Organization is Key

One of the important things to keep in mind when you are working with limited space is that there must be a place for everything and its always best to keep everything in its place.

An image comes to my mind of a trauma nurse in the middle of an active trauma situation. There are two doctors looking over the patient and asking for this drug, or that piece of equipment. There is the phlebotomist drawing blood, and an X-ray tech taking x-ray pictures of the injuries. The emergency technician is calling out the patient’s blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and heart rate. 

During all this craziness, the experienced trauma nurse has a limited amount of space to work with and many things to think about and react to. He or she needs to know where the drugs and equipment are located without having to think about it. Not only so the nurse can get the item when the doctor asks for it, but the nurse must be able to explain the location to someone else as well. The trauma rooms are small and its not always possible to move around easily.

I volunteered in the hospital for several years and in that time we were reminded over and over that we should NEVER move anything in the trauma room, unless specifically instructed, because the nurse knew exactly where everything was, allowing him or her to do the job most effectively. On several occasions, I was asked to get something from the trauma room and the trauma nurse was able to tell me exactly where I could find it. Amazing!

We need to organize our small tack room, or other ranch supplies, in this manner so we can find what we want or, if we are holding a horse, we can tell someone else where to find the item.

When you sit down at a computer, you probably reach for the mouse or trackpad to navigate. Do you even have to look down to find it? 

A great time to think about organizing is when you plan to buy something new. Do you need a new bridle, halter, saddle pad, or helmet? Think about where you will keep it and why that is the best place. If you are buying a new bridle, it probably makes sense to hang it with the other bridles. Have a look at your bridle collection and be sure you need the new one. Maybe what you really need is a new halter because your young horse will soon grow out of the current one.

This isn’t to say that you can’t buy a bridle for the fun of it, or because its pretty, but with limited space you want to think about what you really want so you save room for that item.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on organizing your tack room or other ranch supplies, so please comment below!