Organizey Tips

[Ensign Steve]

I have very recently moved into a teeny tiny apartment. Designers qualify it as a micro-living-space because it is less than 500 sqft. As a result, I am on an involuntary organizing spree. I watch Clean Sweep and Mission: Organization daily, but, as a clinical procrastinator and poor time-manager, I could always use more ideas. Please fill this thread with your organizing tips. I'll start with two of my favorites.

Paperwork Filing:
I stole this tip from Good Housekeeping and it is a lifesaver. Rather than filing by category (insurance, utilities, etc.), I file by date. I have 24 file-folders, 1 for each month of the past two years, labeled with the month only without the year. Last month is in front, going backward from there. At the end of the month, I remove the last folder, which is the same month two years ago, and dump its contents into the shred pile. I do a cursory check to see if there's anything worth holding on to after two years, but usually there is not. Then I take the mess of bills and paperwork and shit from the top of my desk and put it in that folder and place it in the front. It has shaved hours from my filing time. Yay!

Clothing Drawers:
I made this one up myself. My mom taught me to put like items in individual drawers. One for underwear, one for shorts, etc. That meant every time I got dressed, I would need to open almost every drawer to put together one outfit for the day. Now, instead, I make my drawers by themes. I have an exercise drawer which has sports bras, spandex shorts, tank tops, athletic socks, and my gym card. I have another drawer I call 'summer' which has swimsuits, sunglasses, sarongs, board shorts, sunblock, and the key to my pool. My 'winter' drawer has long underwear, gloves, hats, chapstick.

Any of you geniuses have any tips you swear by to make your life and your STUFF more convenient for you?

:wave:

[Ymir's blood]

Since I live by my debit card, the receipts tend to pile up. In order to keep track of them, there are four envelopes. All the receipts from a month go in one envelope. When the the month changes, the envelope for the earliest month gets emptied and its contents get shredded. Then the new month's receipts go in the now vacant envelope.

[viscousmemories]

I solved all my filing problems by forfeiting all my assets and embracing poverty. Now... no files!

I picked up the habit of hanging all shirts (t-shirts included) in the closet, so the three drawer chest in my room holds all and only my socks and underwear, shorts and pants.

Plus my life consists of :posting:, so I don't have to dress often. That's helpful too.

[Ymir's blood]

I picked up the habit of hanging all shirts (t-shirts included) in the closet, so the three drawer chest in my room holds all and only my socks and underwear, shorts and pants.
That's not the way you do it. There's one pile for clean clothes, one for dirty and one for the ones you haven't sniffed yet!

[viscousmemories]

That's not the way you do it. There's one pile for clean clothes, one for dirty and one for the ones you haven't sniffed yet!
What are you a post literalist? By 'holds' I meant "is able to hold". :D

[Ensign Steve]

I picked up the habit of hanging all shirts (t-shirts included) in the closet, so the three drawer chest in my room holds all and only my socks and underwear, shorts and pants.

If only my closet were so large! My uniforms take up 1/3 of the whole damn thing, and I still need to pare it down some more to make room for Dorian's stuff.

[Socratoad]

I solved all my filing problems by forfeiting all my assets and embracing poverty. Now... no files!

I picked up the habit of hanging all shirts (t-shirts included) in the closet, so the three drawer chest in my room holds all and only my socks and underwear, shorts and pants.

Plus my life consists of :posting:, so I don't have to dress often. That's helpful too.

What the hell do you think you are describing? The next knock on your door will be from a lawyer specializing in plagiarism.

Thats my life you're describing :D

[seebs]

I keep financial records much further back, but I only keep the last year or so in my desk, the rest are in boxes. But that does imply storage space. Still, makes the feds happy.

[Ymir's blood]

I keep financial records much further back, but I only keep the last year or so in my desk, the rest are in boxes. But that does imply storage space. Still, makes the feds happy.
I keep my tax forms and W-2s pretty much forever. Since I don't claim any deductions and use the EZ form, the ATM receipts are pretty much worthless, I would imagine. :shrug:

[viscousmemories]

What the hell do you think you are describing? The next knock on your door will be from a lawyer specializing in plagiarism.

Thats my life you're describing :D
Dammit! So much for no files if I'm gonna be sued. :doh:

[seebs]

I keep financial records much further back, but I only keep the last year or so in my desk, the rest are in boxes. But that does imply storage space. Still, makes the feds happy.
I keep my tax forms and W-2s pretty much forever. Since I don't claim any deductions and use the EZ form, the ATM receipts are pretty much worthless, I would imagine. :shrug:

Ahh. I'm in the land of complicated deductions; for instance, money I spend on food while travelling for standards committee stuff is deductible.

[AspenMama]

Paperwork Filing:
I stole this tip from Good Housekeeping and it is a lifesaver. Rather than filing by category (insurance, utilities, etc.), I file by date. I have 24 file-folders, 1 for each month of the past two years, labeled with the month only without the year. Last month is in front, going backward from there. At the end of the month, I remove the last folder, which is the same month two years ago, and dump its contents into the shred pile. I do a cursory check to see if there's anything worth holding on to after two years, but usually there is not. Then I take the mess of bills and paperwork and shit from the top of my desk and put it in that folder and place it in the front. It has shaved hours from my filing time. Yay!

I like that! Thanks!! Although I think a separate file for tax stuff might be a good idea for me. I've taken to tossing my kids' artwork into a big box when I can't bear to throw something away. That's been helpful.

I've been throwing/giving away a lot of useless items in my kitchen lately. Why clutter it up with stuff I don't really ever use-- this includes miscellaneous pots and kitchen implements. Less stuff= less to deal with. So many people I know just keep putting things in boxes and storing them in garages, basements or even rented storage facilities. Pure silliness. I figure if you don't open a box in 2 or 3 years, then you don't really need it.

[Dingfod]

I've taken to tossing my kids' artwork into a big box when I can't bear to throw something away. That's been helpful.Imagine how much fun it will be to go through that stuff with your grandchildren a couple decades or so from now. My mother kept a lot of our stuff like that. I haven't been as good about it, and I'm married to a woman that gets in a throw everything away binge every couple years or so. I'm always asking her "Have you seen my...[blank]?" She aways says she hasn't, but I know what happened to it. I do have all my tax stuff all the way back to my first job in ninehtyfthylbudklone, is that excessive?

[JoeP]

I don't know about this (I figure if you don't open a box in 2 or 3 years, then you don't really need it). Pure utensil stuff, sure. But I have memories of several times regretting getting rid of something more personal, years later. I have boxes of childhood art stuff, and perhaps more unusual, shelves full of past work projects. Every few years I need to move them around, and I look at some and think, yeah that was cool or thank god I don't need to do that kind of work any more.

Otoh, I still have bank statements from when I was 19. But I never look at them. Maybe I could bear to toss them out?

[AspenMama]

But I have memories of several times regretting getting rid of something more personal, years later.


Me too.

But those boxes really should be labeled well and in the matter of photos, perhaps put in a scrapbook to be displayed somewhere. I still have a shirt that a guy gave me back in 1987--- an old penpal buddy in Germany that I finally met after several years of writing. I can't get rid of it. The relationship ended with a short little kiss and my never returning to Germany. But I want to keep the shirt still.

[Ensign Steve]

Mother FUCK! I entered one list item into the message window, and the rest of my message disappeared! :cry:

I'll try again, but I'm sure it was much more eloquent the first time I typed it.

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Imagine how much fun it will be to go through that stuff with your grandchildren a couple decades or so from now. My mother kept a lot of our stuff like that.

How funny you should mention that, considering how it relates to my project last night (well, not that funny, since it's in vein with the topic of the thread I started).

A year or so ago, my mom gave me a box with all kinds of stuff she had kept for me while I was growing up. Letters to Santa, awards, clips of me in the newspaper, programs from my concerts. I came across it last night during my organizing frenzy (read: purge). I had a lot of fun strolling down memory lane, and though it was emotional, it had to be pared down. Anything two dimensional and pretty could be put in a scrapbook (although I don't know why I bother since I have no kids, and honestly who else would be interested?), but the majority of it had to go.


Awards: They will fit neatly into one document storage box. I took diplomas and certificates out of their pretty presentation books and just kept the documents.
Postcards from Mom: She is really well travelled and I have a ton of them, but they'll fit perfectly into photo-sized storage boxes. Next time she comes out, I'll have her go through them and stroll down memory lane herself. She teared up when I told her I'd saved them all. (gag!)
Varsity letter: It's 2D enough to scrapbook, but the jacket is going to Goodwill.
Girl scout merit badges: Also 2D enough to scrapbook.
Baby booties: I'm going to use them at the center of a cute-as-shit bow for a baby present.
Trophy: Only one, and only if I can pry the plate off with a screwdriver and scrapbook it.