Organizing Your CDs
Okay, I want you to be truthful. Do you have a stack of CDs somewhere that have not been properly returned to their cases?
For years I had a neat row of CD cases lining the shelf. I even had the shelves labeled of where the different categories of CDs belonged. In front of the neatly placed empty cases was a stack of CDs four inches high. The CDs were out of their cases and piled on top of each other. They were waiting for someone to match them up with their cases and put them on the shelf where they really belonged.
Does that sound familiar?
Here is a suggestion that will eliminate that problem entirely. Get rid of the cases they came in. Throw them away. Buy slim jewel cases with clear fronts. Buy them in bulk. Put every CD in a clear slim jewel case. The top of each CD is usually labeled, and when inserted properly the label is displayed in the front cover of the clear jewel case. If they are not labeled, use a marker to identify the CD by writing on the top of the CD.
Buy CD organizers that organize the CDs so they are front facing. The CD organizers look like an empty box with no dividers of any kind. You simply set your CDs in them so the front of the jewel case is facing you. You put 20+ CDs in front of each other.
You need to watch the measurements of these CD organizers. Make sure they will be a proper fit with the shelves you are going to put them on. Get enough of these CD organizers that you have one for each type or category of CDs. For example you may have a different organizer for rock and roll, country, jazz, books on CD, talk tapes, etc. Label the organizers according to the category of CDs they hold. Get one extra organizer to hold empty slim jewel cases. Label the empty jewel case organizer "Empty Cases."
Insert all of the CDs into the clear jewel cases so the label on the top of the CD is displayed in the front of the jewel case. Put all your country western music CDs in the organizer labeled "Country." Put them in so they are all facing the front. Put all the rock and roll music CDs in the organizer labeled "Rock & Roll." Continue this process until all of your CDs have a home in one of the organizers. Keep 10-20 empty cases in the "Empty Cases" organizer.
It is important that each CD organizer is only about 80% full. You need to leave enough space in each organizer that you can flip each individual CD forward and see the label of the CD behind it. If your organizers are too full you have two options. Get rid of enough of the CDs until you obtain a proper fit or get another organizer for that category.
Give the organizers a home on a shelf or space that is below eye level. You need to be able to look down at them in order to get a full view of the labels. They should be located within arms reach of the CD player. Label the organizers. Place matching labels on the shelves where each organizer is to be stored. That way the same organizer gets put back in the exact same place every time. Now every member of the family can go on automatic pilot. They can know where the different categories can be found without looking for them.
Here is the "Putting Away" Process...
You eject a CD from the CD player. You no longer need to find the correct case to put it away properly. All cases are exactly the same. You pull an empty jewel case out of the "Empty Cases" organizer and insert your CD into the jewel case. You set the jewel case which now has the CD in it into the organizer holding its category. If it's country music you put it in the front of the "Country" organizer. If it's rock you put it in the front of the "Rock & Roll" organizer. You do not put the CDs in any order. You just set them in the front of the organizer its category belongs in. Be sure they are facing the front.
Here is the "Getting Them Out" Process...
You approach your CD organizers. You go to the organizer holding the category of music you want to listen to. You start at the front and flip through the CDs flipping each jewel case forward as you go. All the cases are facing the front so you can easily read the labels of each CD. You find the CD you want. You take it out of the jewel case. You put the empty jewel case in the front of the "Empty Cases" organizer. You insert the CD into the CD player. You enjoy your music.
This system insists on a proper fit, stores items at the place they are first used, makes it easier to put it away than it is to get it out, eliminates extra motions in the putting away process, and uses labels properly. It will minimize the clutter and the maintenance.
You can use this method with computer CDs, DVDs, audio CDs and more. If you treasure the inserts that came with your CDs, file them in your reference file.
When you obtain new CDs simply transfer the CD to one of the empty cases that is in your "Empty Cases" organizer. Drop it into the correct category organizer. Throw out the old CD case and the insert. If you must keep the insert, file it in your reference file.
For years I had a neat row of CD cases lining the shelf. I even had the shelves labeled of where the different categories of CDs belonged. In front of the neatly placed empty cases was a stack of CDs four inches high. The CDs were out of their cases and piled on top of each other. They were waiting for someone to match them up with their cases and put them on the shelf where they really belonged.
Does that sound familiar?
Here is a suggestion that will eliminate that problem entirely. Get rid of the cases they came in. Throw them away. Buy slim jewel cases with clear fronts. Buy them in bulk. Put every CD in a clear slim jewel case. The top of each CD is usually labeled, and when inserted properly the label is displayed in the front cover of the clear jewel case. If they are not labeled, use a marker to identify the CD by writing on the top of the CD.
Buy CD organizers that organize the CDs so they are front facing. The CD organizers look like an empty box with no dividers of any kind. You simply set your CDs in them so the front of the jewel case is facing you. You put 20+ CDs in front of each other.
You need to watch the measurements of these CD organizers. Make sure they will be a proper fit with the shelves you are going to put them on. Get enough of these CD organizers that you have one for each type or category of CDs. For example you may have a different organizer for rock and roll, country, jazz, books on CD, talk tapes, etc. Label the organizers according to the category of CDs they hold. Get one extra organizer to hold empty slim jewel cases. Label the empty jewel case organizer "Empty Cases."
Insert all of the CDs into the clear jewel cases so the label on the top of the CD is displayed in the front of the jewel case. Put all your country western music CDs in the organizer labeled "Country." Put them in so they are all facing the front. Put all the rock and roll music CDs in the organizer labeled "Rock & Roll." Continue this process until all of your CDs have a home in one of the organizers. Keep 10-20 empty cases in the "Empty Cases" organizer.
It is important that each CD organizer is only about 80% full. You need to leave enough space in each organizer that you can flip each individual CD forward and see the label of the CD behind it. If your organizers are too full you have two options. Get rid of enough of the CDs until you obtain a proper fit or get another organizer for that category.
Give the organizers a home on a shelf or space that is below eye level. You need to be able to look down at them in order to get a full view of the labels. They should be located within arms reach of the CD player. Label the organizers. Place matching labels on the shelves where each organizer is to be stored. That way the same organizer gets put back in the exact same place every time. Now every member of the family can go on automatic pilot. They can know where the different categories can be found without looking for them.
Here is the "Putting Away" Process...
You eject a CD from the CD player. You no longer need to find the correct case to put it away properly. All cases are exactly the same. You pull an empty jewel case out of the "Empty Cases" organizer and insert your CD into the jewel case. You set the jewel case which now has the CD in it into the organizer holding its category. If it's country music you put it in the front of the "Country" organizer. If it's rock you put it in the front of the "Rock & Roll" organizer. You do not put the CDs in any order. You just set them in the front of the organizer its category belongs in. Be sure they are facing the front.
Here is the "Getting Them Out" Process...
You approach your CD organizers. You go to the organizer holding the category of music you want to listen to. You start at the front and flip through the CDs flipping each jewel case forward as you go. All the cases are facing the front so you can easily read the labels of each CD. You find the CD you want. You take it out of the jewel case. You put the empty jewel case in the front of the "Empty Cases" organizer. You insert the CD into the CD player. You enjoy your music.
This system insists on a proper fit, stores items at the place they are first used, makes it easier to put it away than it is to get it out, eliminates extra motions in the putting away process, and uses labels properly. It will minimize the clutter and the maintenance.
You can use this method with computer CDs, DVDs, audio CDs and more. If you treasure the inserts that came with your CDs, file them in your reference file.
When you obtain new CDs simply transfer the CD to one of the empty cases that is in your "Empty Cases" organizer. Drop it into the correct category organizer. Throw out the old CD case and the insert. If you must keep the insert, file it in your reference file.
posted by Christi Youd at
5:04 PM
