I have separate containers for separate bits of my life. My dance accessories are in a blue tote bag and clothes for that are in a separate part of my closet. Work clothes are hung up a week in advance and in a different part of my closet. My knitting crap is in one box. Same thing for fabric scraps. School stuff goes in one pile on my desk.

You need more bins, Stew.

I may indeed need more bins. As it is, I have bins for lots of things, but the (lack of) space is killing me.

I also use the multiple-tote bag method, modified with sub-tote bags for transferring collections of items which need to be present in different tote bags at different times.

multiple-tote bag method
I totally use this one for recurrent off-site trainings and meetings. But then, where do you put the bags? Currently mine are strewn at my feet. Never expected anyone else would use this method!

Not that I can claim to be remotely organized at home (oh my, no), but: I have an out-of-the-way Shaker rack dedicated to holding my bags.

A peg board would be even better, because it could hold more things with less overlap. You stuff the stuff into the bag, then hang it on its designated hook on the peg board.

Another lesson from the I-am-not-organized brigade:

You have to determine what kind of person you are and organize accordingly. As I learned to my dismay, I am not a bin person and no number of bins can change that. I just end up with more clutter: the original stuff and the bins, each holding a scant sprinkle of stuff and all stacked haphazardly atop each other.

No advice, but now I really want to go to a glitter/condom/frisbee party.

I like bins. Also filing cabinets. Also in and out boxes.

But my best organizational tools are planning, a checklist, and doing one task at a time.

This: But my best organizational tools are planning, a checklist, and doing one task at a time.

I am continually re-inventing my organization systems and this is the only one that ever works. That and putting things (keys, wallet, shoes, ID, whatever) back where it belongs immediately when I'm done with it or at the end of the work day, whichever is more logical.

1. Having a "drop box" near the front door where keys, wallet, sunglasses, and iPod go every day as soon as I walk in the door.

2. In the office, I've gone to binders binders binders. Everything I do now is pretty much a discrete project, so each gets its own binder. The way I work is that I have a ton of folders set up, one folder for each one of my recurring meetings or teams or projects. When the folder starts feeling overstuffed, the contents migrate to the binder.

3. After each meeting or project session, the notes go in my inbox. I review them later, then highlight any tasks or things I need to look at later. Tasks go on a to-do list, and then the notes go into the folder and I'll see the highlighting for things that need followup at the next iteration of that meeting.

4. I'm not gonna say a lot about home organization, because I moved about 6 months ago, to a place with a totally different configuration, and we definitely do not have the home organization down yet. Oddly, my last apartment was only 3 rooms and it was super well organized and usually neat. It was like living on a boat - a place for everything and everything in its place. The new apartment is at least double teh square footage, and yet there is just no organization emerging. It's TOO much space, and I'm finding I need storage furniture to deal with the junk.

5. Working in education, I've always had the bins/bags "kit" system for different projects. With no storage, I'd use only the totes and get some pegboards to hang them from, like Elsa says.

This: But my best organizational tools are planning, a checklist, and doing one task at a time.

Yeah. My problem is that I suspect that my brain isn't functioning as it should right now. I feel like the information I need in order to plan is hiding and just beyond my reach. As if it were a difficult-to-read captcha or audio at a frequency my ears screen out. I'm going to the doctor next week. I'll make sure to mention this.

YES, landing pad! Very necessary. I also try to limit what I take with me -- only a wallet (very small for a female, I'm told), keys and iPhone.

I definitely agree with the "a place for everything and everything in its place" approach. Not having "homes" for things drives me crazy. (Not that I didn't say that messiness drives me crazy :P) If you have things that don't have homes, you should probably figure out why you have them in the first place.

Bins are okay, but with some things I think it's better to just let them be visible. My yarn, for example. I used to keep it in a drawer, and I'd forget what I had. Even open-topped bins are better than that. Having them piled on a shelf made my living room look a bit like a yarn store, but it also kept me mindful of how I was using yarn and how messy I was getting with partial balls, unused skeins, etc. If you have bins, make sure that what's inside them is easily visible or remembered.

This article helped me realize that just having a single notebook is one of the easiest ways to keep things in the same place. It doesn't matter if they're all mixed together; in fact, that might even be better, because the process of possibly typing the notes into a document or e-mail can aid in remembering and refining your thoughts.

Same for a whiteboard. If I don't have a to-do list sitting right in front of me, it doesn't exist. (Of course, now I ignore the white board, but I do look at it occasionally!)

I can't say enough about my iPhone. I've never been able to use any kind of DayTimer or PDA, but having things right there, integrated into something that I already use and have with me... wow. It's the best.

This tip has nothing to do with workflow or anything, but it is an organization technique that saves time and simplifies things. I learned it from a busboy at my first restaurant job.

Toss several trashcan liners into the bottom of the trashcan. Then when you empty the trash, there's a new bag sitting right there ready for use. Save a trip!

Google/Android keeps almost all of my stuff. My mail, tasks, contacts, documents and calendar are all kept there so I almost never carry anything but my phone. I need to look into some kind of remote lock/wipe thing in case I lose it.

For the "Where am I supposed to be, when?" organizational stuff, I love my PalmPilot. I've always been good about keeping paper calendars, so I didn't think I'd want to switch to electronic, but it's been a life-saver. And I like that it's separate from my phone, though I'm not sure why I like that. I suspect it's a personal/professional life split.

For actual stuff organizational stuff, my number one tip is getting rid of stuff you don't need. Less stuff in general means less stuff to organize.

Beyond that, I'm working on a theory (based solely on my and ikkyu2's organizational tendencies and computer preferences) that there are Windows-organization types, and Mac-organization types. Windows-organization types like everything grouped by category; all the similar widgets go in the same place so that when one needs a widget, one simply has to go to the widget drawer. Mac-organization types like everything organized by frequency of use; similar widgets may need to be in several different places so that when one immediately needs a widget, a widget is close at hand.

Maybe it's more like Category-Based Organizers and Project-Based Organizers?

I suspect that once one figures out what type one is, it makes organization easier (and makes it easier to figure out what organizational tips to adopt and which to ignore), but I've not yet really figured out what to do in a mixed household, so tips on that would be welcome.

The mister puts all of my doctor appointments in his phone as the appointment is set. He sets some sort of reminder beeping thing for the day before and one for when we have to leave the house. I have lots of appts. and it's the only way to keep on top of them.

Remember the Milk + phone with internet = knowing what things I need if I happen to stop by, for example, the grocery store

I use the same system deborah's husband uses for dr appts for all future-occurring events. When I pay the insurance bill I add a reminder on my phone to nudge me a week before the next one is due. My electric bill is on auto-pay but I have my phone remind me to check my bank balance a few days before it's due, in case $ needs to be transferred to that account. I work at a college and when the school schedule comes out I enter all the pertinent dates into my calendar, for the inevitable "which week is finals?" question that will come up in a meeting. My closet is a straight-up mess but my calendar is pretty much under control.

Also, I keep a notebook in my purse for lists of all kinds. For some reason a running grocery list is easier for me to deal with on paper than electronically.

Another thing, I keep gift lists on Amazon. I was forever buying crap gifts because I'd forget where I saw that perfect gift for someone. Now when someone says "Oh I just LOVE that" I dash to Amazon and add it to their gift list or add a note to their gift list, QUICK before I forget!