Okay, friend. Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about one of the most frustrating problems on the planet: trying to keep track of your things when they’re scattered across multiple storage units, offices, or properties.

I feel your pain. Deeply.

Before I was in the storage business, I helped run a family business. We had inventory in a warehouse downtown, archives in a unit by the old train station, and seasonal decorations crammed into a leaky shed. It was a disaster. I’ll never forget the Tuesday I spent four hours driving between locations looking for a single box of tax documents. Four hours! I almost lost my mind.

So, trust me when I say, I get it. The system you’re about to read isn’t from a textbook. It’s what we built out of pure desperation, and it’s what I now preach to all our customers. It works.

Step One: The Brutal Toss-Up

You can’t organize a mess. You can only shuffle it around. The very first thing you have to do is get mean with your stuff.

Go to your most packed storage unit. Look at it. Now, here’s the only question that matters: “Have I used this, or even thought about it, in the last year?”

If the answer is “no,” you have two choices:

1. Throw it away.
2. Donate it.

That “maybe” pile is a liar. It’s where good intentions go to die. Be ruthless. I once held onto three broken office chairs for “spare parts” for two years. I never used a single part. I just paid rent on them. It was dumb.

Do this purge at every location. It’s the hardest part, but I swear, it’s like losing 100 pounds of mental weight.

Your New Best Friend: The Dumb List

Forget complex software. You need a list. A simple, dumb, glorious list.

I use a Google Doc on my phone. For every single box I own, the list says:

• What’s inside: Not “Mom’s stuff.” Try “Mom’s good china, the blue-flowered set with 8 plates.”
• Where it lives: “Northside Unit #7C, on the left, bottom stack, box #2.”
• When it moved in: “March 2023.”

That’s it. That’s the whole system.

The magic happens when you’re at your other location and get a call. “Where are the extra marketing flyers?” Instead of a panic attack, you pull out your phone, check the list, and say, “They’re in the back of the Clayton Street unit, box #4.” It takes ten seconds. You feel like a wizard.

Make Everything Look the Same

If you have other people grabbing stuff for you, this is non-negotiable. Chaos happens when everyone has their own method.

• Use the same type of box. Same size, same brand. They stack neatly and don’t fall over.
• Become a labeling maniac. I use a fat black Sharpie. I write the contents on the top and on the side. No exceptions.
• Color-code with tape. This is my favorite trick. A roll of colored duct tape is cheap. Blue tape = office supplies. Red tape = important files. Green tape = holiday decor. You can spot a red-tape box from across a crowded unit. It’s a lifesaver.

Picking the Right “Home” For Your Things

This part is crucial. Not all storage is the same.

Ask yourself:

• Would this be ruined by sweat or shivers? If you’re storing paper files, photo albums, wooden furniture, or anything you care about, a standard unit that gets hot and damp will destroy it. You need climate control. It’s not a fancy upgrade; it’s a necessity. I learned this after a humid summer warped an entire set of wooden shelves.
• Is this place safe? Does it feel sketchy? If your gut says “no,” listen to it. You need good lighting, a solid lock, and a manager who answers the phone.

This is the entire reason we built our storage business the way we did. We were tired of dark, damp, creepy units. We wanted a place where we’d feel happy storing our own family’s things. Clean, bright, secure, and climate-controlled where it matters. When you use one of our units, at any of our locations, you’re getting that same peace of mind. We treat your stuff like it’s our own, because we know what it’s like to not have that.

Don’t Let It Rot

A system like this isn’t “set it and forget it.” It’s a living thing. Twice a year—I do it when the time changes in spring and fall—I do a quick walk-through of my units. I check the list. I see if there’s anything I’m ready to let go of now. It takes 20 minutes, and it keeps the whole thing from collapsing back into chaos.

Look, managing storage across multiple spots will never be your favorite hobby. But it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. With a little brutal honesty and a simple list, you can go from frustrated to fully in control.

Now, go be ruthless with that “maybe” pile. You can do this. And if you need a clean, safe, and predictable spot for your things, you know who to call. We’re here to help.