If you have children in school: preschool to high school or anywhere in between, you know there is a tremendous amount of paper that comes into your house. Some papers require action, some are sentimental keepsakes, and others can make their way to the recycle bin. Here are some ideas on keeping track of all these papers before you become overwhelmed (or fixing the problem if you are already overwhelmed).
Paper Workflow
A system to deal with papers when they enter your home is the beginning of an organized paper management system. Upon entry into your home, papers need a place to go otherwise they will end up on your countertops, dining room table, desk or floor.
Basic Inbox
An inbox of sorts works great. You can have a general family inbox or an inbox for each person. This is the most basic form of paper workflow. This inbox would be addressed frequently to avoid overflowing.
Workflow System
You can take paperwork management to the next level by creating a paper workflow system.
Immediate Action File This system has an immediate action file for parents. Which is the location where papers requiring immediate action are placed. That way when your kid is shoving a field trip permission slip in your face, while you’re in the middle of making dinner or on a phone call, he will instead know where to put it for you to address it when you are ready.
Holding Zone The paper workflow system also has a holding zone for each person. So each person can initially manage their own papers. This can hold homework that is due later in the week: notes from friends, invitations, artwork and completed homework. To manage the paperwork, let it pile up in the holding zone all week. As part of the workflow, establish a time each week that you and your family can go through the papers. During this time, you can review their work (artwork, graded homework, homework to be done, etc.) and decide what papers go to storage, need further attention or can be recycled. Your child may identify what papers they are ready to recycle after you see them.
The paper workflow system also has a holding zone for each person. So each person can initially manage their own papers. This can hold homework that is due later in the week: notes from friends, invitations, artwork and completed homework. To manage the paperwork, let it pile up in the holding zone all week. As part of the workflow, establish a time each week that you and your family can go through the papers. During this time, you can review their work (artwork, graded homework, homework to be done, etc.) and decide what papers go to storage, need further attention or can be recycled. Your child may identify what papers they are ready to recycle after you see them.
The papers that are going to storage, should be filed or stored soon after you go through the papers to prevent overwhelm. Papers for recycle go right to the recycle bin.
To-Do File Have a personal To-Do file for papers that need to be addressed or dealt with. Set aside time each week to work through the To-Do file.
Storage
File Container
Create a file bin for each child. Have one folder (or two) for holding a nice representation of the work they completed each school year. Some great items to keep are: nice samples of their homework, quality art projects, certificates of participation, awards, and a few photos to represent their age.
I like the clear plastic bins from Iris and legal size accordion file folders from Smead. The legal size folders allow for storage of artwork and projects that are a little larger than the standard 8 ½ x 11. Avery file folder labels allow you to add a fun personal touch to the file bins. You can handwrite the labels or use your computer to create graphically designed labels. Iheartorganzing has some great pintables to make your file folders look great. Be sure to label each bin with the person’s name and age or grade.
Digital Storage
Digital storage is a great storage option for both children and adults. Digital
storage is great for less physical papers when storage space is limited or not
desired. By scanning your children’s work, you have the option of creating a custom
photo or art book for their work. These books are great for kids that like to
look back at their work and memories. Older kids can help create the books to
add a personalized touch.
Organizing kid’s papers is an ongoing job, but remember to
keep it simple and have fun. Staying on top of their papers will reduce your
stress, allow you keep what is meaningful, and address or recycle the rest.
If you want help getting started on filing your children’s
paperwork, an organizer can help. See if
Top Shelf Home Organizing can
help you on your journey. Contact Jayme to schedule a
consult or chat about organizing.
Organizing your library is fun when you select an organizing method that fits your personality and needs. There are two main methods for organizing books: by visual appeal and by topic. Which method you select will depend on a few things. Who accesses the books? Are you the only person who uses the books? Do you loan books to friends and family? Do your household members store and access the books as well? Are you a visual person or more of a systematic person? Consider these things when you determine how you want to organize your books.
Visual
Organizing your books visually is a great way to organize your books if you recall your books by color and design of the spine. This is also a great method if you are looking to display your books versus reference your books. Visual organization includes organizing by color, size, orientation and cover type. You may choose to use a combination of visual methods in your library. Additionally, sorting books by hard cover versus paperback, and then by color, is an option for combining different visual strategies.
Color
You may select this method for its visual appeal and allowance for creativity. Creating a rainbow array or color block pattern may be your desire.
Size Aligning your books by height might create an interesting visual appeal for your collection. Organizing tall books with tall books and short books with short books will give your library a clean, structured look.
Physical Orientation Create visual interest when you arrange your books horizontally, vertically, or a combination of horizontal and vertical. Stacks of horizontal books can add a nice variety to your library and allow for select books to stand out from the rest. This is most practical for books that you don’t access regularly.
Cover Type Organizing your books by cover type is another visual method for organizing your books. Hard cover ‘heavier’ books on the bottom and paper back ‘lighter’ books toward the top of the shelf will give your library a nice structural look. This method is also great if you tend to recall your books by the spine design.
Topic
Organizing your books by topic works well when you have
multiple people in your home, and when you reference your books frequently. There are many, many ways to organize by
topic. I have listed some ideas below. Think about what works best for you. Combining
a couple methods may be required. For example, if you want to separate books by
family member and then alphabetically.
Read vs. Have Not Read This method is great to separate out the books you have not read yet. When you are ready to start a new book, you know right where to go. This is perfect for the person who buys a lot of books or receives a lot of books as gifts. For the books you have already read, consider keeping only the ones you have loved and plan to read and reference again. Consider donating the books that you are done with.
Favorites You may want to designate a special place to distinguish your favorite books. These are the books that have made a strong impact on you, and you want to display, share and admire.
Alphabetical If you tend to reference your books by title or author, alphabetical arrangement may work best for you. This is a great method if you have a lot of books. It is easy to find and return books as you will know right where they go.
Owner or Family Member If your library contains books that belong to many people, you may want to organize them by person. Place the kids books on a lower level of a shelf to make it easy for them to see, access and put away their books. If your husband still has all his college text books, those can go in his section. Each person can be responsible for their own books including how they are organized, which books they keep and which they donate.
Subject or Genre Arranging your books by subject or genre makes sense if you have a lot of books. This method is great when you tend to reference your books by subject. Subjects can include cookbooks, travel, history, professional resources, science fiction, educational, etc. Another simple method is to separate your books by fiction and non-fiction.
You may desire to combine two or three methods, possibly
both visual and topic methods. However, before you get started physically
organizing your books, make a list of the types of books you own and how you
like to use them. Remember to gather all the books in your home (basement,
attic, office and bedrooms) so you can see the entire collection before sorting
them into categories.
Have fun organizing your books and remember to keep it
simple. Donate the books you are done with that don’t bring you any joy.
If you find organizing your books to be stressful, an organizer
can help you complete your library organizing.
See if Top Shelf Home
Organizing can help you on your journey.
Contact Jayme
to schedule a consult or chat about organizing.
In March, I shared with you, general tips on how to save time. These ideas included staying organized (of course!), identifying time wasters, making the most of running errands, finishing what you start, readjusting priorities, keeping healthy snacks on hand and outsourcing where it makes sense.
This month, I would like to share with you how I personally try to be more efficient and save time. Like you, I too juggle family, jobs, bosses, meals, schedules and fun. Here are my go-to concepts for saving time and reducing stress.
Kitchen Time Savers
Kitchen time is not enjoyable for me, but I know the importance of good nutrition. I use a couple resources to help with this.
Meal planning
Each week I have a simple plan for meals. I don’t make large, multi-course meals, but I will always have a refrigerator stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, and a pantry full of nuts and seeds. Meals are always prepared for plenty of leftovers. I also leave a day or two for take out or going out to eat.
Health Heather with Better Health by Heather has been wonderful with helping to keep our meals on track, limit processed food and eat meals to sustain energy throughout the day.
Prepared Meals Jess with Cream City Casseroles has been a huge time saver for the weekday chaos. Her casseroles are made from scratch weekly, and are delivered frozen on Wednesdays. My kids love them. Her menu changes monthly. We haven’t had the same casserole yet this year!
Grocery Orders
I have an ongoing shopping list with Woodman’s online grocery delivery service. Every week, I import my standard list into the shopping cart and then make changes and additions based on the meal plan for the week. I no longer spend three hours grocery shopping each week.
Laundry Time Savers
I have a laundry day. Instead of running a load or two of laundry each day, I do it all in one day. On laundry day, I do not schedule any other appointments or meetings. To complete one week of laundry for six people, it takes six hours of non-stop focus. This includes sorting and stain treating to folding and putting away. Doing laundry in one day saves time overall because I fold, sort and put away one time. Doing laundry multiple days would force me to repeat the same process multiple times.
Cleaning Time Savers
We do not allocate funds for a full service house cleaner. Instead, our cleaning assistant, Jackie, comes every other week for three hours. She focuses on the main areas of the house, alternating certain details each visit. I handle the other areas (office, bedrooms and bathrooms). Having Jackie help works two-fold: the house has to be tidy so she can see the areas that need to be cleaned, and it forces me to do my share of the cleaning. My house stays clean without breaking the bank.
Keeping a Master Calendar
Everything goes in the Google calendar. All entries include first names of who is involved, addresses and any other pertinent information. All calendar items are differentiated to show which items are family, business related, and so on. I can then print the family calendar so the kids know what to expect each day, and my husband is always in the loop of appointments and activities. I can rest easy each evening since all the next day’s activities are scheduled to the minute.
Creating Lists
Lists keep me accountable, focused, structured, and also help to reduce stress. A small notepad is in my bag at all times to make my lists. This is used to jot down things that come up throughout the day, reminders, shopping lists, and notes during client meetings all go in my little notebook. There are great apps for this same thing, but I find my notebook to work best. My husband likes to use Trello to track all of the household projects that he is involved in. There are many list making apps available including Wunderlist, todoist and Evernote.
Sticking to a Limited Wardrobe
My wardrobe consists of a limited number of items that mix and match, and can go from running kids around, to consultations with clients, to teaching college lectures, to volunteer work, to dinner prep., and running kids around again. It is a capsule wardrobe of sorts. My good friend LeAnn Conway with Conway Image Consulting helps me with the selection of each item (she’s great). I have some personal restrictions: no dry clean only, no wardrobe changes throughout my day (with the exception of tossing on a blazer or sweater), and no heals. What I put on in the morning has to take me through the entire day.
Packing Swim and Sports Bags in Advance
Gym bag, swim bag and sports bags, stay packed and stocked. This way we are not running around last minute to grab swim suits, soccer cleats and baseball socks. As soon as it’s washed, it’s back into the bag.
Organizing Help
Despite my ability to be organized, I still struggle to get projects done. Having Jeanne, my organizing assistant, come help me with projects, allows me to schedule time to stay focused on the project in front of me. She keeps me accountable, offers another perspective and keeps me on track.
“Three hours working with an organizer is like 12 hours of working on my own.”
My Advice to you: Outsource
Where it makes sense, outsource. Look at the value of your time. It may make sense to outsource a couple tasks, in order to help you focus your time on more important items. Consider getting help with cleaning, laundering, yard maintenance and meal preparation. Your family may be the first option for help in these areas.
