I just counted my open browser tabs. Sixty-three. Sixty-three little rectangles of intention, curiosity, and half-formed ideas that I swear I’m going to do something with eventually.
There’s a tutorial about generative art I opened two weeks ago. Five different portfolio sites I found inspiring. Three articles about color theory. Seven tabs of documentation for a tool I want to learn. A bunch of YouTube videos about creative coding. Two shopping sites where I was looking at monitor stands for some reason.
My partner walked by my laptop yesterday, glanced at my tab bar, and said “that looks stressful.” They weren’t wrong.
But here’s what I’ve realized: those tabs aren’t digital clutter. They’re embryonic creative projects. Each cluster of tabs represents something I want to make, learn, or explore. The problem isn’t having them open. It’s that they’re stuck in limbo between “interesting idea” and “actual project.”
Most productivity advice tells you to close your tabs. Be ruthless. If you haven’t looked at it in three days, you don’t need it. But that misses the point. Those tabs represent genuine creative impulses. Closing them doesn’t make the interest disappear. It just makes you feel bad about not acting on it.
What if instead of seeing tab overload as a problem to eliminate, we treated it as raw material for creative work? What if the chaos of having too many tabs open was actually a signal that you have more ideas than your current organizational system can handle?
I’ve developed a process for turning tab chaos into creative projects that actually get done. It’s not about perfect discipline or minimalist browsing. It’s about recognizing what those tabs represent and giving them structure that supports action instead of guilt.
Why We Accumulate Tabs in the First Place#
Before we talk about solutions, let’s understand why this happens. You’re not uniquely disorganized. Tab accumulation is a natural byproduct of curiosity and the way creative ideas develop.
You see something interesting. Your brain goes “ooh, I want to explore that.” You open a tab. Then you find something related. Another tab. Then something tangentially connected. Another tab. Before you know it, you have fifteen tabs all loosely related to a vague creative impulse you haven’t quite defined yet.
Research on creative cognition shows that creative ideas often begin as vague feelings or intuitions before they become concrete plans. You’re attracted to something before you understand why or what you want to do with it.
The tabs are your brain’s way of saying “this matters somehow.” But they stay open because you haven’t figured out how they matter or what to do next.
The mistake most people make is treating this as a discipline problem. “I just need to close tabs more often.” But that doesn’t address the underlying creative impulse. You’re just suppressing the signal instead of processing it.
The Tab Clustering Exercise: Finding Hidden Projects#
Here’s the first step in my process: look at your open tabs and identify clusters. Which tabs are related to each other? Which ones represent different threads of interest?
I do this by literally writing down groups. Looking at my current tabs, I can identify:
- Generative art project: Tutorial, examples, tools, inspiration
- Portfolio redesign: Other designers’ sites, layout inspiration, typography references
- Learning Three.js: Documentation, tutorials, example projects
- Color theory deep dive: Articles, tools, theory references
- Random/unrelated: Shopping, news, one-off searches
Most of those clusters are creative projects in disguise. The generative art tabs aren’t just interesting reading. They’re the beginning of wanting to create generative art. The portfolio tabs aren’t idle browsing. They’re preliminary research for a redesign I’ve been thinking about.
The act of clustering makes implicit intentions explicit. You’re not just “interested in color theory.” You’re gathering resources for something, even if you don’t know what yet.
The key insight: If you have 3+ tabs about the same topic, that’s probably a project waiting to be defined.
From Cluster to Collection: Giving Ideas a Home#
Once you’ve identified clusters, they need to move out of your tabs and into a more permanent home. This is where most people fail. They either:
- Bookmark everything into folders they’ll never look at again
- Leave tabs open forever because they don’t have a better system
- Close everything and rely on memory (which fails)
What you need is a way to preserve the collection while making it actionable. The tabs need to transform from “things I’m keeping open” to “resources for a project I’m working on.”
This is exactly why I built stashed.in the way I did. When I identify a tab cluster that represents a potential project, I create a stash for it.
Let’s say I have those generative art tabs. I create a stash called “Generative Art Exploration” with a header image that captures the aesthetic I’m drawn to. Then I move all those tab links into that stash. I add a quick note about what I’m hoping to learn or create.
Now those tabs can close. The information isn’t lost. It’s organized in a place I can return to. But more importantly, it’s transformed from “random stuff I’m keeping open” into “resources for a creative project.”
The visual header matters here. Three months from now when I’m looking for that collection, I’m not trying to remember what I called it. I’m looking for the visual that matches the vibe of what I was interested in.
Defining What Makes Something a “Project”#
Not every tab cluster needs to become a project immediately. Sometimes you’re just browsing. The key is distinguishing between casual interest and something you actually want to pursue.
I use a simple test: Would I spend time on this if I had a free weekend?
If yes, it’s a potential project. If no, it’s just casual interest that can be closed or saved to a general “Interesting Things” collection for later browsing.
Projects have intention behind them. You want to make something, learn something specific, or solve a problem. Casual interest is fine, but it doesn’t need the same organizational treatment.
Being honest about this distinction prevents you from creating fifty “projects” that are really just things you thought were neat for five minutes.
The Project Brief: Turning Collections Into Action#
Having a collection of resources doesn’t automatically make something a project. You need to add the critical ingredient: intention.
For each collection that represents a real project, I write a brief project description. Not formal or elaborate. Just 2-3 sentences answering:
- What do I want to make or learn?
- Why does this interest me?
- What would “done” look like?
For that generative art example: “I want to create my own generative art pieces using p5.js. I’m drawn to organic, flowing patterns and want to understand the math behind natural-looking randomness. Done = having created and shared at least 3 pieces I’m proud of.”
This transforms passive collection into active pursuit. You’re not just gathering resources. You’re defining what you’re trying to accomplish with them.
I add these briefs as the description on the stash. Now when I return to that collection, I immediately remember not just what’s in it, but why I created it and what I’m trying to do.
The Processing Ritual: Weekly Tab Review#
I process my tabs every Sunday evening. Takes about 20 minutes. Here’s the exact process:
Step 1: Identify clusters (5 minutes) Look at all open tabs. Group related ones mentally or by writing them down.
Step 2: Decide on action (10 minutes) For each cluster:
- Is this a project? Create/update a stash with these resources
- Is this casual interest? Save to a general collection or just close it
- Is this time-sensitive? Do it now or add to task list
- Is this something I’m over? Close it guilt-free
Step 3: Close everything (5 minutes) Once things are properly saved or dismissed, close all tabs except what I’m actively working on right now.
This weekly ritual prevents the buildup from becoming overwhelming. I never have more than a week’s worth of accumulated tabs, which feels manageable.
The key is being ruthless but not dismissive. If something doesn’t make the cut, that’s fine. Closing it doesn’t mean you’ll never think about it again. It means it’s not a priority right now.
How Active Projects Stay Active#
Creating a collection for a project isn’t the same as actually working on the project. You need mechanisms that keep projects moving forward instead of becoming fancy archives.
Here’s what works for me:
Next actions: For each active project collection, I identify the immediate next action. Not the whole project. Just the next step. “Watch first tutorial video.” “Set up development environment.” “Sketch three rough ideas.”
Time blocks: I schedule specific time for project work. “Saturday morning = generative art exploration.” Having dedicated time prevents projects from perpetually living in “someday” land.
Progress notes: When I work on a project, I add a quick note to the collection about what I did and what to do next. This makes it easier to pick up later without losing momentum.
Regular review: Monthly, I look at all my project collections and ask hard questions. Is this still interesting? Am I making progress? Should this become a “someday/maybe” instead of an active project?
Active projects need active engagement. Collections without action become digital graveyards.
The Someday/Maybe Category: Permission to Not Do Everything#
Not everything needs to be an active project right now. Some ideas are genuinely interesting but not current priorities. That’s fine.
I maintain a “Someday/Maybe Projects” collection that’s essentially a waiting room. Things I might want to pursue later but am not committing to now.
This category is important because it gives you permission to not do everything while still acknowledging the interest. You’re not abandoning ideas. You’re being realistic about capacity.
The someday/maybe category prevents two problems:
- Spreading yourself too thin by trying to pursue everything
- Feeling guilty about interests you’re not actively pursuing
Every few months, I review someday/maybe projects. Some move to active status. Some get deleted because the interest has faded. Some stay in waiting.
When Projects Actually Finish#
Here’s something nobody talks about: most creative projects don’t have clean endings. You don’t necessarily “complete” learning a new tool or exploring a design aesthetic. The work just evolves or naturally winds down.
I handle finished projects by archiving rather than deleting. The collection moves to an “Archive” section where it’s still accessible but not cluttering my active project space.
Archiving serves two purposes:
- You can reference past projects for inspiration or resources
- You honor the work you did instead of just making it disappear
Some projects genuinely finish. I make the thing, share it, and mark it complete. Others just stop being active as my interests shift. That’s also fine. Not everything needs a triumphant conclusion.
The important thing is acknowledging when something is no longer active instead of keeping it in your active project list out of guilt or aspiration.
The Tab-to-Project Workflow in Practice#
Let me walk through a real example of how this works in practice.
Last month, I kept opening tabs about analog synthesizers. Tutorials, gear reviews, demos, theory articles. After a week, I had about twelve tabs all loosely related to “wanting to understand synthesis better.”
During my weekly review, I identified this as a cluster. I asked myself: Is this a real project or just passing interest?
Test: Would I spend a weekend on this? Yes, actually. I’ve been curious about synthesis for years but never pursued it systematically.
So I created a stash called “Synthesis Learning Journey” with a header featuring analog synth knobs and colorful waveforms. I moved all those tabs into the stash. Then I wrote a brief: “Learn the fundamentals of synthesis. Understand oscillators, filters, envelopes, and modulation. Goal: be able to create interesting sounds from scratch rather than just using presets.”
Next action: Watch the first recommended tutorial video (linked in the stash).
That’s it. The tabs closed. The project exists. The intention is clear. Now I can either work on it or let it sit in my project list until I have time, but either way it’s not causing tab anxiety.
Two weeks later during another tab review, I had gathered more synthesis resources. They went into the same stash, building on what I’d already collected. The project collection grows organically as I continue learning.
What This System Doesn’t Do#
Let’s be clear about what this approach isn’t:
It’s not a productivity hack that makes you superhuman. You still have limited time and energy. This just helps you organize your creative impulses better.
It’s not going to make you finish every project. Some things will stay in collections forever. That’s fine. Not everything needs to be completed.
It’s not a replacement for actually doing work. Organization is not the same as creation. At some point, you have to close the tabs and make things.
It’s not the only way to manage tabs. If you prefer keeping everything open or having a minimal browser, great. This is for people whose natural working style involves exploration and multiple interests.
The goal isn’t perfect organization or maximum productivity. It’s turning tab chaos into something that supports creative work instead of generating guilt.
Building Your Own System#
Your version of this will look different from mine. Different tools, different rituals, different ways of thinking about projects.
But the core principles apply regardless:
Recognize that tab accumulation often represents creative impulses, not disorganization. Treat it as signal, not noise.
Cluster related tabs to identify potential projects. Make implicit interests explicit.
Give projects proper homes outside your browser. Tabs are terrible project management systems.
Define intention for each project. Collections without purpose become archives.
Review regularly. Weekly processing prevents overwhelming buildup.
Be honest about capacity. You can’t pursue everything. Choose actively rather than letting anxiety choose for you.
Archive completed projects. Honor finished work instead of just deleting it.
Start with one weekly tab review. Look at what’s open. Identify clusters. Move one cluster into a proper project collection. See if you actually use it.
If you do, keep building the practice. If you don’t, adjust until you find an approach that fits your actual working style.
The Real Goal: Creative Flow, Not Perfect Organization#
I still have tabs open right now. Not sixty-three anymore, but about fifteen. Some are things I’m actively working on today. A few are the beginning of new clusters that will get processed Sunday.
The goal was never zero tabs. It was transforming tabs from sources of anxiety into stepping stones for creative work.
When you have a system for turning browser chaos into organized projects, the tabs stop feeling like procrastination. They become early-stage research. The messy, exploratory phase that precedes focused work.
Your browser tabs aren’t the problem. They’re breadcrumbs leading to creative projects you actually want to pursue. The problem is not having a way to follow those breadcrumbs without getting lost.
Build that system. Turn your tabs into collections. Turn your collections into projects. Turn your projects into work you’re proud of.
The creative impulse that made you open that tab in the first place? Give it somewhere to grow beyond your browser’s memory limits.
Start this Sunday. Look at your tabs. Find the projects hiding in plain sight. Give them proper homes. Then close the tabs and see what you make.
