Getting back into LEGO after having my most of my collection in storage since high school, I'm confronted with the daunting task of starting a sort. I've entered all of the sets that I own into Brickset and it looks like I've got about 20-30,000 pieces. Some sets are individually sorted into bags with their instructions, but at least 75% of it is loose mixed up pieces in bins.
Since my main goal is to start designing MOCs, I'm thinking of only keeping a few sets assembled for display/play (an X-Wing, a modular building, etc.) and sort everything else into some kind of drawers eventually. I hope that if I have everything sorted as precisely as I see users on here doing then it won't be too hard to grab the pieces that I need when I want to re-build an old set.
Based on what I've been reading and the type of collection I have, I think the easiest way to start sorting is into these categories: bricks, plates, tiles, SNOT, slopes, Technic, terrain (plants, BURPs, etc), special elements (e.g. Pirate, Castle, Space elements), and minifigs. After I've got that done I can more discretely sort those groups by size and color.
Any tips from others who have gone through similar sorts would be great. I'll also keep reading through the back pages of this thread for guidance.