Get Organazized
Photo by See Jane Work/Bob’s Your Uncle
I hope the clutter in my apartment is quaking in its booties because this is the year I will GET ORGANIZED. Okay, so I make the same iron-fisted pronouncement every year, but there’s a whiff of something in the air of 2007 that fills me with resolve that my cat should no longer be the hapless poster boy for “Bless This Mess” and that I should be plagued no more by multiplying piles of “stuff” of indeterminable purpose and origin. It’s time to call for some serious organizational backup—you can file that under “B” for “Bring It On, Suckers.”
 It’s an encouraging sign of the times when you can just waltz into your friendly neighborhood Staples and pick up one of several recycled filing options, such as these folders by Envirotech made from 100 percent post-consumer content. Plus, the office-supply store wins extra brownie points for hawking its own line of recycled hanging file folders, also made from 100 percent post-consumer paper. Sure, they’re not anything fancy, but they’ll get the job done, nevertheless. ($10.99 for a box of 100, Staples)
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 Rebinder recycled rebinders are made from 35 to 38 percent post-consumer recycled cardboard and are a far more eco-friendly alternative to toxic vinyl binders. If your binder gets beat up from age and overuse (or bug squishing … it happens), simply unscrew and recycle your old cover, then order a replacement cover for less than the cost of a completely new binder. Rebinders are assembled by Goodwill Industries of Tacoma, Washington, as well as Skills Inc. of Seattle. The latter provides “quality vocational services to disabled and disadvantaged members of our communities through education, training, and job opportunities.” Also available: recycled divider tabs, pocket dividers, pocket folders, CD sleeves, and kraft label sheets. (Varies by type and quantity, Sustainable Group)
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 I had a PDA, back in the day, for one New York minute, but I find that nothing keeps memory loss and inertia in check quite like a good ol’ fashioned notepad with pages you can satisfyingly rip off. Blissen offers limited edition Paper Pad Cozies made with mostly vintage and leftover fabrics, as well as a 5″ x 8″ recycled paper pad for all your to-do-list-making needs. I have to add that Jill Bliss’s Redwood Forest Datebook, printed on recycled paper with soy inks, rocks my world—totally worth the special trip to Brooklyn. ($28, Blissen)
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 Corral every single rogue piece of paper with one of Bigso of Sweden’s desktop files, which are assembled from Swedish-made recycled fiberboard and covered with book cloth. You can also get the matching magazine box and something called the “drawing” box, presumably for artsy types. I’ve also spotted these at a physical Container Store for less cash. ($30, See Jane Work)
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 Doctor’s appointments and other bits of paper of vague importance do no one any good lying around the coffee table (or, in my case, stashed in some novel or magazine until I forget it was ever there). These black bulletin boards from The Container Store are made from recycled rubber. Make things stick with pushpins made from 90 percent post-consumer plastic. (From $24.99, The Container Store)
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Summer said,
January 16, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Oooh. I like that black bulletin board made out of recycled rubber! Good luck with the organizing WW!
Dustywheat said,
January 16, 2007 at 3:54 pm
I have been looking for a way to store my 12×12 paper without having to shove it all away. (you’d be surprised at how much stuff gets acquired with crafts…)
genie said,
January 16, 2007 at 4:16 pm
All of the “things” in the world to help you organize will never solve the problem - too much stuff! As a genetically condemed member of the unorganized club, I have found a place that helps… http://www.flylady.com/ No affiliation other - I just have a cleaner freezer now. Good luck to everyone else with this condition!
Brianne said,
January 18, 2007 at 7:52 am
Be cautious with staples senorita. Last time I checked their office paper was made from old growth trees. Also, I’ve been gone for a month and your, like, so totally, the only blog I missed.
Dustywheat said,
January 18, 2007 at 11:20 am
I did my waltz through staples yesterday on my lunch 1/2 hour. I didn’t find the 100% recycled hanging folders, just 10% . Also they do have 100% recycled file folders in pretty colors, but I figured it was better to use the plain ones I already have…
The Worsted Witch » Small Biz Resources said,
April 5, 2007 at 12:10 pm
[...] Related article: 1. Get Organazized [...]