It’s no secret I love organizing, especially when I can combine beauty and organizing into one project! And that is exactly what I found in this flow chart by Cathy from Just Organize Your Stuff.com. Cathy’s chart combines the best of both worlds, beauty and function, while illustrating the decisions necessary for an efficient paper organizing process. Zoom in with your browser to see it a little closer.
With all the decisions necessary to organize paper, it’s no wonder we can lose our way sometimes! While some decisions can be made without a second thought, we more often delay decisions and soon have a pile of papers begging for attention. The more you practice the paper flow, the better you get at breaking past those tough choices. And to inspire your paper purging, we are delighted to sponsor another giveaway of a drool-worthy organizing product!
Just Organize Your Stuff.com has a lovely filing system to help every paper find a home. She really has thought of everything. With over a 150 pre-printed labels, it makes any paper easy to file and retrieve. And one lucky Space for Living reader will win a JOYS Home Filing System! It is just what you need to get you motivated to “put paper in its place!”
To enter the giveaway leave a comment on this post telling us what type of papers give you the most trouble. You can get extra entries by liking Space for Living on Facebook and/or following @wecreatespace on Twitter ! Just leave another comment letting me know you did or you have previously.
The last day to enter the giveaway will be July 4th and the winner will be announced on the 5th!
Wishing you could get a little paper organizing motivation right now? Just Organize Your Stuff.com also has a free download of a handy Vital Document Checklist. This a great resource to review when you are wondering what to keep and what to toss. Just click over to Just Organize Your Stuff.com to print out the PDF.
Don’t forget to share in the comments about your worst enemy when it comes to paper. Good Luck!
The papers that give me the most trouble are papers that only I would use, like the manual to my immersion blender. Should I put it with the household manuals or in my personal filing system? I’m always debating where I should keep the papers.
I am feeling your pain! This where we get stuck because there is no right answer. It really depends how you use the manual. For me, my manuals are tucked away and not easy to get to so if I need to refer to the immersion blender manual often, I wouldn’t keep it there. Then that would leave the personal filing system. But if you are anything like me, when I need that manual my hands are going to be messy as I try to remember how to work that dang immersion blender and I certainly don’t feel like digging around in files looking for the manual! For that reason, I keep manuals of kitchen appliances that I refer to often in the kitchen with the cookbooks. That way they can easily be accessed but not stored with the appliance. If you had more then one you could keep them in a binder, folder, or plastic pocket file.
Whew, sorry probably more than you wanted to know but the key is to think through how you are going to use and then try it out. You can always change where you keep it. Thanks for entering and good luck!
Hi Jeanne,
Personally, most of my manuals are in a manual file.
I refer to them rarely. So it works for me.
But in your case Autumn has great advice.
Store them with your cookbooks.
Slim binder. Magazine Boxes. Envelope. A Side Tab File Folder.
Store them inside a infrequently accessed kitchen cabinet on the door.
Slim wall file. (I’ve seen people use envelopes)
Place a manual section in your personal recipe binder. If you use one.
Good question. Hmmm…..probably papers I want to do something with soon, as in the next few days. I don’t want them filed too far away, but I also don’t want them out on the table or counter.
I think all papers are the type that give me the biggest headache! I am hopelessly lost among them and have only recently started to tackle the GIANT problem. I’m always afraid that I will recycle/shred something really important by accident (did this to free airline ticket once) and so I am overly cautious. This system looks like it could really help me tackle prioritizing items. Thanks for the tip!
this system looks great! I always have trouble w tax papers and having everything i need that time of year…
I’m with Stacy. My biggest problem is the papers I’ll be needing soon – a filled-out “new patient” form for an upcoming dental appointment, a time-sensitive circular with coupon for a favorite store, and so on. But it’s not like I have the rest of my papers under control. 🙂
What a great giveaway! Organization seems to be my achilles heel. I haven’t found a system that I love yet. The thing I have the most trouble with is all of the important school papers my kids bring home. It’s such a struggle trying to decide what to keep and where to keep it.
I followed you on Facebook. =)
I also followed you via twitter (@loveandlaundry)
I never remember to sort through the mail as soon as it comes through the door.
All papers give me trouble, but mostly it’s the bills/insurance/tax papers that seem to collect the longest. I usually only file once or twice a year and in between the papers just collect in a pile in my room. UGH! I have a place for everything I just don’t like doing it. Maybe if it was pretty I would change my mind. 🙂
I already follow you on Facebook!
Just followed you on Twitter (CourierEmilyC).
all give me trouble….recipes, medical, manuals, etc. I need all the help I can get since I tend to overthink things and make them too complicated.