Home Organization Tools To Tame The Paper Beast

Paper is one of those things that always seems to overflow in any home. Piles of mail, piles of schoolwork, piles of magazines, piles of receipts, piles, piles everywhere. So how do you get these piles under control? A few home organization tools can rescue you from your overflowing paper problem.A desktop filer is one of the home organization tools that can really help with your mail problems. This one has become a lifesaver for me and has worked with my home organization clients as well. It works great for keeping my bills and mail organized. Some files that might help you get started: action (bills that need immediate attention), to read (magazines, letters, newsletters), to file (bills that have been paid, magazine articles you want to keep, financial statements). Those are some of the basic files that can at least help you get started. You know what kind of mail you get and what you need to do with it. Just keep logical groupings in mind as you create your files. Word of warning though: do not make too many or you will have a hard time figuring out where things need to go. The goal here with this home organization tool is to help you simplify, not complicate things.A mailbox station is another one of those great home organization tools that can help you tame your paper problem. Create a mailbox for every person in your family. This can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make it. If you want to get the whole family involved (and hopefully get their buy-in to use it), have them make their own mailbox or decorate their own mailbox. A paper sorter, shoeboxes, a plastic container with drawers are all excellent home organization tools to use for this. In this mailbox put whatever mail the person receives, notes for them, reminders, even money now and then as an incentive to be sure to check it. This can work great for your kids too because they can put permission slips in your mailbox and you can put the signed ones back in their mailbox. Just be sure to make it a house rule that everyone checks their mailbox at least once a day. This only works as a home organization tool if you get everyone in your house to actually use it.