Item sorters are great for storage, but don't help with the mess of items that end up in your inventory if you're exploring, or building. And while shulker boxes help a little, a) they're an end-game item and b) they are a pain to use if you're switching items often (place down shulker box, swap your inventory items with those in the box, mine the box, every time you need an item that's not in your inventory).