Grab 'N Go: An Organization Tactic That Makes You Faster on the Job

What Is the Grab 'n Go Tactic?

Grab 'N Go is a way of organizing at least a few of your tools and materials into job kits.

A job kit is a collection of tools and materials that can complete a particular type of job without requiring multiple visits to your work van or searching through tools and inventory on your work van.

The primary benefit:

Instead of spending time at the start of a job collecting tools and parts and then time at the end of the job putting away tools and parts, you grab your job kit and get to work.

For this method to work, you need some knowledge of the job that you're about to do, and you need everything that you'll require in your job kit.

Grab 'N Go works particularly well in trades where you visit more than one job site in a few day time period, like plumbing, HVAC, and handyman work. Work in these trades tends toward short, predictable jobs, like diagnosing a heating system fault, changing a faucet, or repairing a toilet.

Renovators and construction companies also use Grab 'N Go to fully organize their work vans or trailers, although many of them use the One By One organization method popularized by Ron Paulk. Contractors that use Grab 'N Go tend to use stackable tool organizers that can be carted onto a job site as a unit.

Grab 'n Go Examples

Let's take a look at a few Grab 'N Go examples:

HVAC Diagnostic Bag

If a call comes in that an air conditioning or heating unit isn't working, it makes sense to figure out what the problem is first. HVAC techs can do this with a diagnostic bag, a small tool pouch that usually has a meter, test leads, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, brush, fin comb, and a few small parts. Once you know what's wrong, then you can grab parts, another job kit, or whatever tools you need. Do you swap in the same capacitors again and again in the summer? Throw a couple in the bag.

Toilet Kit

Plumbers can benefit from having a dedicated toilet repair tool bag. Put all your toilet fixing things in here, including a wax ring, a float assembly, water valves, bolt kits, wrenches, a mini hacksaw, and gaskets. If it gets too big, split it up. Restock it after the job.

Painting Kit

Some contractors do some painting on the job, and will pull together a kit with all their painting supplies. While large things like paint poles won't go here, painting trays, rollers, brushes, and consumables like tape and sandpaper can easily fit in a typical tool bin.

Drain Kit

Job kits don't have to be complicated. Plumbers and HVAC techs often need to drain water and it's convenient to have parts for that in a single bucket. Take a five gallon bucket, rags, a length of collapsible hose, and what ever else you need for draining (Some techs also use funnels or custom hose setups). Drain your liquids, then put the wet stuff in the bucket.

Lock and Doorknob Install Kit

If you're a handyman, you might have found lock and doorknob installation to be a pretty simple, profitable job. Instead of collecting and putting away tools at the start and end of every job, speed up by putting screwdrivers, chisels, hammer, drill, bits, jigs, and hardware into a dedicated knob and lock installation kit.

Tips for Doing Grab 'n Go

Want to try out Grab 'N Go? When setting up a job kit, keep the principles in mind:

1) Set up for a specific purpose.

Pick one type of job that you'll be doing with that collection of tools and materials, and stick with it. You aren't trying to install both toilets and faucets, you're doing one or the other.

2) Make sure that the kit carries the correct tools and right amount of materials.

You have "tools" and "just-in-case tools". Same with materials. Do not put "just-in-case" tools or materials into your job kit. If you're using them regularly, they're just "tools".

The point of a job kit is that it covers most of the jobs you're going to do. Extra things that take up visual space contribute to brain-drain and make you dig for what you need. Extra unnecessary weight in a bag that you don't want to carry can be an indicator that your job kit has too much stuff in it.

3) Buy multiples of the same tool if necessary.

If you're doing a regular, relatively predictable job, you want to be able to grab one tool bag or tool box to do that job. If you're grabbing several items off the truck every time you do one of these jobs, you're expending time and mental energy that should be put into doing the actual work. You don't need expensive tools to build out your kits. Tools that you might want multiples of:

• Screwdrivers/allen wrenches
• Drill/bits
• Hammers
• Wrenches/sockets
• Pliers

If this seems silly to you, start keeping track of how much gear you take on to a job site. Do you always have tools you don't need because you carry on multiple tool bags? Do you always run back to the work truck because you only have one 1/2" wrench or one set of linesman's pliers? These are signs that you should stock up.

4) Job Kits Don't Need to Be Complicated.

A job kit is about putting together things that go together on the job site so that you don't need to be repeatedly putting kits together every day. Consider what else you can combine:

• Diagnostic laptop, cords, case, mini table, and stool for testing and diagnostics on equipment.
• Awning, tarp, bungies, and cord to create a work room.
• Cleaner, paper towels, rags, gloves, trash bags, and dustpan for cleanup.

Conclusion

Grab 'N Go is a tactic that can help you to do at least one more job per day by eliminating wasted time.

With an organized work van, job kits can help you eliminate time spent at the start and end of each job finding parts and tools. Try out Grab 'N Go and see how it changes your workflow.