The Lazy Paper Manager

Are you trying to figure out how to keep urgent papers from piling up on your kitchen counter? Did you say bulletin board? Don't even think it! That may be Pottery Barn's solution to organization but it's not ours.

I want you to do something for me. Walk over to your refrigerator. Is this where you write phone messages? Post soccer schedules? Hang wedding invitations? Store coupons? Not anymore. Ok, now you're going to take a deep breath and clear everything off. You don't need this chaos staring down at you every morning as you eat breakfast. You don't need a daily reminder of all those recipes you haven't tried and weddings you didn't attend. If this is where you keep family photos then you need to visit the photo isle at Target. You can buy frames and books for just this sort of thing!

Take all these items from the front of your fridge and your counters and sort them into a three-ring binder that will be your new Lazy Paper Manager. I use a cheap binder with my kid's drawings decorating the cover. I have to replace the binder once a year because it falls apart with all the use it gets. I use photo album pages to keep small items such as coupons and stamps and page protectors for regular sized pieces of paper. Each section is labeled with a self adhesive index tab stuck right to the page protectors. If you are really cool then can make an adorable scrapbook quality Lazy Paper Manager cover and slip it in the front.

Phone - I print out a list of all my personal numbers and on the other side is all the business numbers that I frequently use. Every time I use the phone book I jot down the new number on my phone list and then I never have to look it up again. Every six months I add the new numbers on the computer and print out another copy. With all your numbers on one page you can keep a copy in the car, your wallet, and purse and in every room where you use the phone. Now that I have a cell phone I keep most of these numbers on my phone.

Action - This is where I put anything that I need to reference in the next few days or weeks. This is where I put wedding invitations, soccer schedules, driving directions etc. I note the time and date of the event on my calendar. If the paper has more information on it than I want to copy into my calendar then I hole punch it and insert it here. This saves me from having to copy all the information into my calendar. After the event I toss the paper. Papers shouldn’t stay more than a couple months in this section.

If you have older children that are busy with school and activities you might need a separate section or a whole different notebook for each child. This is where they will put papers that need your attention.

Club – This is where I keep aerobics, swimming and tennis schedules and club information.

Church – This is where I keep my Church group calling lists and assignment information; scouting, visiting teaching, volleyball, etc. Add or delete sections as you like. You need to find a paper system that works for you. There are so many books written on the subject that you are sure to find one you like. My Lazy Paper Manager has worked so well for me these last four six years that I couldn't live without it now. Others report that it works for them too so if you are looking for a change, give it a try!