In my previous post, I mentioned moving my cell phone charger to the same area as all of my daily pocket items. That inspired me to write this article about centralizing related items. This may be an extremely basic, even common-sense tip, but nonetheless, I believe that if you think about it consciously, you can probably apply it positively to an aspect of your life.

Any items that pertain to a certain category should be kept together. Items that are strongly related, such as digital camera and memory cards, should be stored closely, so  you can access it easier, and you never forget where it is. This also applies to categories themselves that are related. For example, I keep my digital camera equipment near my battery box & charging station. I mainly use my NiMH batteries for camera, so it only really makes sense to store them together. Here are a couple “hubs” that you could form by gathering related items.
 

1. Daily items. As I mentioned before, it is always good to keep all your daily items together. Wallet, cell phone, keys, breath mints, and anything else that you regularly take when you walk out the door. When you have all of this centralized, you will never be scrambling at the last minute to find your keys or wallet.

2. Batteries, and battery-power items. If you have any battery-hungry items such as a digital camera, mp3 player, or even a portable game system, you should keep them all near the batteries.

3. Computer cords. Keep all your computer-related cords in one place. That way when you need them (probably often), you know exactly where to go. This may be a very simple concept, but I myself kept my cords in different places, until I got fed up with misplacing cords when I needed them most.

4. Items that need charging. Another good hub idea is keeping all your charging devices in one area. It’s a great way to stop forgetting to plug in your cell phone, etc. This may interfere with another hub though, so be aware, and make adjustments as needed.

How you make adjustments is really personal to you. The whole point of centralizing related objects would be to make your day slightly more efficient. Thus, it relies entirely on your lifestyle, so you need to custom-tailor the technique to fit you.