Getting on Top of the Paper Pile

Getting on top of the paper pile is a job that I think most of us avoid because it can be boring and time consuming. I think the key to getting the job done is to try and make it more fun. I have quite a paper pile of filing to get through, so my plan is to put on some music, set a timer and take a few coffee breaks until the pile is reduced. I think I might also try and use more colourful and pretty stationery in future, to make this mundane more appealing. From now on I would also like to try a "little and often" approach instead of letting the pile accumulate to a point where it is painful to deal with it!

Photo by Andrew Pons

The following tips and suggestions are ways in which I find it helpful to conquer the paper mountain when it threatens to become overwhelming!

Step One:
Starting to deal with paperwork requires gathering all the bits of papers around the house as step one. At least having a central paperwork place will help things from getting mislaid or even lost. There are some lovely "Command Centres" on Pinterest that can act as inspiration for an area in which to deal with paperwork on an ongoing basis.

Step Two:
The next step is to categorise the papers. Some can be immediately thrown away as either junk mail or no longer relevant. Remember to shred personal information! Some useful categories that I use include:

1. Important Documents and Records to Keep Indefinitely
2. Action Items: Incoming Bills to Pay/Paperwork that Requires a Response
3. Children's Artwork and Keepsakes
4. Receipts 
5. Papers to File
6. Manuals and Guarantees

Step Three:
Step three is to consider the systems to keep in place to deal with the different types of papers and to use them! I have different systems for the different types of paperwork. Using the categories above as examples:

1. Important Documents and Records to Keep Indefinitely: These need to go in a safe place, which is at least locked, preferably even in a fireproof box. It might also be helpful to have scans of these in case they are damaged or lost. 
2. Action Items: These need to be kept to hand, and ideally the actions that need to be taken diarised or done immediately. They can have their own file that needs to be kept on hand and checked regularly. When the bill is paid or item is actioned it can be moved into the filing system or shredded and recycled. I need to set up an accordion type file for these.
3. Children's Artwork and Keepsakes: I have set up a big plastic box with a number of plastic envelope-type folders inside it to put in special artwork, greeting cards and certificates each year. Anything that we want to keep goes inside this box. Other artwork can be temporarily displayed and then recycled when new ones are created. I keep large artwork and 3D projects elsewhere, and my intention is to take photographs of these as a memory and then recycle the original project.
4. Receipts: I have a glass bowl where all the current month's receipts go until they are recorded. At the end of the month they all go into a labelled ziploc bag to be kept until the end of the tax year when they can be shredded and recycled.
5. Papers to File: This is my most problematic category as I tend to have a build up of papers to file that need to go into our manila folder filing system. At the moment there is just a pile of these papers that sit in the drawer until I can get to them. This is the paper mountain I need to tackle! These also need to be categorised and filed away on a more regular basis. We have gone onto electronic billing as much as possible, but there are still a few paper based ones that need to be dealt with.
6. Manuals and Guarantees: I staple the receipt onto the manual as a proof of purchase and then they all go into a plastic box where I know I can find them for future reference.

I hope that these tips and suggestions inspire you to get started on your own paper pile! Please comment with more ideas for tackling paperwork.

Creating a Small Home Office Area and Craft Room Combination

Even if it is a small space to perch with a laptop, a home office space is an essential part of the home.  As I mentioned in a previous post, our former working spot has been taken over by a bookcase so I needed to find a new space to work (besides the coffee table or dining room table).

Fortunately the art/music room has a relatively unused surface at the back which I think may make the perfect spot.  So we are currently sorting out the art/music room once again in order to accommodate a bit of a home office.

Photo by Tim Gouw

The office/craft area is a bit like a basement in its feel, so there are a few things we have needed to take into consideration:

• Storage - We have decided to work with open plan storage for all the art supplies so that the counter tops can be clear for work and the area will hopefully feel less cluttered. I took all the art supplies out of the room and sorted them into categories. We now have most of the items stored in clear plastic containers so that they will be easily visible on the shelves when we need them. I have also asked myself the question, “Why am I keeping this?” to help me get rid of things that are no longer being used as well as to group the supplies into “kits” for each activity. For example, all the card/tag making items are stored together in a plastic container and all the scrapbooking supplies are now in a portable bag.  We also moved a small drawer unit into the office area to house supplies there.
• Lighting- The room currently has a small single bulb fitting which is in a very high ceiling. I think some track lighting that can be angled towards the work surfaces would probably be more helpful. For the moment a higher wattage bulb has done the trick!
• Heating- We need to have a heater as the space is quite cold, particularly at night.
• Traffic flow/Seating Arrangements – We need to be able to seat two crafters side by side at the arts and craft surface as well as a third person in the home office area. I would also like to include a comfy reading chair for perusing our art inspiration books or just having a cup of tea.
• Art Display – I would like to include an area for displaying our creations. The long wall opposite the crafting surface has plenty of space for putting up art and craft projects. I am also thinking of some space above the crafting and office areas for inspirational quotes and pictures that we can see while we are at work.

So far our art room/home office is working out beautifully – mainly thanks to my husband sorting out our storage needs by putting up shelves.  Where do you like to do your home office work? How is your home office space working for you?

Getting the Linen Cupboard Organised

Another example of a quick project that will take under an hour is getting the linen cupboard sorted out. We have a rather small linen cupboard and it seems to get easily cluttered with bits and pieces that get popped in there. I have found the easiest way to get it back in shape is to think of what the function of that cupboard needs to be and to remove things that do not fit with its function and store them elsewhere. The function of our linen cupboard is to hold linens, various bags and beach/swimming necessities.

I even went so far as to think about the function of each shelf, so that things have a logical place to live. These were the categories that I ended up with:

• Spare plastic bags, extra cloths and spare tablecloths
• Sheets, pillowcases and hot water bottles/wheetie bags
• Towels and facecloths
• Spare blankets and beach/swimming things
• Cooler bags and kit bags

Although they are not all logical pairings, they neatly fit the space and are accessible to everyone in the family to use and hopefully put back again! I also used bags to store like items together. For example, the spare blankets are in a big bag that can be pulled out from the shelf, and all the swimming and beach paraphernalia are in a big beach bag, ready to go. I also keep a check list of what we need to take to the beach stuck on the inside of the linen cupboard door as a helpful reminder.

Image by Martin Vorel

I choose to store spare toiletries, medicines and paper products elsewhere in the house as they will not fit in the linen cupboard as well as everything else that I need to keep in there.

I am so pleased with the newly organised cupboard, it has motivated me to get stuck in to other small projects around the house!

Do you have a dedicated "linen cupboard"? What are your tips for keeping it neat and organised?