1 crazy bad new use for an old thing & 1 good one
These two solutions are from Family Circle.com: 55 Ways to Clear Clutter. One is good and one is bad.
Our first tip today is the good one. “Run out of desktop space? Take a cue from the doctor’s office and mount a plastic over-the-door file organizer to post memos, school notices, and outgoing mail.” — Ellen Phillips, author of Kick the Clutter (Rodale).
There’s a finite amount of counter/desk space so this solution frees up some real estate. I love this solution (especially) in acrylic for Organics and Smarts because it’s clear, it’s open and visual. Classics and Funs, I would steer clear of acrylic ones, get wood or colored plastic ones so that you’re not seeing all of the paper. And get more than one. No matter what your type, when it comes to organizing or storage, you’ll always need more space than you think.
Now, on to what I think is an odd, albeit crafty, idea. “Drill holes in the lids of glass jars and screw into the bottom of a shelf above your desk. Use for paperclips, thumbtacks, and rubber bands.” — Sue Whitney, co-author of Junk Beautiful (Taunton)
I see where Sue is going with this idea. It reuses something you already have and doesn’t use up desk space. To make it look good, I’d use the same jars to create a more cohesive look and then line them up under the shelf.
I start thinking it’s an odd idea when I envision how all of the different personality types might interpret it. My husband (Classic Freedom) would do it with whatever jars he had on hand regardless of size/shape and then he’d affix them randomly to the shelf and think it looked good until I came in and asked why he put the largest one above the printer making it impossible to use the jar or the printer. Or my sister’s home (Organic Freedom and a Smart Freedom living together with two kids), the bottom part of the jars would slowly disappear and they’d be left with jar lids screwed to the bottom of a shelf and in 10 years time someone will ask why they screwed used lids to their bookshelf.
I don’t know, do jars take up THAT much room on your desk? If the answer is yes (really??), I think Organic Structure might be the ones to best pull this off (it’s a visual solution so you can SEE your paper clips and you’re likely to have the initiative to implement it). If you’re a Classic or a Fun, heed our design advice above. If you’re an Organic or a Smart, just reuse some glass jars for your office items, and put them on your desk. (Katie says that as an Organic Freedom, this seems like a LOT OF TROUBLE for LITTLE reward! Plus, screwing them back on would always be a big pain in the patoot!)