Date Everything Guide

Go to your fridge right now. Find the oldest-looking container. If it has no date, throw it away. If it has a date more than 6 days ago, throw it away. Then, label the rest. Welcome to the organized side of life.

We all think we remember when we opened that jar of pasta sauce. We don't. Write the opening date on the lid. Do the same for spice jars. (Yes, paprika expires. It doesn't go bad, but it loses its spirit. Date when you opened it; after six months, refresh it.) date everything

We all have half-filled Moleskines. Open the cover. Write "Started: March 12, 2025 - Paris trip" and "Ended: April 30, 2025." When your grandkids find these, a date turns a random notebook into a historical document. Go to your fridge right now

Write the initialization date on the drive label. "Started 01/2022." If the drive is spinning in 2027, you know it is a ticking time bomb. Replace it preemptively. Part 4: Date Everything in Personal Archives (Legacy) This is the emotional heart of the habit. If it has a date more than 6 days ago, throw it away

In a world obsessed with minimalism, decluttering, and "living in the moment," the concept of dating everything might sound tedious, obsessive, or even neurotic. After all, why scribble a tiny month and year on a box of baking soda when you can just toss it? Why write the date on the back of a family photo when it is saved in "the cloud"?

Your water heater has a serial number that encodes a manufacture date, but you won't decode it during an emergency. When you move into a house, take a silver Sharpie and write the date on the side of the furnace, the AC condenser, and the water heater. "Installed 06/2018." Now you know you have two years left before proactive replacement.