Do it now or pay later. Tips to organizing movie collections.

Whether the collection is just a few DVDs or a Vidiot collection of several hundred, start organizing with the first movie. This will save the "where is that movie? It was right here yesterday" adventure of going through them all. The bigger the collection the easier it is to lose one in the rest of the bunch. This article will help get started or at least thinking in the right direction.

Decide whether the collection will be organized by genre, alphabetically or simply by number. The decision to use these or some other category would be up to the owner.

Some blank 3X5 inch cards will come in handy for the next step. Just write the needed information on the cards. Then place the cards on the floor to keep the movies separated later on.

• Genre: western, drama, family, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, erotica, action, adventure and many more. Again the decision will be up to the owner. Just be sure to think of as many categories as may be needed now instead of later.

• Alphabetical order is self explanatory. When putting the DVDs on the shelf, in a box or on that big stack over there in the corner leave at least 5-10 case widths of space for new additions to the collection. A good way to burn up an afternoon is moving anything after the new addition over one space to the right.

• The simple number method is just that. Label the 3X5 cards in groups of ten. 1-10, 11-20, 21-30 and the sequence goes on. Use a notebook or pad of some sort to match the movie to the number. Don't lose the notebook or another way to burn up an afternoon has been discovered. This is the easiest and quickest method. The drawback is the same as the alphabetical order method. Make sure room is left for expansion.

• A software designed for collecting DVDs is highly recommended. One of the best is at http://www.Collectorz.com/movie/. It has everything possible for any movie collector. There are also several very nice programs for collectors young and old on many of the freeware sites. The methods of categorizing is entirely up to the collector. Just stay consistent and everything will work out fine.

The large collection can be of great entertainment. Having to find a specific DVD that is lost in the masses tends to break the mood for that movie. So avoid the embarrassment of spending more time looking for a DVD than entertainment time with the family, girlfriend, dog or whomever.

Organize first.