Sort LEGO like a machine. By hand.

Batches, not pieces.

Don't pick up one brick and choose between 50 bins. Run the whole pile through one question at a time. Each pass splits it into a few groups. Then repeat on each group.

Never a 50-way decision. A 3-way decision, 5 times.

Your brain handles 3, not 50.

Deciding between 50 categories for every piece burns you out in minutes. Deciding between 3–5 groups is effortless — and you do it for the whole pile at once. Each pass is one level of a tree: the pile keeps splitting into smaller, more alike groups until each one is easy.

Stack easy passes instead of grinding one hard one.

Pull the easy stuff first.

• Non-LEGO (it's always in there)
• Trash, dust, paper — instructions get their own bag
• Minifigs & "treasures" → a treasure box
• Broken or chewed pieces

Fast, satisfying, and minifigs are the #1 thing people lose mid-sort.

Split on the most obvious difference first.

Each pass, pick the one question that splits the pile fastest with the least thinking. Usually size first (big / medium / small), then broad shape (bricks, plates, slopes, Technic, "weird stuff"). Keep every split to ~5 groups max.

Roughly right, fast. Hesitating 2+ seconds? Nearest group. Hesitation is the enemy.

Scoop and slide — don't pick with pride.

Sorting on a table? Don't pluck pieces one at a time. Spread the pile out, then use your fingers to scoop and slide — sweep what you don't want aside, slide what you're after into its group. A handful of pieces is slow to hold and easy to drop, and a dropped piece is double work.

It feels slow for the first minute. Then your hands take over.

Stop sooner than you think.

Go only as deep as your pile and your building need. Small collection → a few broad groups is plenty. Big collection → keep splitting common parts further.

For most building, stop at shape, not color — your eye finds a red 2×4 in a mixed bin instantly, but a gray plate in an all-gray bin is misery. Exception: big color-block MOC builders.

Sort deeper only when a group overflows, or your building needs it.

Cheap first. Upgrade later.

Don't buy a drawer system before you know your group sizes. Start cheap:

• Ziplock bags in one big bin (marker labels)
• Overflowing bag → small box
• Overflowing box → drawer

Let the collection tell you what storage it needs.

Never re-do this again.

One rule keeps a sorted collection sorted: the inbox bin. New LEGO, torn-down builds, floor sweepings — all land in one unsorted inbox. When it's full, run the passes on the inbox only. 20 minutes, done.

Sorting isn't a project. It's a system with a small recurring cost.