As organizers, we tend to notice similarities and trends in the organizational challenges of our clients. Some are unique to certain people, some to the layout of the home. And other clutter causers are the same in every single household. Perhaps the most notorious of these is….THE PAPER TRAIL (cue imminent shark attack music).
The Paper Trail is easy to identify and oh-so-difficult to control. Without a system to process the constantly incoming bills, schoolwork, receipts, coupons, and other bits of paper, they can easily take over.
This blog is a series of four easy-to-follow household organizing tips that will address the Paper Trail and provide tips and methods to contain those pesky bits of paper littering your countertops. I hope these are helpful to you! Please comment below if you have any personal tips that have worked for you. Thank you and Happy Organizing.
The DIY Household Hub Organizing Binder
The household hub is a handy binder that, when used correctly, will help you to corral those bits of paper that you use regularly for reference, but want out of sight.
Benefits of the Hub: It allows you to access any paper that you need to get your hands on regularly. It can be stored vertically, taking up minimal space. It is quick to assemble and simple to update and review.
How to build your Hub: You will need:
- Binder, any size will do
- Tab dividers (we like those with slash pockets)
- Plastic sleeves
- Business Card Insert Pages
Assemble the binder and tabs. As you are creating tabs titles, think about which items would be best suited to your Hub. The goal is to come up with categories that we reference regularly. We suggest any combination of the following list:
- Contact Numbers
- Gift Cards
- Coupons
- Rosters, kids sports schedules, etc.
- Take-Out Menus
- Recipes to Try
Store your household hub in an accessible place. Mine lives right by the phone and “information” area in the kitchen. All the information stored within is organized, easy to access and can be located by anyone in the house.
Read all the blog posts in our series on the Household Paper Trail:
#1: The DIY Household Hub Organizing Binder
#2: The Quick Sort Station
#3: Catalog and Phone Book Unsubscribe
#4: The Tickler File
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