Mapping Out My Resolutions: Paper Clutter

12:19 AM

Its that time of year again... along with all the gluttony and festivities, many of us are also thinking in the back of our minds what we would like to change about ourselves in the upcoming year.  I'm no different! Every year I succumb to the annual tradition, and I admit there are very few resolutions that I've been able to keep. Honestly, I couldn't name one that has stuck with me.

I'm hoping that the "Fail to plan, plan to fail" mantra is the reason that I've never been successful at keeping up with my goals, and this year I hope to change that!  I have a few things in my life I'd like to improve on, and I've been thinking about it for a while now, trying to map out a course of action to make my goals a reality.

One of my top goals is to be organized.  Yes, that is a very broad goal, and I've always treated it as such.  Saying "I will be organized" and then sorting through a small pile of junk is not fixing my disheveled problems.  I have to figure out what is making me so disorganized and chaotic and find specific solutions.

Paper clutter is probably one of my top issues.  I have to admit that I probably could not be more disorderly and irresponsible with my papers, and it has caused problems on more than one occasion.

I've found a few inspirational pins and sites that I've been getting ideas from, and now I'm working on narrowing down these ideas and start implementing some of them into my daily life and routine.

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I love the idea of having a central location to put papers that need to be sorted out for later.  My desk is a clusterfudge, as is the area by the front door, my counter, the dashboard of my truck, my purse.... I have never put the effort to make a place for these papers, and I think something like this would work wonders for me.  I think I'd have a file for bills, coupons to cut, school paperwork to look through, school papers to scan, papers to shred, and papers to file away properly (such as Lance's service paperwork, tax info...). I would like a special folder for Lance Jr right up front too. One of the things we did to help him keep on track with his school work is that he has to put every single piece of paper on the table as soon as he gets home so we can look through it together, but a lot of times it gets pushed aside in the rush for dinner, then forgotten for a week or so.  I think this might work for us :)

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This is along the same line as the system above. This blogger has a central spot for her files, and there is a folder for everyone. If the kids or Lance has something that they need for later or for me to look at, it would go in their spot. She keeps her recipes handy and a calendar, and I think its a nifty system.


I think this wall pocket from The Container Store is adorable!  Maybe I'll use something like this in my kitchen or dining room (where I dump a lot of stuff) for those files that need to be looked through. I would probably spray paint it though to make it stand out more against my military housing beige walls...


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Having a spot to dump all of my papers to look through at another time is one problem. Another is figuring out a permanent, workable solution for filing away paperwork long term.  I'm liking the idea of using binders for different categories, such as statements and manuals, and making it pretty to look at, like the picture above, really appeals to me.  I'm much more interested in something if it is visually appealing to me, and this seems much more likable than the file boxes I currently have (and do not keep up with).  Having these binders close at hand seems like I might use them more.

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Along with the binders that will be my long term/permanent files, I'm loving the idea of having different printables to index and manage all of the paperwork within.  The Nest Effect, a blog I recently discovered (and looove), has so many ideas that I'm trying to piece together, and she has tons of free printables, as well as some she sells through her Etsy store.

And that idea leads into my next post - an organization tool that ties in with all of this paper mess, but different enough to devote another post to :) Don't want this one to run on too long anyhow :P

Anyways, if you are an organizing guru, or if you are like me and had to work to find a solution that works for you, I'd love to hear what you do! I'm not a creative person, but I do love pulling ideas and resources from many different places to piece things together that will (hopefully) work for me!

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1 comments

  1. Tiffany FordDecember 21, 2011 at 10:57 PM

    Hi Heidi -

    Thanks for linking to my blog and etsy store. Right now I'm offering a 30% discount on my printables in my store. If you're interested, use coupon code NEWYEAR12 at checkout. The coupon will expire on January 2, 2012.

    Happy Holidays! And good luck with your New Years resolutions. I'll be starting off the new year with the first monthly challenge for 2012 - I think you'd enjoy it!

    Tiffany @ the nest effect

    ReplyDelete

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