Elizabeth, tossing the junk first is a great idea - DUH...

I have a small filing bin set up on my desk with folders for current action items, that I set up last year. I just need to get in the habit of using it

And I like the RAFT idea - I sorta follow that when I sort paper into piles, it's just that the F pile gets too big before I act on it

Hopefully, getting active on these forums again will motivate me and keep me accountable!

All common problems everyone and thanks for sharing! There are some great solutions too!

When you are housing things in a common area in your home like the living room consider investing in some magazine files that match and match your decor. There are some super cute ones available at a major super store that cost less than $1 each.

Also, if you are building shelves or have shelves, consider adding cabinet doors with a wire or glass insert to hide items. These doors are normally less expensive than solid doors.

And for a filing system for papers, Maria has an awesome system on her website.

As you all know, the biggest key is everything having a home to go back to. That way when you have ten minutes to catch up, everything has a predetermined place to return to.

Oh and for scrapbooking supplies, I love the idea of a swap! I too have lots of remainders of kits or pieces I was given that I will never use, but just haven't given away yet. I'm sure a school's art department would take them or a senior center or Girl Scout troop.

We do have a separate office area, which we call the study, although it is too full. I gave away a two-drawer file cabinet in it a couple of months ago, but it is still too full.

For the moment, my challeges aren't strictly organizational. What with holiday cleanup, MAJOR and extensive computer problems, and more recent blizzards, etc., our routine, such as it was, has been seriously disrupted. I'm just starting to post a bit after a few weeks with no Internet or no time to do it. And I have to get cracking on taxes and resume systematic jobhunting, as well as helping DS with his jobhunting.

Stuff is around, such as mittens and gloves. I've had to dry, wash, and dry snow gear over and over, and spend hours outside doing things to protect the house. Our shovel broke, so I have to try to find a new one . . .

Anyway, for me the first step is to get back to a "groove.' Probably the next step in the study is to file a stack of papers in the To Be Filed box, and then clear extraneous stuff out of all the rooms.

While we had over 2 feet of snow on our roof, I hesitated to spend much time in the attic, for fear of somehow triggering a crack or leak. Now I need to go up there, confirm everything is sound beyond the spot-checks I've done this week, and put the rest of the Christmas (!) boxes away.

I prepared donations for a charity, but because of the snow, it didn't come, so want to find a spot for those boxes to live temporarily.

We got no mail for 5 days, and I expect an avalanche soon. I hope the bills will come soon so they can be paid.

Anyway, I hope the rest of you have your act more together than I do. I may not post much because I'll be catching up, but I do think of you all often, and hope everything is going well.

Schools (art departments) and senior centers will often take donations of scrapbooking supplies and be very thankful for them.

I love Maria's paper helper, RAFT. She also has an excellent filing system you can buy. Its ready to use and just requires a little time to incorporate your items.

Finally, the biggest and most common challenge I'm hearing from above is that your office spaces are in common areas in your home.

I suggest a few things for this.
1. Make sure you like the look of your office supplies (making a small investment can make a big difference)
2. Buy boxes and paper sorters that are easy to use. If they are not, you won't take the time to file papers and they will become big piles on the desk and an eye sore in your home.
3. Keep extra supplies in a linen or hall closet and keep only what you need NOW in the office area.
4. Purchase something like a screen to cover the area when its not in use so you don't have to look for it.

My biggest challenge would be an office space period!! I have a small corner shelf in our room that has holds our bills, chequebooks, receipts, office supplies (envelopes, stamps, etc.). In a small filing cabinet is where we keep our tax, mortage and other info. I would love to have an actual desk and an area set up, but it works for us now. I am pretty good at shredding things promptly and keeping them up to date, just need to work on having everything in one area. I have a laptop and usually sit at the couch with it, so I bring my bills there when paying, etc. Things like taxes and other time consuming things I do at the kitchen table.

I'm finding that even with a "dedicated" office space - a separate room - it is still overfilled. This is because we don't really have enough storage. Yet I recall several years ago when this room was set up, it wasn't so crowded. So I need to study where the extra things came from and what I can do with them.

I still give things away all the time. A couple of years ago when a neighbor was writing a book, I gave her file boxes in which to store information and draft manuscripts, and told her she could keep them. I just gave some things to a local school. Yet I'm feeling more inundated than ever.

I know that when the taxes are done, two storage boxes - my 2009 files, including a number of folders used to complete the return - will go upstairs, and it won't feel so cramped.

I can move some things out of the study, but then another place will be too full. My bedroom also has too much in it, since it winds up being a catchall when I'm working in other spaces, and I had started redoing the attic a bit here and there. There is never enough space!

I commend all of you who have managed to create workable office areas, especially those who don't have a separate room.

I too need help for the tiny bdrm I have designated 'office.' The house sitter left and the room is empty except for furniture [daybed, 2 drawer file cabinet, computer stn.,rolling chair, 3 shelf bookcase, sm. TV.] It feels serene so the vibe is only put back the items that are used nearly daily. The bookcase will surely fill itself over time but starts with the printer's paper 'supply' box [merely a plastic magazine holder, painted like the wall].

Since there are no desk drawers, I've substituted an 'office-in-a-box' for supplies like scissors, cello tape, ruler, pens/pencils, hilighters/markers, stapler,brads, paperclips etc.

The 3rd challenge is to set the computer stn. at a 90 degree angle to the window to capture natural light and make use the power bar while avoiding a visual or physical jumble of wires.

Simplicity, regarding the papers, have you thought about scanning them and storing them on your computer. I know that the irs now recognizes scanned documents as proof if they are needed. Of course there are some things you can toss like marriage certificates, titles, etc, but the majority could be shredded after scanning and then you would free up a lot more room. Chef has been doing that, and I like the idea that when I finally get the time and motivation to get to it, I have the ability to clear completely a 5 shelf metal storage unit and a half of another in my laundry/store room!

As far as the space challenge for all, don't forget to go vertical and rethink furniture uses. I have a table style desk that just did not work as a desk in my office. It now sits at a 90 degree angle to the big old fashioned metal 60's desk I have. (I must have drawers for supplies as the visual only slows me down). That desk table now holds my laser printer/scanner/fax and my color printer, the laptop I use all the time and the one that still works(it started working again after I had to buy a replacement one...of course), so I can put a movie in it while working in the office for noise. Under that is a 2 drawer lateral file cabinet which holds as much as 2 regular ones, my shredder and the trash bin. I bought a couple of metal storage shelves with the mesh type drawers that stack on each other and they are in the closet holding overflow of stuff acquired but not yet ready to part with.

Yes I am still rearranging, but as I continue the sort, declutter, and organize process, I keep finding more things to get rid of, stuff that last year or even 6 months ago, I could not bear the thought of parting with.

My biggest challenge is to just keep plodding along and moving forward to keep tossing, reorganizing and reevaluating....the freedom from 'stuff' is becoming addictive!!

Beaglelady, the tax records go upstairs to the attic, so they aren't much of a problem. The biggest storage issues for me are everything else (limited closet space, and no basement or garage). Now that DS has finished school, I can slowly but surely go through a lot of his papers that I still have, and get rid of most of them. In terms of other records (say old bank statements), he is my designated shredder, and that helps keep the quantity of material under control.

Honestly, I can't see myself scanning hundreds of documents, whatever they are. It would take a long time, and I would have trouble finding them. Maybe it's a generational thing. I don't have particular trouble with paper, and I have a decent filing system. It seems to me that scanning would just add an extra step, but if that works for you or others, more power to you.

A separate issue, which I may address in another thread sometime, is just getting to things. I seem to be so often derailed. I'll make a plan or a list, and not accomplish anywhere near everything I intend. I'll not belabor that point here. But I think all of us bump into the reality of a 24-hour day, when we wish it could be longer so we could get more done.