My cotton is sorted as follows: Christmas, Patriotic, Childrens, Novelty, Solids, Floral, Panels. I keep all my flannel together and have very little of anything else.
That system works for me because that's mostly what I buy.
I have taken a picture of most all my fabric and have it on the computer in a few different folders...that way, I can scan thru my folder on the computer without having to fumble thru my totes of fabric.