Here's my promised input to the topic. I quote my comment from YT, then share practical thoughts. It's large but I think many of you will enjoy reading it.
I like the humorous style of this episode very much. 
It's good to have such episode once in a while.
One thing: collecting tools and materials with a purpose in mind isn't a mental problem - many of our grandfathers surely did collect such. Especially if they were engineers or technicians. It's called preparation and respect to the technology. They probably tended to have the stuff better organised though. 
It's having a mess and not doing anything about it what could be a symtom of having a problem.
Anyone who knows how big idea stands behind a particular product would respect particular technology. It's only nowadays that the consumerism is a tool to brainwash all people. Don't compare to a consumerism mindset. Such comparison is a trap (as it feeds on primitive instinct of the need to feel a part of the herd and as it may evoke a hidden sense of guilt - thus disturbing one's normal creativity and thought clarity).
Analyse your approach, analyse approach of those you consider an example, compare results, introduce adjustments.
Now, wouldn't you like to give my comment a thumb up for "teardown of the process" and for it's motivating expression?
PS.Of course I do support very much the idea of "sell what you don't need and what you have already fixed". And the idea of recycling/reusing the unrepairable. Just wanted this to be clear.??
I have a decade experience, conclusions and practical solutions I'd like to share about organising technical (mostly electronic) stuff that I brought or already had home. I share them for the commond good of all electronics-gatherers.
1. Every hobby/work has its specific needs and characteristics. A collection of common parts aswell as unusual but technically valuable parts/modules can be and oftenly is one of such attributes.
2. There's nothing wrong about having more developed imagination and technical sight and technical approach to things than a common (usualy less or more conditioned) consumer has. It's a skill, definitely worth satistying and developing further. Actually, it is a form of being rich. Richness doesn't mean only money. Just the same way as "enriched life" doesn't mean life with more money - it means having interesting, inspiring, developing things in it. If similar aspects are inside your mind - then, in that context, you're probably richer than you think.
3. More hobbies = more of thematic collections of stuff (more items/parts, more boxes), so more storage space needed. That's not weird, that's logical and natural.
4. Lack of storage furniture is an invitation to the loop of mess and demotivation (at some point just looking at the mess and not having any clue where to put it and in what order can demotivate very much). Like it or not, we all have our subconcious convictions and traumas which until cleaned or changed - can be our silent, hidden saboteurs of motivation and mind's clarity. We like order (order of things is natural - look i.e. at Fibonacci sequence in the plants and other things in nature) and making the workplace just a bit tidier can work miracles about the motivation to tidy more (it can be a trigger). Of course it's better to have storage furniture from the beginning and storing things "realtime".
If you can't look at the mess in the work/fun place - just take a walk to relax and think about the solution in a more relaxed environment. Also pay attention to air quality - fresh air, enough of oxygen, and definitely no mold spores and dust particles! The mold spores physilogicaly make people demotivated due to release of toxins into the bloodstream. They feed on sugar so if you breathe mold spores and eat sugary things - probability of bad mood and demotivation rises. That's why clean air in the work/fun place is important and corelated with general motivation, thus tidyness.
5. Choose one or two systems of boxes with following characteristcs: enough volume to put your items in, durable enough, available easy, cheap (or better - free). There's no need to invent a wheel, neither to lose money on something you can get free and re-use. I mean if you consider yourself rich enough and/or need specific boxes- great, that's a good approach. However there are already good boxes available for free. Do you know these 60x40cm cardboard boxes/crates for apples/oranges/tomatoes/etc.? These are being left at almost every marketplace and in some grocery shops. Check your locacal marketplace/shop for such boxes. You'll need undamaged, clean boxes (no mold, no sticky residue). You may collect the smaller versions also. These cardboard crates are stackable up to 15 in height.
6. You want to be able to see the items inside the boxes when stacked or (better) shelved - don't use closed boxes. These cardboard crates (or their plastic equivalents) are very good for that - they have a few cutouts to look through.
7. Keep rational division of items: first through hobbies (i.e. electronics, computer/it, mechanics), then through items' categorries (i.e. mainboards, power supplies, cables, optical drives). This is very convinient for your memory, imagination (you easily remember where is what - this helps to imagine projects), and in the meaning of easy access - you just go to the shelves/stacks and reach the particular box. Labelling the boxes could be also helpful.
8. Respect your money, time and energy. Don't throw your money now and in the future - analyse what parts/modules to salvage, even if they are cheap (20 cheap items can sum up to big amount and then you could regret throwing these items out, besides, life's life and economics are economics - money may come and go, and it's always faster to go to the shelves that to the shop or wait for eBay buys to come). And only because nowadays technology can be cheap it shouldn't blind you - always look at the practical characteristics of an item first. One screw can be cheap and not worth saving but if it is saturday evening and you could just finish/fix something if you only had that screw... you could regret not having it stored.
It's really easier and more efficient to put items/parts/modules to categorised boxes and later just reach for needed item than it is to waste your time, energy and money all together to buy new what you already had in your possesion.
9. Recycle really destroyed and unsalvageable equipment/parts. Copper, aluminium, steel, ABS and other plastics, glass, batteries- it all can be recycled nowadays, so make use of this system and gain some money for your parts (allthough not all materials are purchased, some are just collected for free by recycling companies).
10. Ocasionally go through your stuff and analyse what you can sell and what you'd rather need to make your work, projects, hobby. For example: I keep some old motherboards of known technical state just for the sake of testing PSUs, RAMs and so on - I wouldn't risk valuable mainboards for that. Of course I thought for a few times I'd sell or scrap these mainboards but I've analysed this and it's much cheaper and convinient for me to keep them. I don't like to be left without tools just when I need them. Imagine this: my friend calls me after his work, he needs to check and repair his computer ASAP, this evening, I say "no problem, mate" because I am perfectly sure what test/repair parts/equipment I have in storage. I like to reach for my toys exactly when I have an idea that needs to be checked. I'm a big boy now and have a lot of storage space, so... Pff, I can do what I want.
11. Some of the items/modules/parts can became a sudden yet useful tool, especially if you analyse/repair stuff. Look at example above.
12. Why the dog licks his balls? Becuase he can!
You CAN collect any item that speaks to your creativity so... do it, no shame, just a joy of discovery, you deserve it, just do it the way that is right for you.
13. Separate room (even small and without windows) can be very good for storage. This way the stored items don't tempt your eyes (and mind) and you don't end up having too many items on your workbench or floor.
14. Keep a sheet of paper with your planned projects. This way you won't forget about any of them and you can keep parts/items stored until really needed. It's really convinient to have only a sheet of paper on the workbench (plus of course some usual stuff) and just go to the storage room/area and pull out a box with specific items than to store all that boxes and/or items stockpiled aroud you.
That's all I can think of for now. I've lived through "unordered storage of things on the floor" and tidying, through different systems of storage and I have quite a few hobbies, so... look @ point 3. I have a separate small storage room. I hope you find this post interesting as I've seen quite a interest in this (forever actual) topic. Pictures of cardboard crates attached below. You can print the above list of conclusions and put it onto your lab's wall so every guest can understand you better now.
Sources of pictures (just to be fair to the original owners):
1. http://anniekateshomeschoolreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/046-360x480.jpg
2. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uXEMQ17wHRQ/TH_E7F44z4I/AAAAAAAAAdQ/WfxW9Mnlij4/s1600/BallDesign-MasterCartonSample_WilsonsTomatoes-sm.jpg
3. http://www.freshplaza.it/images/2010/1117/cassetta_cartone_con_arance_Navel.jpg
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