Label Twice, Find it First

“Measure twice, cut once.” I’m not sure where this phrase originated, but I remember seeing it on a coffee mug from the PBS show, This Old House. The idea is sound: measure whatever you are cutting twice, to be sure you have it right, before you cut it.

While working on organizing my own basement with my husband, I thought of a twist on the phrase: “Label twice, find it first.” By this I mean: label your container on at least two sides, and you’ll find it easily.

My husband uses clear, plastic containers, of the same size, for storage in the basement. The containers are arranged nicely in one area of the basement, but I couldn’t always figure out what went in each box. My husband said, “but the containers are labeled.”

Yes they were, but the containers were often put back into place without the label facing out. I decided to label both sides so no matter which way the container was put back, the label would be clearly visible.

Thus my advice, “Label twice, find it first.”