Putting It Together

Page Updated on April 08, 2007

You'll first need to get your supplies together. Then you'll need to set everything up. Don't worry about what sections you'll have just yet. Here's a list of what you'll need.

• 3-Ring Binder When you first start out, you may be perfectly fine with a 1/2 inch or 1 inch binder, but as you find more and more things to put in your home organizer, you'll may want to upgrade to something slightly bigger. I prefer a binder that has clear pockets on the front and back. I try to avoid affixing a label that needs to be peeled off or writing directly on the binder because I may wish to use that binder for something else in the future and don't want it permanently marked. By using a binder that has clear pockets on the front and back, I can simply insert a cover sheet and remove it when I decide to use the binder for something else. Also, choose a binder that blends in with the room you will put it in. For example, if you put it in your kitchen, which has a black and gray color scheme, a bright yellow binder might detract attention from the decor that you worked so hard to put together.
• Hole Punch Three-hole punches are best because they quickly let you punch all three holes at once in exactly the correct place, eliminating the need to line up your paper with your binder hole or with another piece of paper that has already been punched.
• Paper Assuming that you will be printing out pages from your computer, copy paper or printer paper would work best. You can use lined notebook paper, which has already been 3-hole punched, is cheaper, and has lines for writing in stuff by hand, in many printers, but some printers don't handle this paper very. Plus, lined notebook paper generally looks unattractive, and the lines can be distracting, especially on calendar and schedule pages that need as few distractions as possible.
• Tabbed Dividers These are necessary for dividing up your sections, and there may eventually be many sections. I like to have major sections and subsections. You can use large colored dividers (or tabbed page protectors or colored folders, both of which are larger than dividers) for major sections and dividers with clear tabs for subsections.
• Page Protectors These are plastic pockets. They're great for protecting pages that you don't plan on writing on or changing frequently, such as emergency pages or some individual information pages. They're also great for holding menus, brochures, and rebate forms or coupons that you still need to sort through. Some page protectors can even work with dry-erase markers, which means you can simply wipe off everything you've written when you're done and start all over again without having to print out more pages.
• Folders Folders must be 3-hole punched so they can be fastened into your binder. I like to have folders for keeping items that will only be in my home organizer temporarily. You can even put one folder in each major section to indicate that everything in that folder is related to that section. To do this, however, you will need to get a thicker binder because they tend to take up space. A drawback of folders is that they make it difficult to see your tabbed dividers and can get filled with "I'll just put it here for now" junk that builds up, making a very unorganized organizer. I usually just have just one folder in the back of my notebook to avoid this problem.
• Paperclips Paperclips have so many uses. You can use them to clip business cards onto the front of your binder, reminding you to enter the person's information into the address book. You can use one big paper clip to mark the current calendar, so you won't have to shuffle through calendar and schedule pages to find what you need to look at today. There are really two types of paperclips to choose from, plain old paperclips and paper clamps. Clamps require less fumbling, but they're thicker, so they take up more room. Pick whatever works best for you.