I have organized my collection several times, either because one of my kids has dumped it, or I did not like the way I had organized previously. I have used several systems and storage containers, but the system I use now (binders) is the easiest for me when I am making decks. I can grab the few I need, take them in to the living room, and get busy. It can be a pain putting a lot of cards away, but there are a lot of ways to make this easier.

First of all I have 20, colored-coded, 3" binders (two for each color) with the colors corresponding to the color of cards in them. I also have 3" binders for each other type (artifact+Colorless, gold/multicolored). For each color (or binder as the case may be) I have most of my common and uncommon cards (intermixed) sorted by card type (Instants, Sorcery, Enchantment, Creatures), and then alphabetically. I put up to 4 cards in each pocket, and some cards I use in a lot of decks will have 3-4 pockets. If I have more than 4 of a card, and I am not likely to need multiple playsets of that card I will set them aside to glue proxy's to, or give away to new players.

The exceptions to the above are artifacts (colored and colorless) and colorless non-artifacts. Eldrazi threw my system for a loop and so far I just sort them in with the artifact creatures or artifacts (for colorless instants or sorceries).

Then I have my rare binders. These are two binders that can be zipped closed, with most of my rares not currently in decks and and not from the last two sets, that are simply sorted by color (,multi-color,artifact) then alphabetically. The lands are in another 1.5" zipper binder simply sorted by alphabetical order, with full art lands in the back sorted by color.

The final binders are three more 1.5" zipper binders that I keep my constructed staples (and my proxies that I am likely to need again), and one 2" binder for tha two most current sets. I frequently will go through the staples binders and down-grade cards from constructed staples to make room, putting the removed cards in their corresponding binders. Because I consider these staples I am less likely to trade these, but their frequency of use and sometimes value of the cards included makes in important that I can zip these closed. The Current binder is the only one I have that is sorted by collector's number, and in it there is one pocket designated for each number (with numbers on the pockets), and can hold the last three sets. I did this because I found myself having to update my other binders frequently with the last set, and I do not find organizing my whole collection by collector's number to be all that useful. By having a permanent pocket for each card in the set I never have to do anything more than slide the card in it's spot, and I can tell easily what I need more of, and what I can pass on to others. If I could find a 3" zipper closed binder that I liked I would unclude the entire current block in there, but so far no-go.

I also have a small trade binder, but I don't trade often so most of the time I do not keep it maintained.

Lastly I have a milk crate full of fatpack boxes, a couple of Archive quality photo boxes, and a few deck builders tool kit boxes. The archive boxes have been sectioned off with cardboard in to rows (one box has two rows wide enough for sleeved cards, the other 3 rows unsleeved). All of these are unsorted cards (seperated by color) that I have not put away yet, my overflow non-basic lands, snow covered basics, and basic lands (sorted by art and color).

In addition to the unsorted cards in boxes, I also have my less frequently used proxies, my decks (see Common Threads Series: Deck box for more details), and my tokens and counters. The tokens an counters I sort by color and alphabetically, and I sleeve them. Why do I sleeve worthless tokens? Because then they are less likely to get shuffled in to one of my decks at the end of the game- especially since they are frequently not the same kind of sleeve as the deck.

It was a lot of work organizing them the last time, but I enjoyed it. I would just do it in front of the TV at night and soon everything was in it's place. Now when I build a deck I just grab the binders I need and start building. If I take a deck apart or get new (non-rare) cards they might sit in unsorted, but soon get put away.