apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I really like that dish.

I have the exact piece of corningware in the same size.

I have it too! It was my mom's.

I just bought that dish at a yard sale. But I don't have a lid
:-(

Ummmmm..... am I missing something here? What's wrong with simply filing alphabetically. No need for a TOC, just remember your ABC's and file in order.

receipts is misspelled; it is "i" before "e" except after "c"

;)

i'm with daily nuance... confused about what organization it adds, other than an extra place to get the exact same information that is printed on the tabs on the files...

I have the coordinating mixing bowls (my mom's), and thank you Lady J, the spelling was driving me nuts!

I don't agree with alphabetical. Files should be in the order you need to refer. I don't know what you need a table of contents for, though. Just label your hanging folders ... I have a large "paper" problem as anyone without an office at home might actually have, but I wouldn't have so many categories. For the list shown above, I might have some hanging divided pockets, so for instance, all insurances would be in one of them, and divided because you have several kinds and enough papers of each kind that you see fit to separate them from one another, as opposed to just filing them all under "Insurance."

I mean, executing a filing system depends entirely on how many pieces of paper go in each file and how specific you think you have to be. Then you put your main files before lesser used files, because the alphabet doesn't always make the most sense.

Then I always like to, and it's probably the wrong thing, but, "pre-file," put papers I just had or might need very soon, into a file in the front of the drawer. To be filed, or might be needed again so I don't want to lose this piece of paper by burying it. Filing is the ability to find that piece of paper again anyway, but I also consider it to be a burial ground, binding it in its book, so to speak. You can find it again in the future, but if someone calls, you need this paper in your hand, putting all the immediate things in one spot helps you put your hands on things you can anticipate needing to recall within a few days. "Top of the pile."

"Receipts" AND "maintenance" are spelled incorrectly here. What gives?

maybe they know people enjoy catching spelling/grammatical errors. They certainly caught my eye, like a laundromat sign hung upside down.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/12/99-grammar/

We have become so digitized that the idea of visual organization for quick scanning seems almost quaint. But, gee, it works.

My filling system is alphebetical in terms of I name the folder for which it contains, such as Qwest for phone/DSL and file it under Q and to further distinguish things, I have a single drawer for those types of files, and a seperate area at the front for things like the maintenance folder for my truck, taxes, any papers I need to hold onto, like my rental agreement etc, the rest get filed alphabetically in the back, then I have a 2 drawer filing cabinet, the top one is for things like owners manuals, and the like while the bottom one is the lesser important items, also filed alphabetically by the first letter of what that file is.

As for virtually filing on the PC, I tend to file and then subfile there, so for instance, all of my raw photos from my digital camera get a main folder w/ the name of what the DVD will be called, plus the dates on that DVD from the first photo to the final photo and it's also the file I check for total size so when it gets as close to 4.7GB as I can without going over, I can then burn the DVD in one session and inside that folder, I have broken them down by the season/year, so for this first DVD, I have fall 2007, Winter 2008 etc and in each I have labeled the resulting folders by date and subject, ie, "walk, Oct 24, 2007, Broadway development" and any random images get put in a "fall misc" folder and each season will have its own misc folder. I know it sounda a bit anal, but it will make life easier when I need to find things.

The big problem is staying on top of filing everything in a timely manner. :-)

I have that Pyrex container!!!!

I just bought the exact Pyrex container at the flea market this weekend. I have matching mixing bowls with the same "butterprint" motif.

It would be much faster to get a label maker and just make nice printed labels for all of your files. Open the drawer, and you have just what you need - a quick visual reference.

If you don't know what drawer to open, your filing system is probably too complicated. Just go A-Z and label the drawer accordingly.

Sorry, but I think a table of contents is a terrible idea, because you'd have to update it every time you add a new file. If it's that big a pain to create a new file, you'll likely file stuff in marginally appropriate categories (e.g. putting life insurance stuff with car insurance because you have a file for the latter but not the former) or worse, just leave it in a "to file" pile on top. That defeats the point - it should be as quick to file something as it is to retrieve it, or you won't use it.

good point, geektronica.

"Ummmmm..... am I missing something here? What's wrong with simply filing alphabetically. No need for a TOC, just remember your ABC's and file in order."

If you have a couple of filing boxes or cabinets, it's easier to put a TOC on the outside, for example, so you'll know which cabinet to look in when you're looking for a certain thing. That's how I interpreted it, I guess!

Hey, why stop with a "TOC"? All it takes is a couple of additional simple steps! One: Jot down a list of every piece of paper in your filing cabinet. Two: Carry it with you wherever you go. Optional: Make copies and keep them in your workplace, car, and parents' home. Don't forget to add to the list each time you file something, or cross out whatever has been purged! So simple and easy - you will always know exactly what's in your files!