Every tool has its place – shop tools that is, and I suppose figuratively-speaking as well. It’s incredibly frustrating to search for a particular tool when you have a job to do. I put this in the same realm of missing keys while the phone’s ringing and the dog’s barking up a storm.

Between people borrowing your pliers or wrenches, you should always know where your tools are located, instead of frantically searching for something that was borrowed last year. It’s easy to toss a tool to the side when you’re done with a project. It’s easy to accidentally leave behind tools at a customer’s home—and by the grace of all appliances, they call back telling you your tools are sitting on their kitchen counter.

By organizing tools to have a specific place in your garage, workshop, toolbox, or tool chest, you’ll keep track of where your things are, and keep your tools in better shape.

The secret to finding tool organization is all in the layered foam…and it’s a project you can do yourself rather inexpensively.

The layered foam liners from LeeValley are made out of resilient closed-cell foam, which is perfect for resisting vibration and impact. Since the foam is heat-fused, it’s simple to grab yourself out a marker, trace around your tools, and use a utility knife to peel away the foam.

By creating your own custom insets, you ultimately decide how deep or shallow you want the foam to fit around your tools.

Workshop (Lifehacker's blog) found a video from YouTuber Nick Sek who shows you how to cut a custom tool chest liner for your drawer and carving insets for your tools.

He goes through the process of fitting the foam the perfect size for his stationary tool chest, offering helpful tips. When initially cutting the foam for your drawer, periodically test the foam in between cuts to make you have the best fit.

The toughest part about all of this? Figuring out the configuration of your tools for the insets. Sek recommends using a whiteboard marker to reduce stains and smudges when tracing and cutting around your tools—a tip to keep things looking good if you make a mistake.

As one YouTube commenter pointed out, if you live in an area with a lot of moisture, pop a couple of silica gel packs in drawer. This will help keep your tools fresh and absorb any moisture-causing problems.

It’s not too much of an intense project to take on and rather simple. The key to organization is actually doing it and sticking with a system that works for you.

While you’re at it, you could probably even rig something up for your truck bed drawers. By having a place for your tools to go, you'll be more efficient to get the job done instead of wasting time hunting for lost tools in a black hole.

How do you organize your tools?