Organizing is very heavy on my mind these days. December always seems like a flurry, and the New Year always brings with it a desire to pull it all together. While I'd like to actually be organized and efficient, these days just appearing so is a huge victory. I can find most things in my house at a moment's notice, because of a simple tool: The Shoebox.
Rather than neatly file or stack things, I like to put all the similar stuff together, throw it in a shoebox, label it, and stash it away. I used to save my shoeboxes and use them, but now that shoeboxes come in all different sizes, shapes, materials and patterns, I love them even more.
I use shoeboxes like these for photos, chords to all our misc. electronics, art supplies, and other stuff that seems to always be piling up here and there.
We use art files like these for all the kids' art and papers from school. 
Scrapbooks are a ridiculous idea for a family with three kids and a working Mom. It's much easier to assign one box to each child each year, throw everything in it as the year progresses, label it and put it away at year end. And it's much more likely to get done.
We use canvas boxes like this for food in the pantry. No plastic, and they're easy to move around.
Andie uses boxes like these to organize her room.
Shoeboxes are the best organizational system. I love them because they're neat, they stack, and they're nice and small so I can easily seem what's in them. I also love them because they create the appearance of organization -- only I know what mess lies within.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Cheater's Guide to Appearing Organized
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2 comments:
My wonderful daughter gets this organizing trait from her also wonderful mother. Everything goes in a small, shoe size box and I mean everything. Although her mother has graduated to plastic see through boxes which makes locating items much easier no matter how well labeled the box may be. My daughter should consider this. A few years ago I left some clothes at her home, small items like my slug t shirt (Andie's favorite), socks, etc. Obviously it went in one of her shoe boxes. Well, so much for her labeling skills cuz we have been looking all over her house for that stuff for years. She accidently (emphasis on the word accidently) discovered it before Thanksgiving. I wonder if she can convince shoe companies to start putting shoes in clear, plastic tubs.
Hi Laurie....
This is a perfect opportunity to talk about Label Makers....many years ago you told me I should get one....and when I retired...I did just that. I cannot imagine how I ever lived without one for almost 60 years.
All my boxes are clearly labeled...I stand back, look at them and say.....AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH.
In fact, truth be told, I had to buy another one....wore the first one out. Actually, your dad helped with that. He labels everything too but he still hasn't learned that you need to put your item in a clear box before labeling
Love,
Mom
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