6 organizing products I've been using lately
In addition to my favorite products, I commonly problem-solve on the spot with organizing supplies. Below are six products (old favorites and one-offs) that solved six organizing problems within the last few months. I encourage people to first use what they have before turning to new products, but occasionally we do need something new. Buying products usually comes later in the organizing process, once we're 100% certain about what we need. Enjoy!
Like many of my clients, this one needed her essential files in plain view. Nearby, she has a beautiful set of handmade filing cabinets. Those hold finances, taxes, house, medical files, etc. This collator sits on a credenza near the office door to the kitchen. It holds the active files that can't be out-of-sight-out-of-mind:
Box USA Storage Trays
I recommended these box trays as a stop-gap for a virtual client who has a lot of paper sorting to do but not a lot of surface area.
Ikea Kuggis Bins
In an effort to recreate this beautiful office, I had a virtual client who is an interior designer purchase these lidded white bins for her home office shelves:
Like-It Portrait File Sorter
The sorters pictured below on the left maximize the usefulness of desktops or shelves. This client is in the process of organizing research for a book. Her sorter holds the records she currently needs closest to her desk which is about two feet away. (There are plenty more files where these came from in the file cabinets.) You'll see that she even moved the hanging folders, as these go back and forth between the shelf and the cabinet.
Learn all about the file boxes on the right in my most popular YouTube video, Don't Strive for an Empty Desk.
Bigso Stockholm Desktop File & Photo Storage Box
These boxes are old favorites that I also own. I commonly turn to the Container Store's Stockholm collection by Bigso when we have to display our storage. A work in progress, this client has a few more of these in her future. We started off with these two file boxes and two photo boxes:
Iris Plastic Bin with Lid, 4-pack - Color Pearl, Size Large
Below is a fun photo that shows my second favorite thing to organize: clothes! I wish we had taken a before picture. Trunks can be great storage for clothing, but, they're cavernous. Unfortunately, so many clothing trunks become unsightly mish-mashes of unfolded clothes. We dropped in four bins to give structure to the trunk at the foot of her bed. It required a folding lesson, but it's a small price to pay for all of this storage. We did not use the lids here:
New products are not always the solution to organizing problems! It's fun when a new one arrives and it is the answer, but it's usually time and focus that fix problems for good. If your head is swimming in product options, if you're unable to see how to best use the products you already own, or if you need support in talking and thinking through your things (paper or more), let's work together. Michelle and I would love to help.
