How many times have you wished that there is a way to prevent your in-tray from overflowing? Or do you often wish that family gatherings and reunions would happen less frequently because you're tired from scrambling around looking for your misplaced recipes? Do you hate school projects because looking for craft papers is a waste of your time? If you are a woman with a demanding career and an equally demanding home life, you know the value of being organized. And yes, there is an efficient but simple trick to being organized and it's very inexpensive. Do you remember those binders, book binders, loose leaf binders, and other binder clips you used in college? They are not just for school anymore. With a bit of creativity, use them to organize your home and office.



Let's start with your different odds and ends. Collect the photos you want displayed but had no time framing and put them between acetate sheets. Having them laminated is also an option. Clip on a binder clip at the base and you have an instant picture holder. Those binders, book binders, loose leaf binders, clear book pages, and loose leaf pages are good for preserving paper memorabilia, scrapbooking and making journals. Newspaper clippings you intend to keep (news about your son's team winning a Little League game, news about your father receiving an award) can be placed in a loose leaf binder with clear book pages. Another option is to paste them on scrapbook pages, add a few captions and bind the lot with a book binder. A great gift idea is a journal. Make it by binding colorful loose leaf pages with a loose leaf binder. Adding designs on the cover is an interesting option. Binders are also great for keeping magazines intact. Arrange them in piles according to title and bind old volumes together. Label binders with magazine names of the and publishing dates of the issues inside.

Moving on to more important matters; binders, book binders, loose leaf binders, and file boxes are great space savers. Old office documents which you think might be handy for future reference can be kept in file boxes. Remember to bind them first in a book binder and label them with the contract or project name. Brainstorming session results can be kept in loose leaf binders. Arrange current documents in book binders or loose leaf binders. These binders can also save you time and space at home. Collect your favorite family recipes and keep them in a file box in the kitchen. Placing them in binded clear book pages is another idea. Pasting them in a homemade album of loose leaf binder and scrapbook pages is also a great idea. Adding pictures and anecdotes will make your collection more personal. Another time saver is to keep all art supplies in a big file box.

Organizing need not be an expensive or time consuming activity. With a few binders, book binders, loose leaf binders and creativity, you can have more space in less time. The less time it takes you to find your stuff, the less stressful your life will be.