By Monica Ricci
The calendar has turned, it’s a new year, and this is the year you’ve resolved to get organized! Good for you but where to begin and how? You may have heard the saying that “having the right tool is half the job.” Well, you can’t get organized if you don’t give yourself the tools to get the job done. Here are six organizing ideas that let you see your stuff but still keep it categorized and organized.
- Clipboards. Hang several clipboards with different types of information on wall hooks in your home or office. Label them with large letters so they can be identified from a distance.
- Clear bins. Clear bins of all sizes are great tools. They serve as corrals to boundary items, yet their transparency allows the contents to be viewed easily.
- Clear or translucent wall bins. These are great! They are like plastic pockets that hang on hooks on the wall. Good for papers, magazines, mail, bills, blank forms or catalogs.
- Gallon freezer bags on clothespins, strung on a line across the room. Great for seeing various projects all at once and getting an overview of all projects in progress.
- Open top (lidless) filing boxes. Try using an open top filing box rather than a file cabinet. The open top allows easy visual access to the files without opening drawers.
- Color coded folders. Use color to identify different types of information. This system works best if the information is configured in blocks the file box. A block of red for client files, a block of yellow for employee files, and a block of blue for reference files. This way, if a file is misplaced into the wrong section, it can be easily spotted.
This is your year to get organized, be more productive and feel better about yourself. You can do it, and giving yourself the gift of the right tools is half the battle!
About the Author
Monica Ricci has been an organizing and productivity specialist since 1999. She offers onsite consulting, as well as motivational seminars and workshops, which teach effective organizing and simplifying and effectiveness strategies for home and work. Reach Monica at www.CatalystOrganizing.com or 770-569-2642.