Shed Time

This weekend I spent some time trying to tidy up my shed. I have gotten tired of not being able to find something that I know that I have, somewhere, in all the mess. What is infuriating is having to go out and buy something, and then finding that you already have one, or more, already.

 

does anyone really need three full cans of carb cleaner?

I had bought myself one of those shelf-mounted bin storage tidies and fitted it above my work surface on Saturday. Then I went through all the various polythene bags, jars, tins, boxes and drawers that I keep nuts and bolts in, sorted through them all, and then put them into separate tubs so that I can actually find them when I need them. In doing so I noticed that I have less of some sizes than I thought I had, and more of others, so I'll have to put together an order for more fasteners sometime soon. Oh, goody, more stuff to find it's way into the shed.

(hopefully) helping make order from chaos

After that I had a rake through all the big boxes of spares and sorted them into more manageable lumps. All the MZ, Triumph and Dnepr bits went into boxes and tubs by make, and then what was left over got divided up by use, ie. clocks, bodywork, electrical, etc.  Once I put it all back on the shelves (and the floor, and on hooks hanging from the roof) the shed was still as cluttered as before, but, and it's a bit but, I now know where most things are. Now, if I can only stop buying more stuff in the meantime.

another new toy

Next up will be an actual sift to decided what I'm keeping and what I can get rid of. For example, I have a lot of Triumph Sprint stuff lying around. As I no longer have the bike, do I really need a nearly new silencer and enough parts to do about three full services? Probably not. However, every time I convince myself to actually get rid of stuff I find myself needing some of it later on. 

I am, by nature, an inveterate hoarder. I keep stuff long past its useful life, just in case it might come in handy. For those of you nodding your head at this, you know what I mean and can probably sympathise.

I reckon that it's something that gets worse as you get older. All that useless junk which is taking up considerable shelf space is clearly going to be tomorrow’s valuable classic. It will also be worth a small fortune if you do keep it long enough. At least, that’s what the small voice in your head keeps telling you whenever you make plans for giving it away or simply taking it to the nearest tip.

You know that you've probably gone too far when you find yourself planning to get another shed to keep the overflow in!