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Use Labeled Binder Clips to Keep Paper at Bay
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 1:00 AM on March 1, 2008
The Unclutterer blog posts a neat productivity tip that also serves to keep the dreaded Paper Monster at bay. By printing out tiny "To Do," "To Pay," and "To File" labels for binder clips and then hanging them off hooks inside a closet door, blogger Christine manages to both keep on top of her paper-related tasks and keep her counters free of that flat white stuff. She also suggests possibly color-coding the clips, or keeping oft-referenced paperwork in an easy-to-access location, for further gravity-defying organization. One more idea: What better way to keep your bills (if you haven't entirely converted to e-billing) together and in plain sight?
Tags: binder clips | clutter | organisation | paper
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Deprong Mori
Posted 3:42 AM 1/3/08
I do this with clear plastic folders. I have three labeled folders: "inbox" (to do), "file" (stuff I've already dealt with) and "shred" (confidential stuff I don't want to toss in recycling).
I like my system even better since it handles odd-sized pieces of paper without fuss.
Deprong Mori
It_Figures
Posted 3:42 AM 1/3/08
It's the simple, easily-effected, useful tips like this that turned me on to LH in the first place. I've done the hang-documents-up-on-binder-clips trick before, but I never made the mental leap to actually label the binder clips.
Good stuff.
It_Figures
AlmostVegetarian.com
Posted 5:22 AM 1/3/08
I do this with recipes.
I clip recipes ([almostvegetarian.blogspot.com]) for the week together and hang them off a cupboard door in my kitchen. It keeps me organized, I keeps me using up the items in my fridge so nothing spoils, and it keeps my recipes handy and clean when cooking.
Pretty good for something that costs less than a dime.
Cheers!
AlmostVegetarian.com
aeronaut
Posted 5:46 AM 1/3/08
We label binder clips on the flat end, clasp a bunch or maps or cad drawings and set them on a shelf. Now we can see from the side what's there.
aeronaut
Posco Grubb
Posted 7:22 AM 1/3/08
Awesome tip that I had not considered before. It combines two most excellent office supplies: the Brother labeler and big binder clips!
Posco Grubb
plasticfantastic
Posted 2:51 PM 1/3/08
Ok, this probably belongs to a previous post, but i'm too lazy right now. I 've clasped the sides of my desk with big binder clips and passed a few cables through those little handles. That way, stuff like my ipod USB or my external hd firewire are always at hand when i need them. Then I just leave them hanging off there, not making a mess of my desk. Or my floor.
plasticfantastic
RocktheDebit
Posted 3:16 PM 1/3/08
And here I thought I was clever by binder-clipping all of my tax forms together (aka "Hipster TurboTax").
RocktheDebit
longbourne
Posted 4:30 PM 1/3/08
Since I began reading Lifehacker, binder clips have risen in my cult-object rankings to somewhere between Moleskine and Obama.
longbourne
ShoplifterOfTheWorld
Posted 3:16 AM 2/3/08
@RocktheDebit: Ah, but do you use a punch labelmaker with red or neon tape?
Do they still make those? I want.
ShoplifterOfTheWorld
ShoplifterOfTheWorld
Posted 3:40 AM 2/3/08
@ShoplifterOfTheWorld: They do still make them: [keysan.com]
ShoplifterOfTheWorld