VO Studio Organization: Hooks Are Better Than Shelves – Tuesday Tech Tip

Every once in a while, you have a silly, simple thought which you can’t shake. 

Recently, I found myself staring up to the right of my editing desk, musing that hooks are better than shelves.

Profound metaphor? Or one of those things which only seemed clever at the time? 

Maybe.

On the wall above my studio desk is a set of robust hooks. They are actually, to be quite specific, bicycle storage hooks. In a previous iteration of that room, two bikes used to live there, neatly hung behind a closet door. When I built out the studio space, the bikes got moved but the hooks remained. 

I meant to take them down, but found it an easy place to stow a ready-to-go backpack for remote recording and gigs. That bulging pack tended to be visually distracting, so it got moved out of sight. 

Within a few months, the hooks held very specific items. A hierarchy evolved – the short XLR cable needed for Zoom calls at center front, ready to be snatched and connected for immediate use. Below and pushed back a bit are the three USB cords which I need only occasionally. And therein lies the benefit.

Compare that to a horizontal surface which sits nearby. A stack of folders, mail, and notes seem to constantly take root there. It could be a living organism – reacting to the environment, absorbing nutrients and continuing to grow in ways which I could not have expected. 

After a couple days on its own, the stack demands an archeological project just to remind myself what is there. 

Inefficiency and that nagging feeling that there’s something you’ve missed can easily drag down any project with its sudden lack of momentum. 

That idea of the hooks – with every single thing having a place where it lives – seems a tantalizing fix.  Reach for what you need. It’s right there. On to the next thing. 

A stack of stuff looks deceptively organized. But it’s not. It becomes a taller stack and soon requires more attention than it should. 

It’s these little interruptions to the workflow which I find most deadly. Maybe this is obvious to everyone and it’s just taken me longer to realize it.

All of which gets back to a core thought I’ve held – keep the creative space simple. I’m not talking about the inspirational items which may adorn your walls or shelves, rather those items which can easily cause friction in the process. 

With a stack of stuff laying on a shelf, the more apt I am to get involved sorting it. Or worse, I start drawing long and far-reaching conclusions about my ultimate self-worth because I didn’t file an invoice or left a less-important task undone. None of which helps me get work out the door. 

A hook remains wonderfully binary. Something is either hanging there or it isn’t. I either need it or I don’t. 

As in any good shop or workspace, the tools you reach for frequently are a good place to start. 

It’s the same idea with keyboard equivalents. Typically no single change will result in a massive improvement (though this simple difference created a notable benefit). Instead efficiency comes from consistent refinement.

We’re often working against deadlines, so it can be tough to take the time to fix those things. If we can remain aware and recognize when the immediate environment actively works against our flow. 

Make a quick note of the impediment. Then polish that point in your process when you have the time. 
Then look up months later and realize the improvements.

Each week, I send a “Tuesday Tech Tip” to my email community. It includes technical tricks I’ve come across, refinements for voiceover workflow, and insights gained as a working voice actor and VO technical audio consultant. If you would like to receive these as soon as they come out, please take a moment to sign up here. Thank you.