[[Notes]] - Topics: [[Organization]] - People: [[Adam Savage]] - Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPlWUFxXFGs --- ## Summary - The purpose of organizing reference materials before work is to understand the scope of the work; to maximize the amount of information your brain can hold during the project. - The purpose of organizing and archiving material is so that you can find it and make use of it again. - [[Reference material is most useful when it is visible and readily available]]. - Avoid over organization during the initial gathering of ideas, information and resources. - [[Organized as you gather. Tidy as you go.]] - Understand your workflow. Understand what matters to you. Adjust the level of aesthetics to match without ever compromising functionality. ## Notes ### Reference material - It's important to have reference material both **together and visible** when beginning work. - Spread reference material out to create a visual collage of ideas and instructions. - When the work is completed, date, organize, and archive your reference materials in storage if you choose to keep it. - Make sure you're really able to see everything. - [[Reference material is most useful when it is visible and readily available]]. It is not useful if you cannot reference it in any form. - (Digital reference material). "In the beginning of the project, there's no organization. There's simply a folder." - "When I become obsessed with a thing I start doing two things. I gather images of it and I gather information about it." ### Workflow - "I don't like using my laptop for reference in the shop." - "Hardened steel next to the screen of my computer? That's idiotic! I shouldn't be doing that." - A laptop or other digital devices may not be appropriate for your working environment. - Print stuff out instead, ideally at a 1:1 scale. - Print out all the stuff you know you'll need and the stuff you think you'll need. - Adam uses Adobe Bridge to organize his digital files is syncs with Mac OS finder. - "The the information about a project I, use Evernote" ### Organization - Avoid the pre-optimization of organizing during the beginning stages of gathering references and ideas. - [[Organized as you gather. Tidy as you go.]] - [[Optimize for data preservation. Avoid losing things from disorganization or from data corruption.]] - [[You must be the best archivist of yourself]]. - After gathering, start refining. - (Organization) "I'm helping my brain hold the **totality** of the build all at once". - The purpose of organizing reference material before and during work is to maximize the amount of information your brain can hold. - Afterwards, organizing and archiving enables you to find the information again. - Enthusiast and experts are "attuned to the tiny little increments of differences". - Organization extends to the placement of your immediate working tools. ### Form vs. function - "[[The setup of my mill is like a fighter pilot's cockpit. Everything I need, the first order of retrievability, is within quick grasp.]]" - It's important to pay attention to the aesthetics of organization in addition to its functionality. - "[[If it's neat to look at, I'll use it more.]]" - Depending on your preference, you may be completely unromantic about the aesthetics of your tool organization. Either way, your organizational methods from reference materials to tooling should work to functionally serve you, and the people who may need to use them. - "[[I'm going to be less inclined to pull something out of an ugly box than a beautiful box]]." - "I've certainly done things that were neat looking and then later on, I was like, 'man, I got to stop suffering through this because it looks great, but it doesn't behave right'... Then I'll change it". ## Original ![[Tips for organizing reference materials - Ask Adam Savage-1.jpg]] ![[Tips for organizing reference materials - Ask Adam Savage-2.jpg]] ![[Tips for organizing reference materials - Ask Adam Savage-3.jpg]]