| It's Clear That You Should Get Organized |
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| By Cyndi Seidler |
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| Have you ever started something that took on a life of its own?
That's what happened when I started using "clear-view"
notebook binders. |
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| Those interesting three-ring leather-like storage devices, with
clear overlays that identify their contents along the spine and
cover, do more than they seem. |
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| Basically, we're acquainted with the fact that they hold related information,
which is typically categorized or indexed into easy-to-find compartments.
That's their main purpose in life. |
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| Filing systems and file storage tools have the same purpose. However,
often they get overstuffed with thick file folders and become too
cumbersome to retrieve anything from. |
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| I remember when paper for my home-remodeling project was piling
up -- not to my surprise. I knew I'd be gathering receipts, tearing
out decorating ideas from magazines, keeping drawings, plans and
notes, and compiling lists of vendor contacts. |
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| What started out as one file folder turned into several. It was
unmanageable and quite unacceptable. I wanted everything in one
place, and I wanted easy access. |
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| I picked up a view binder and view-tab transparent dividers. I
then organized and categorized all my remodeling information into
the binder. I also found some free, pre-formatted templates for
the tab labels and cover sheet at www.wjtemplates.com. I was happy. |
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| Because of that binder experience, I went further in organizing
other information in binders. I gathered my bills and financial
information and put them in a binder. I collected all my recipes,
recipe clippings, menu ideas and meal planning and put them in a
binder. I took my various projects and research ventures in file
folders and put them in binders. |
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| My binder system became the right tool for the right job. |
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| We can convert unwieldy file folders to indexed binders. Let's
think of it as putting our file cabinets on a diet. |
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| You can be your own trainer, exercising your creative energy to
bind up those fatty bits of information. Pretty soon, you'll be
fitting into those cabinets that were once too tight. When it looks
good, you look good. |
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| Cyndi Seidler is an author, columnist and professional organizer.
She developed an online resource to help people get better organized
at www.organized-living.com.
Please feel free to contact her at Cyndi@orgnanized-living.com. |
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