momAgenda Blog

How Do You Deal With the Dreaded Piles of Papers in the Kitchen?

February 8, 2010 2:40 PM

Today's challenge deals with one of the most profound banes of my existence. The piles of paper that exist in my house--most notably, my kitchen--would give you nightmares. Seriously, sometimes when I walk into my kitchen I can just feel my blood pressure rising, due to the clutter of all the paper that has piled up. You would think that I would have this one solved, as my company creates products that actually address this one head on. Ironic, isn't it.

So first, let's outline the problem. The sources of all the papers are varied; the kids' school folders are always filled with papers of course, such as artwork, corrected homework, or a note from the teacher. Then there is the mail, plus papers related to the house, and work, and the PTA, and the gym, and don't even get me started on all the kids'-sports-related papers that come into our house.

And yes, I do file many things in my AllInOne Folio--specifically, I use it for class lists, school and sports schedules, and takeout menus. But there are some papers that need to be saved temporarily, but are not long-term enough to be "AllInOne-worthy." Those go in, you guessed it, a pile in the kitchen. Then there is the mail. I sort through it and throw away all the garbage and put the rest in Hubby's pile in the kitchen (fortunately for everyone, he deals with the bills in our family). Hubby only sorts through his pile once a week, on Sunday nights, so it gets pretty high. So there are 2 piles already, and that's just off the top of my head.

This is a problem because it is not just messy and cluttered, it is inefficient. How can I be efficient at my job (my at-home job, that is) if I am constantly sorting through piles of stuff? There has to be a better way. Some people, I have heard, use bins for each family member, which is an idea I like, but unfortunately my kitchen does not have room for any bins. Some people use a bulletin board, and I can appreciate that but I think that a bulletin board can look just as messy as a pile of papers!

So my challenge to you is: How do you deals with the reams of paperwork that come into your house? Do you have a system in place to keep everything organized?

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