Today’s article is from RealSimple.com and is a feature about one family’s secrets to staying organized:
Instead of traditional―and expensive―wood veneers, the custom-designed particleboard storage closets in the kids’ play area are covered with magnetic boards, mirrors, and light boxes (which can be attached to existing doors or an unfinished cabinet). Surface area that would otherwise sit idle becomes work space for tracing pictures, displaying art projects, engaging in wordplay, and generally getting creative. “The rule is, the kids pick up after themselves,” says Lauri. “But I think the only way you can really expect them to do that is if you make cleanup and storage simple. The different look of each door is a good visual cue for them, making it easier to remember what’s in each closet.”
Closet-door attachments: Magnetic boards, $13 each, ikea.com.
Loose-leaf binders in Lauri and Douglas’s office hold schoolwork and drawings, organized by year, for each child. “My kids are prolific artists,” says Lauri. “But when I walk into my office and there are stacks of papers, my urge is to chuck what’s not brand-new. Having this system right next to my desk enforces discipline, so I make myself put things away. Later I go through the books with the kids and say, ‘Do you want to keep this?’ ” A felicitous by-product of the system: The children can grab one of the binders themselves and instantly access work from last month―or last year―and celebrate the progress they’ve made. “It’s nice to get perspective and feel proud of how much you’ve learned and achieved.”
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Photos by David Prince
The Professional Family Manager says
I do the binder thing, too! I do it for everything from the kid's school stuff to our medical papers to my blog. It's so much easier than file folders for the things you reference much more frequently, because you can keep more together, easily divide the topics up, and not have papers sliding around. I love that I can grab a binder and go when I need to, or pull it out and reference stuff when I need to.
Now, if only everything else in my life was this organized!
Nikki says
Thanks for the link….I'm a sucker for organizing tips!
Heather @ Gerber Days says
Love Real Simple! They always have great tips! Glad you posted it!