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So, I just got home from school for the weekend, and after LVO and Christmas my bedroom is overflowing with unpaint/halfbuilt/abandoned projects.
I need help guys, Im not gonna buy anything for alot time. But I my spending cought up with me. I have too much stuff left over from previous years I never got around to.
I need to know how others orginize their stuff.

Finish the unfinished.
Sell the unwanted.
Paint the unpainted.

Start a blog - track your progress through it and get motivation from it.

Get some sturdy boxes,

Pack stuff into boxes looking at it as you do so

(you may well be inspired to finish some of it or sell/dump/trade other bits)

stick boxed in cupboard/under bed/etc

start whole cycle again

Get tall bookshelf cabinets. Make use of the unused space. They'll no longer be a massive overflow then.

Or as said just get rid of it if you no forseeable future with old models.

If you have old bits on sprue from finished projects, snip them and sort them into bits boxes. Even if you don’t do a full sort, ziplocks or just dumped into a box will save you a massive amount of space.

Blog to help keep to focused and motivated. It’s not the only way, but it works for a lot of people. There is a recent thread/comp over in the Painting section, Git 'er done painting comp all about clearing old projects off workbenches. Maybe a little camaraderie/competition would help.

My personal biggest problem with the hobby has always been the bits leftover from kits.... I am very loathe to just toss the bits out, so I've bought organizing boxes from Home Depot (their designed use is for small bits, like electrical connection ends, nails/screws/bolts, etc)

I have one for each army, which clears out the stacks of mostly empty sprues. Also, trying to make sure I have a transport case/foam trays, etc. for every model I have, keeps shelves and open spaces relatively clear.

That said, my hobby space is still not very well organized.

As others have said, get bits boxes, and only have in front of you what you're working on at the time. Organise your paints too, and when done with a colour put it back in its place so you don't get cluttered. Keep your space tidy and your motivation up.

I personally found extra motivation through painting lessons (not videos, but actual lessons).

I may need to take a cue from this advice myself. My hobby area (which is just a card table in my bedroom) is a total disaster area, with paints, tools, unfinished models, and boxes scattered around. I need to clean it up before I get lost in there...

Pretty much after every project, I tidy up my workspace

I'm not really a neat freak, but there's a practical element: if I let things get too far out of hand, I end up losing bits, or at least having them buried long enough that they're effectively lost. Plus, things like plastic shavings and paint dust from drybrush can contaminate other models.

 Talys wrote:
Pretty much after every project, I tidy up my workspace

I'm not really a neat freak, but there's a practical element: if I let things get too far out of hand, I end up losing bits, or at least having them buried long enough that they're effectively lost. Plus, things like plastic shavings and paint dust from drybrush can contaminate other models.

I have both a workbench and a paintbench, with a good bit of distance between them (different rooms). This keeps all the dust and debris from assembly, cleaning mold lines, filling, etc away from my paint. I’m lucky to have the space, but find it’s very nice.

Hotsauce, you're a student, right? That probably limits options a little bit.

I got a linen closet from Ikea and I keep everything in there. I basically have this closet plus a desk with unit combo that is my total hobby area. I have a rule that stuff that can't fit in both must be sold. The closet needs to be organised - right now everything is in a mix of KR cases or boxes. I want to get some plastic storage units for stuff and organise it a little better. Same with the desk.

Keeping a workspace clean helps you to keep working and finish things. Confine your stuff to just one area. I also do not buy very large models as I know storing them is going to be a nightmare - the biggest stuff I have is dragons and so on.

I go for the organized chaos approach.

 Da Boss wrote:
Hotsauce, you're a student, right? That probably limits options a little bit.

Yes, but that is less of a problem because
1: I only take the projects im working on to my school
2: im talking about my room at home
3: Graduating this year
Actually, I think this will all sort out lol, Im gonna be unemployed soon, so I wont be buying new models lol.

I keep my in use/interesting painted armies in my living room in display cabinets (I have 2 and they don't really take up that much space). Old projects/stuff I no longer use/stuff that will eventually get Ebayed lives in Gorilla boxes in the garage. I do my painting at a multipurpose desk in the living room with my paints/stores kept in a cardboard box which also doesn't take up much room and as I need to move stuff around regularly it ensures that things are kept tidy.

Bitz get stored in plastic takeaway tubs, which get stacked on a shelf over my painting table. Being clear, free and just another takeaway from more, they do for now.
Kits are piled on the shelf above that.
Paints are in a 3-tier MDF paint storage thing. Only 1 pot is open at any time, to keep things tidy.
Brushes and tools are in jam-jars, dotted around the table.
There's a big Ikea mat on the table, to keep the worst mess from ruining it too quickly.
Painted models, and others that are table-ready, are in KR cases piled up behind the chair. Part-painted models are piled up at the back though, It all falls apart around there.
Books and stuff like transfer sheets are on a bookshelf to one side.

So, shelves and tubs are the best bits for me. And KR cases.
All my hobby stuff is in half the 15'x10' room we have for general hobby things.

When I have a back log of things I keep a handful of projects on my desk at once, and work through one at a time until my desk is clear of projects. Then I tidy up my desk get it all clean and tidy and put a few more projects on and do the same again

The number one rule, never add a new project to the desk until you have finished them all

As for equipment and paints, I have my paints lined up infront of me, with my brushes in various stands and tools are in both drawers. All bits are stored in small plastic drawers and glue is next to the paint. basing stuff it in the shelf under my desk

My work bench is an Art Table I got for my birthday from Hobbycraft it's proven to be an excellent work station !

 Nevelon wrote:

 Talys wrote:
Pretty much after every project, I tidy up my workspace

I'm not really a neat freak, but there's a practical element: if I let things get too far out of hand, I end up losing bits, or at least having them buried long enough that they're effectively lost. Plus, things like plastic shavings and paint dust from drybrush can contaminate other models.

I have both a workbench and a paintbench, with a good bit of distance between them (different rooms). This keeps all the dust and debris from assembly, cleaning mold lines, filling, etc away from my paint. I’m lucky to have the space, but find it’s very nice.

I have a workbench and a paint bench too (though they're in the same room), but about all my work bench ends up being used for is drilling and piling up stuff that's ready to paint

In practice, my REAL prep bench is the family room coffee table in front of the TV during the winter and the patio table outside during the summer

Here's a picture of my main hobby nook (I do the volume airbrushing in another room, because it's impossible not to get a little overspray settling on other things) -

Talys, that is exactly how I imagined your work space. Literally identical to what I would have described.

Ps, very nice!

@JamesY - hahaha cool! Thanks!!

 Talys wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:

 Talys wrote:
Pretty much after every project, I tidy up my workspace

I'm not really a neat freak, but there's a practical element: if I let things get too far out of hand, I end up losing bits, or at least having them buried long enough that they're effectively lost. Plus, things like plastic shavings and paint dust from drybrush can contaminate other models.

I have both a workbench and a paintbench, with a good bit of distance between them (different rooms). This keeps all the dust and debris from assembly, cleaning mold lines, filling, etc away from my paint. I’m lucky to have the space, but find it’s very nice.

I have a workbench and a paint bench too (though they're in the same room), but about all my work bench ends up being used for is drilling and piling up stuff that's ready to paint

In practice, my REAL prep bench is the family room coffee table in front of the TV during the winter and the patio table outside during the summer

Here's a picture of my main hobby nook (I do the volume airbrushing in another room, because it's impossible not to get a little overspray settling on other things) -

Spoiler:

I’ve been known to outsource my mold line cleaning to a little rolling printer stand, rather then my workbench. I move it over next to my computer and play a turn based game like Civ V. Every time the computer takes it’s turn, I clean a bit. Makes an otherwise tedious process get done.

I’d like to have a neat and tidy space, but it never happens. Even if I clean everything up, within the week chaos has once again resumed ownership.

Your post has so many of my favorite things, Nevelon

Sid Meir's Civilization, drop pods, paint brushes, OGRE, photo setup, Master's brush cleaner, and spruuuuuuues!

Lol, I cant do that kinda space.

Talys wrote:Your post has so many of my favorite things, Nevelon

Sid Meir's Civilization, drop pods, paint brushes, OGRE, photo setup, Master's brush cleaner, and spruuuuuuues!

If it wasn’t for Civ, I’d never make it through a squad cleaning. On the down side, once I start a game, my week is basically shot for anything else. Just one more turn...
It’s an old pic, those pods have been done for a while now. And I hate the darn things!
I use an old test tube stand for my brushes, lets me grab the one I need without fuss
I should get back to painting more OGRE minis. The Boy is learning how to compare fractions in school, soon he’ll have the skills needed to use the CRT
The Wife got me the little photo tent. It folds up, lights and all, into something just a little bit bigger then one of the sides. For those looking to improve their photography, so we can see the work spent on the mini, it’s a great investment. Costs about $50 depending on the size.
Everyone should have a puck of brush cleaner. Brushes are expensive, it’s worth a little investment to get more life out of them.
Most of my sprues are hidden away, just a few are allowed to peak out at a time.

hotsauceman1 wrote:Lol, I cant do that kinda space.

One of the perks of mortgage payments: more space. Downside is less funds for minis. Back when I was in my first apartment I did all my painting on the desk shown with my photo setup on it. It shared that space with my computer. But I was young, single, and had my first real job with a real paycheck. I’m still working through the pile of shame I built up in those halcyon days.

Also, the downside to working in the basement. No natural light, and it’s about 55 degrees F down there right now. So it’s a quantity of space, but not the best quality.

lol. ain't that the truth, Nevelon One game of civ is a measurable fraction of my life, hahaha.

This is how I dry my brushes that matter -



That's actually the first one of those I made -- the one I have now has 4x as much brush density, and my brush ends are all coded

The brushes that don't matter (like drybrushes, flats, filberts, etc.) just go in pen cups or jars.

The first thing you should do is try to sort everything properly, and compact it as much as you can. You might be surprised how much you can compact things down, and how manageable they become. I used to have a lot of stuff and a lot of problems with mess. What I did was I bought a load of resealable bags, and a pack of 16 little boxes. My boxes are about 11 inches square, and 6 inches deep. They are big enough to fit all kinds of things inside, but small enough that they are easy to manage, easy to fill without leaving wasted space, and easy to store away in a cupboard or under a bed (anywhere). I managed to clear away a lot of clutter into those boxes: random memorabilia, family photographs, old power adapters and computer bits, CDs and SNES carts etc...

I spent about three days sorting out all my 40k stuff, cutting bits off sprues and sorting them into bags. I also put all my unpainted squads into bags, and even some painted stuff in singles (they're actually reasonable well protected in the bag). I managed to compact down shelves and shelves of 40k stuff into just three of those little boxes. For my sanity, I would say it is one of the best things I ever did. All the mess and the worry about how difficult it would be to pack up and move stuff, and how much space it was taking up... it was all a great source of anxiety for me. Now it's so easy to manage, I don't even think about it anymore.

Took some photos, so you can see what I'm talking about:

@Smacks - Yes!! Baggies are a great idea. When I lived in a condo, all my bits went into baggies, as I didn't have space for sorters and boxes.

Like you said, they do an amazing job of protecting models, too, as long as the models don't have wee pieces that would break off.

Actually that Baggie idea is brilliant I might just to that to clean up some clutter.

Otherwise GIVE UP! There is no hope! The pile will grow and grow so much so that one day you will be looking through boxes of blisters you purchased long ago and didn't even realize you actually had bought!

 Talys wrote:
Like you said, they do an amazing job of protecting models, too, as long as the models don't have wee pieces that would break off.

Actually, I have plenty of delicate stuff in baggies (marine sergeants with old school banner polls etc). I've had my stuff packed up this way for years now (including one change of address), and I've never had anything break.

I tend to put heavy stuff like metal squads in first so they aren't squashing other stuff, and anything delicate I will put in last so it's on the top (then I can also take it out first if I need to rummage through the box). With snappable bits I sometimes fill the bag with air, so the bag itself acts like a little protective bubble, other times I will remove air from the bag so that the bits inside can't move about as freely, it really depends on the miniatures and what seems safest. Those are the only precautions I take.

I do have one miniature, which is a 1989 Space Hulk terminator, who still has his banner poll intact (barely). I don't know if you are familiar with that model, but the banner polls were super thin and fragile, and they tended to snap off just from existing. With him, I took the extra precaution of securing him to a piece of card before bagging him up, but he is the only one, and so far as I know he's still doing fine. Though he is so fragile, I doubt he could ever be used in a game without the poll breaking off, so it might have to come off anyway sooner or later.

It's important to bear in mind that the stuff isn't being posted or carried around in a backpack like that. Most of the time it's just sat in the cupboard, and if it is moved I'm not going to shake it or turn it upside down, so there isn't much opportunity for the stuff inside to get broken. The bags limit things from moving/rattling and clinking, which is all that's needed really. Even when I moved house, it just sat in the back of a van for a few hours, got carried up some stairs, and that was it. Just like driving eggs home from the supermarket, they don't need to be packed in an inch of foam to survive the trip. For stuff that's normally just sitting around my house, barely moving, I don't think foam cases are really needed.

I've got lots of stuff stored in these:

http://www.bunnings.com.au/tactix-8-compartment-storage-box-organiser_p2581004

They take up a bit of space, but they stack nicely, are easily labelled (I have a label maker)and stuff in each compartment inside baggies is pretty much safe from any breakage.