Comments on: Reader suggestion: Staying organized with binder clips

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:25:23 +0000

Awesome, awesome, awesome….I just read this one last night and put it into action today. It seems that in our family of 2 kids and 2 adults we always have papers flying everywhere. Inevitably they end up clogging the kitchen table. This will be perfect. I hung up 4 binder clips with names today and instantly took care of some cluttered papers. thanks for the great idea.

By: spark

spark — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:00:12 +0000

How did I miss this article? I’ve been using this system for years and had I known others were unaware of it’s awesomeness, I would have suggested it somewhere to others!

What I really enjoy about this system is that you can hang/file several stacks of documents in a very small area. For example, I was working in a very small, uninspiring office for a few years and above the desk (which faced a CMU wall) were cheap wooden planks for shelving. I kept a row of push pins in the edge of the shelves about 1 - 2 inches apart. Then, when you place the clips with papers, you allow them to overlap but still allow for a snippet of information of the contents within the clip. I could keep 20 or more of those binder clips of information handy and at eye level for easy identification and retrieval.

You can also implement the overlapping/snippet method in a vertical manner as well. You can keep the clips in line vertically or stagger them so that they all hang vertically but in a diagonal fashion….etc. Whatever fits your workspace pinup area or preference.

I still use this system at home and work. It’s also incredibly cheap to implement, perfect for limited office budgets! Thanks for posting this great suggestion!

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:14:58 +0000

I love binder clips so much that I’ve even incorporated them into the decorative design in my home office. Wanting to find a simple window treatment that would match the black and neutral decor in my office, I used large binder clips to clip three black, textured placemats to the top of my wood blinds. I then removed the silver clip that allows you to open the binder clips. It looks great and was a very inexpensive solution.

Thanks for the inspiration.
Heather
ABQ, NM

By: C. Spencer

C. Spencer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:54:10 +0000

Oh my gosh, you are my kind of people! I love great geek tips like this. My husband views me as an alien life source. I safety pin my socks togather before I wash them. Live long and prosper! cec

By: KnittingFit

KnittingFit — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:24:59 +0000

OMG!!!!
This is SOOOO going into action this weekend. I was just telling my 21you step-daughter that I wish our kitchen table had a big hole in the middle with a trash can under it to catch all the crap that accumulates. She was ROFL….she said that “The Crab Shack” in Charleston, SC has tables like that! Now I don’t have to drive all the way to SC to steal a fishy smelling table!!!
Thanks for a GREAT organizing idea…..this is one that I know we will use and, more importantly, STICK WITH!!!
-Dawn in Central Texas

By: Luyi

Luyi — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:28:12 +0000

This is a great article! My…desk is sadly cluttered…and my window sill…and on top of my drawers as well.

By: wch

wch — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:42:49 +0000

It gets better - use a small white sheet of paper (taped to the flat end) and the transparent tape that you can write on with a pencil, and you’ve got an erasable filing system that you can stack vertically. No silver sharpie necessary.

I did this to my USB thumb drive, so I can write what files are on the thing…

By: Matt @ Corporate Hack

Matt @ Corporate Hack — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:03:51 +0000

Love this - great idea! I hate paperwork, and I hate it taking up space on my desk… what a quick and easy way to get it up and out of the way.

Thanks!

By: Almost Vegetarian

Almost Vegetarian — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:51:25 +0000

I do this with recipes.

I clip recipes (http://almostvegetarian.blogspot.com/2007/02/cookbooks-in-kitchen-last-place-they.html) 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!

By: ChristineB

ChristineB — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:24:51 +0000

We use binder clips to hold bills and hang them from magnetic hooks on the side of the fridge.. In fact, I use binder clips for for everything… keeping bags closed; to marking the date in my teacher plan book; hanging up dishwashing gloves under the sink; on hangers to keep strappy dresses from falling off the hangers; clipping outgoing mail on the mailbox for the mailman; hanging posters; keeping pairs of gloves together-I love those little guys! We should have a contest for creative binder clip usage

By: Meg from The Bargain Queens & All About Appearances

Meg from The Bargain Queens & All About Appearances — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:08:57 +0000

I love that idea!

I recently fell in love with binder clips when I was creating a mail sorting station. I put bins on a book shelf, but then couldn’t find our labelmaker. So, I wrote labels on index cards and used binder clips to clip them to the bins. As much as I love my labelmaker, these are staying because they are easy to read and easy to move if I change my mind about which bins I want to use or how I want to label them.

By: Elle Rayne

Elle Rayne — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:13:20 +0000

This is a neat idea. I like having things at eye level.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:01:11 +0000

I’m so glad people liked the idea!!! I use it at work too, for our lists of phone extensions and similar kinds of info) and have found it to be helpful.

By: Monica Ricci

Monica Ricci — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:02:06 +0000

I have long been a fan of binder clips and have even blogged about them in the past. They are so handy for so many things. I tend to like my active and pending papers out where I can see them, so I like the black binder clips because you can write directly on them with a silver Sharpie.

~Monica

By: Kasey Boyd-Smith

Kasey Boyd-Smith — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:10:22 +0000

Genius!!! Even though I prefer to keep all papers hidden from prying eyes, this is probably more effective and will keep me more on schedule.

By: Mer

Mer — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:30:39 +0000

I love binder clips. I used to use them to keep production schedules and hot action items organized next to my desk. Even though I now work at home, I still use them for all sorts of things. I love to use them to keep receipts together until I need to act on them.

By: Louise

Louise — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:28:40 +0000

This is brilliant! I’m going to start using this method immediately.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:33:52 +0000

I do something similar, but instead of binder clips I used clipboards. I got them at Staples when they had them for 99 cents. They work great to keep things organized before you file them away, mail them, scan them, etc.

By: H...

H... — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:19:55 +0000

i do that at work. I am dealing quite bit of paperwork. it helps to keep papers from mixing up. I do not label them on binders tho. I know by their appearances.

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:02:46 +0000

I too love it…seeing my papers helps me remember to do something with them sooner. Having 4 children with slips and papers for school, this is a great idea to add to our family “activity” board. Much easier….can’t wait to try it….might have to break down and get one of those nifty dynamo label makers…