Before I begin, I would like to note that you can find some of the organizing products that I use in my desk drawers and office by clicking on the shop tab in the menu bar above and looking for that particular section, or by viewing the link that I will include at the end of this post.
Streamline any drawer in a flash by using acrylic organizers and only filling them with things that you actually use, like pretty office supplies. 😉 (Give me all the pretty office supplies!!) Does anyone else have an office supply obsession?
Are you overwhelmed by paper clutter? Set up a mini filing system to keep things organized. I have a secretary desk right next to my kitchen counter. I go through my mail every single day so it never has a chance to accumulate. I recycle all of the junk mail/envelopes and immediately place important papers in labeled files so I can find them easily when I need to refer to them. Paid bills go in a filing cabinet that is located in our office. Having a set space for all of the paper keeps my kitchen counters clutter-free and also creates an efficient household. I do the same for all of the school papers and flyers that come home.
Create a system that will make it easy for you to keep track of your incoming mail. I use this wooden file organizer to keep all of our papers organized until I have time to deal with them. As papers enter our home, they immediately get filed in the proper place. Junk mail gets tossed into our recycling bin as soon as I see it. This system keeps our counters clear and ensures that mail doesn’t accumulate into a giant pile.
We have a filing cabinet in our office that I use for long-term storage. I use hanging files and labeled file folders to keep everything organized. The labels are going to vary from household to household, but I recommend that you have a medical file (doctor, dental, vision) for each member of your family. Some other files that I think would be pretty standard: vehicle maintenance, home maintenance, bank, home/auto insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, utilities (cell, internet, etc), credit card, mortgage and property taxes. I know the option to go paperless is there, but this is what works best for me. I love having the ability to look everything over without having to type in user-names and passwords. I did try to go paperless once, and a bill got buried in my inbox and I paid it late. It was my first and only time a bill was paid late, so I switched back to paper and haven’t had a problem since.
The end-of-school year backpack dump can heighten anxiety levels. You know what I mean?? 😳 Holy Batman that’s a lot of stuff!! Pop by my Instagram highlights to see some of my sorting process. I trash the supplies that aren’t usable (why does that stuff even come home 🤔🤣) and I put everything else in our school supply closet to be used next year. Notebooks, papers and workbooks go into our recycling bin. I washed the backpacks and lunch bags in my washing machine and they came out looking brand new. (I’m all about reusing items we already have instead of buying everything brand new for the next school year. ✨) This process wasn’t so bad since I had a system in place and that’s what this blog is all about…… creating systems throughout your home so that you can accomplish tasks efficiently, leaving you more time for the fun things in life!
Parents: Are you wondering what to do with all of the school work that comes home? I have 2 open bins (seen here – the white bins with gray handles) in a closet that I place everything into on the day it comes home after I have reviewed it. This keeps what could turn into clutter out of sight. I save all of the papers until the end of each semester. Once I can confirm that my child received credit for all of their assignments, and that there weren’t any missing assignments that could have been overlooked, I recycle it all, with the exception of a few special projects. Each of my children have a special box (seen here – the larger gold polka dot boxes with gold lids) for all of the their keepsakes and for the projects we decide to keep.
This topic was brought to you per the request of a lovely reader and I love that! I want to share information that will be helpful to you. I’m working on creating new content….is there anything that you would like to see?
The task of organizing is something that genuinely makes me so happy and it has kept me calm in so many different facets of my life. I hope you enjoy my organizing tips/tricks + practical, affordable & achievable ideas for the home. Thank you for following along. I hope the information that I share is very helpful to you. ✨ ~ Colette
Are you interested in some of the products/accessories that I use in my office areas? You can shop some of my favorite items here. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
