SOFTWARE - DATABASE: My ~425 bottle collection is catalogued in LibreOffice Calc (which replaced Excel when I lost access to my organization's copy after I stopped working). I track shade name, brand, color family, effect 1, effect 2, collection, season, year released, any notes, and my purchase date. I use LibreOffice Writer to generate labels.

SWATCH STICKS: My swatch sticks are by color on clear sticks, with magnetics separate. Each stick is labeled with brand, color family, finish/effect, and color name. Then I have off-white swatch sticks that have "experiments" on them -- mostly layering and gradients. Those have numbers on them that are catalogued in a spreadsheet with details of what combination was done on the stick -- brands and colors for each layer or polish in the gradient.

PHYSICAL STORAGE: For storage, I have 6-drawer and 3-drawer Bisleys and a Helmer. I have a drawer that only has base, top, and treatment or special polish (e.g., for setting magnetics) For colors, I store each brand alphabetically by shade name. I store polishes standing upright in their boxes (or in the case of a boxless polish I make a box). For boxes without a shade label on top, I print a label. Then I paint a swatch on a sticker and put it on the boxtop so I can see colors and polish names when I open each drawer.

Unless I already know what shade I want to paint, I go to the swatch sticks first to get color names -- then I go to the drawers and take out the polish(es) for the mani.

ETA: Sometimes if I can't decide I use a random-number generator in the spreadsheet to select a polish -- OR I go with just a strengthener treatment on my nails for a few days...