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Ask Vicki a question. Vicki
Norris monitors
this message board and will respond
with advice and help. |
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 Restoring
Order to Your Home
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CBN.com –
A long time before I became a professional
organizer, I was frustrated—probably like most of
you reading my column—by the frequently-referenced
loose paper that didn’t seem to have a “home”.
From take out menus, to event invitations, to my
bunko calendar, I needed to find a way to corral
this unrelated (but un-disposable) paper.
As I began working as an
organizer, I found that my clients were struggling
with the same issue. They had gathered their
creeping paper and built teetering piles on their
kitchen counters, stashed it in their junk
drawers, taped it inside their cabinets, and stuck
it to the refrigerator, all in the name of “easy
reference”.
Their homes—and more specifically,
their kitchens—began looking junky as they piled
and plastered this paper within view so they
wouldn’t forget about it.
So, what exactly should you do with paper that
isn’t quite file-able or actionable? What can do
you do with this distinct kind of “perpetual”
paper—documents that each have their own shelf
life and use?
In my own home, I created what I
dubbed my Household Reference Binder
to capture and catalog this nomadic paper. I
gathered all of this type of paper and discovered
several types:
- Upcoming Events (like
game/event tickets, invitations, and
announcements)
- Gift Certificates (and gift
cards for stores, restaurants, spas, etc.)
- Service Providers (flyers
or business cards for the arborist, window
washer, and others I wouldn’t remember even if I
entered them in my electronic contacts)
- Take Out Menus (pizza,
subs, etc.)
- Coupons (car maintenance,
carpet cleaning, etc.)
- Activities (restaurants,
tea houses, attractions, shopping)
I then made a tab for each type of paper and
filed my formerly nomadic paper into one easy,
portable three ring binder.
 Since
its birth in my own home, I learned that every
single client I worked with could use one, too. I
experimented with types of tabs, binder size, and
sleeve types. Eventually I standardized the
Household Reference Binder™ (complete with
instructions) so that it was easier to customize
to each user and it quickly became my favorite
organizing tool.
The tabs for my binder were reflective of me and
my season of life. At the time, I didn’t have a
child. The paper you have should reveal which tabs
you will need; don’t prematurely determine what
tabs you want…discover what your paper tells you
first. Your tabs might include: the family
calendar and individual schedules; school and
sports schedules; travel information (like
frequent flyer info. and destination ideas);
directories and rosters; school reference
(organized either by child or by school);
membership information (the zoo, video rental,
etc.); and emergency contacts.
I now firmly believe that every family needs
this invaluable tool, whether you make your own or
check out the one I created. The key is to
personalize it for your household and family. All
those nomadic papers can now live in one location
that your family members can easily put their
hands on. The information in the binder is useful
when you are out of town, for the babysitter, in
emergency situations, or just to order a pizza.
If you dedicate just a few hours you can corral
all this paper together and rescue your junk
drawer and surfaces! Just imagine, you’ll finally
have ONE place to keep:
- That wedding invitation and attached
directions that’s on the kitchen counter
- Store gift cards you’re lugging around in
your wallet
- Video rental cards that are stuck in your
glove box
- Your favorite pizza joint’s menu hidden in
the junk drawer
- All those business cards you haven’t gotten
around to computerizing
Your return-on-investment for establishing a
handy Household Reference Binder™ will be huge.
You’ll not only declutter your surfaces, you’ll
command key family and home information—never to
be lost in the shuffle again!
Adapted from: Restoring
Order™ copyright © 2006 by Vicki Norris (available
now at
www.RestoringOrder.com and in July 2007as
Reclaim Your Life™. Copyright © 2007). Published
by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by
permission.
About the Author: Vicki Norris is
an expert organizer, business owner, speaker,
television personality, and author who inspires
people to live out their priorities. Norris is a
regular on HGTV’s nationally syndicated Mission:
Organization, and is a recurrent source and
contributor to national lifestyle publications
including Quick & Simple magazine, Better Homes &
Gardens, and Real Simple magazine. Norris is also
author of Restoring Order™ to Your Home, a
room-by-room household organizing guide. |
