my working surfaces.
“Everything in a place” is a good goal to have, and ultimately there might be some tools strewn on top of my bench.
I think a big part of the issue is that, before we moved here, I worked out of a single room. I went from a spare bedroom in one apartment to a larger spare bedroom in another. Now, my main office and “clean” workspace is a small bedroom, my “dirty” workspace is the garage, and I have the basement and off-site storage for overflow and infrequently used tools and supplies.
Our second child was born shortly after we moved, and I never took the time to set things up properly from the start. I could have, and should have, but that would require a lot of time, regardless of how I spaced things out.
The process isn’t quick or easy, and I can’t get much done in short blocks of time. I made small progress over the years, only to lose momentum.
But now, you might have noticed things have been slow, and this is why. Part of the reason has because my schedule was filled with phone calls, project time, and review efforts, but right now it’s because I’m working on “workshop setup.”
I love tools, I love talking about tools, and I love testing and review tools. But I also love using my tools, and working on projects, and my capacity to do this has been greatly diminished. The same goes for my capacity to photograph tools for reviews or other editorial content – one needs a relatively clear space, and I’m out of clear spaces.
If the garage is too full and cluttered, I can bring a folding workbench to the driveway and setup woodworking tools there, cleaning up from a portable table saw, router, miter saw, or sanders with relative ease.
But if there’s no benchtop space, where else could I photograph a battery pack teardown, assemble a testing jig, measure the power requirements of a cordless drill, or solder a circuit for a personal project?
When all is said and done, don’t expect a “workshop tour” anytime soon, I still have a whole lot of work to catch up on, plus more cleaning and organizing to do for my other workspaces. The bulk of my ball pein hammers and mallets have been sitting in a milk crate for 4 years.
Talking about all this is somewhat embarrassing, but makes me feel a little better. Plus, it’s my hope some of you take a look at your workshops, vans, trucks, garages – are any of your spaces sorely in need of some cleaning, clearing, or organizational efforts?
I also hoped that with this post some of you might understand why things have been a little quiet here. Getting my spaces to peak efficiency was always daunting to think about, and I knew it would be a tedious and time-consuming process.
Well, there’s no time like the present, and the progress I’ve made has me optimistic.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have unfortunately run out of things to say, and have an hour or two of moving heavy boxes downstairs ahead of me.
Frank D
Ah, yes … tool spread!
I had two tool boxes when I was 18. After buying a house things started to grow, after moving into another and tackling 100 year old house renovation solo … there was a point my hand held stuff fit could fit in about 12 and I just needed a one car garage. Then we moved again, more projects, more and more cordless gear; and now I think the hand held stuff could fit in 24 to 36 boxes depending on which size box we’re talking.
Anyhow. Organization takes time, and I never manage to set aside a week or two to get on top of things … because things are in the van, garage, shed, basement, …
Frank D
Regarding finding things … One of the things I did in a garage space, length wise, is wall to wall open shelving. But instead of using the 4-5-6 shelves per system, some got an extra one or two or three shelves, to all the way doubled up to twelve shelves on one rack. No stacking things on top of each other. Shelves are dedicated to categories. Hand tools spread out on the narrowest shelves in the middle. Delicate tools in their cases. Crates and a few blow molds of infrequent tools on the bottom. Everything is ready to go, a handle or head or label sticks out one way or another, anybody can just scan the racks and shelves … much easier for me … and if you have a family member or helper, they very quickly can grab what they need, rather than going through drawers, tool boxes, boxes in boxes, …
fred
There is a corollary of Parkinson’s Law – that says “the number of tools expand to fill the amount of space that you have to put them”. I can attest that having lots of space and 3 domiciles just makes it worse. From the pictures you show/have shown – you have tools still in their original packaging. You might do an honest assessment – and ask yourself if you will ever need them. If you are renting storage space for tools – then ask yourself how that money might be better spent or invested for your children or your future enjoyment.
Stuart
I have reduced my reliance on outside rented storage space, and plan to reduce further.
The Klein terminal screwdriver is a recent addition, and the Engineer crimper was rediscovered so I kept its packaging card with it. The boxed PB Swiss tools are torque screwdrivers, and I’m afraid I’ll lose the setting pieces that accompany them. I might put them in a small box and into retrievable storage, but I use them on occasion.
What compounds my issue is that certain things are purchased for testing/assessment/review/comparison. My attempts at a dedicated holding area has not yielded efficient results yet.
Tom
I struggle with throwing away unnecessary cases and packaging. Some of my Wera tools came with little belt pouches. They take up unnecessary space and I am never going to hook these onto my belt-but I still have the pouches. Also, blow molded cases are a huge space suck. Do I really need to keep my little, rarely used Bosch sander in a case that takes up about four times as much space? I’ve thought that I should ditch a lot of this stuff and just put everything in drawers.
Wayne R.
If a case holds all of the accessories, handles, bits, specific-tools-for-the-tool, then I find the case to be pretty handy, especially if its sides are parallel and can support a stack. One handle, all the pieces, win.
If a case tightly fits the tool and very little else, I eject that in a hurry too – or don’t even own it in the first place.
Adam
I’m the same way. The case for my Bosch router holds all the guides and wrenches, and the one for my Fein Multimaster has nice little latching boxes for blades and sandpaper. Those two are among the rare exceptions, though. I use tool bags for my drills and impact drivers, and there’s actually room in them for drill bits and screwdriver bits.
fred
Power tools used to come in steel cases (30 or more years ago). That probably added to the cost and some folks did not use them – preferring to store tools on racks/shelves or bundles with other tools in larger boxes or bins (e.g. Knaack boxes). But they did offer room to carry accessories. So the metal box with your Sawzall in it – had room for dozens of blades. The typical bow-molded case – may actually protect the tool in transport – but as you say it comes with lots of wasted space.
Jesse
My Milwaukee Fuel sawzall fits in one of my 30 year old metal sawzall cases. A couple dozen blades, a few scrapers, a brush, and a battery fit in the case with it. Very handy. And a 20 year old sawzall case fits my fuel rotary hammer drill along with the accessories, a dust shroud, a battery, and a bunch of drill bits and chisels. I’ve bought old sawzalls and drills off craigslist in the past just for the case, then resold the tool! I’m almost hesitant to tell this little secret, but I have all the tool cases I need at the moment.
James C
There’s a few good youtube videos on repurposing plastic cases. Basically cut out the blow-molded insert and you could potentially reuse it for other storage purposes. A custom foam insert might also work.
Stuart
I do too. Sometimes keeping them does come in handy, such as precision screwdriver racks I might put to use after a while, but I tend to discard blow molded cases if 1) the tools are kept in a different space loose, or 2) the cases are much larger than they need to be.
I’ll keep a tool case if it’s modular, it’s space-efficient, or it neatly contains lots of small accessories that I would otherwise easily lose or damage.
Nathan
cleaning up a side of the garage for my project along with my workbench – yeilded throwing away some stuffs. ANd a little bit better organization but also yeilded a whole list of.
you know I need to make a _________ so I can hold _________ and put this ont he wall
so my fall is booked now – provided I actually take the time to do any of it
Mick
Ahhhh…too much stuff! Is that even possible? A bad habit I picked up long ago is, when possible, buy in pairs. The reasoning for that is that inevitably one will be misplaced, stolen, borrowed…whatever. But if you buy two, you always have one to use. The problem with that is when one is lost it’s very easy to lose the second. Soon or later “stuff” starts to accumulate. Then there’s the times when you see something that’s too good to pass up. “That’ll come in handy one day.” One day doesn’t come. A guy can get very creative when it comes to cramming something in a little space. Out of sight, out of mind! Then comes the day that you absolutely know that you have that one tool you bought specifically for that one job. But, always a but, where did ya put it?
Time has a way of quickly passing. More stuff accumulated. Less organization. And one day you wake up, look in the mirror and see someone you don’t recognize. You got old! Fewer projects are taken on…some days you’d rather take a nap than head out to the shop to tinker. Craigslist here I come! Time to unload some stuff. 45+ years of working all the sudden stops. Priorities change. time to clean house on to keep the essentials…well, maybe. “I might need that some day.”
But really, who needs…ummm…lemme think! *Counting in my mind* Who needs 23 tape measures?
Stuart
I’ve done that at times, too, usually for the better. It also means I have some backup tools to give to my kids in a few years, such as made-in-UK Stanley FatMax demo drivers and Craftsman USA-made screwdrivers and wrenches.
Paul E Hacker
Sounds like me to a tee …lol … I have become the master of keeping things for 20 years then getting rid of it only to need it again in a week or two. No sane way to approach it after a certain age … lol
Stacey Jones
Too many tools Stuart. Perfect for a ToolGuyd Giveaway!? We your faithful readers will gladly help you with your problem.
Stuart
Possibly, but in this case it’s too many tools in the wrong places, if that makes sense.
Johann
>I can be lazy. In truth, I generally have two primary settings – obsessively thorough or lazily sufficient.
I’m not self-reflective enough to realize this on my own, but that describes me a little too accurately.
OhioHead
Sounds like it is time for some give aways to loyal readers or donations to Habitat/local trade/vocational school.
My workshop bench is a mess……
les
That is a fantastic selection of Screwdrivers! A lot of PB Swiss! Love their handles!