True Confessions Wednesday: I Know What I Want

True Confession #19: I want what I want because I know what I need.

For the past few weeks, I've been trying to figure out how to create an unobtrusive drop spot for my school folders that is true to my styles. While the fact that it's a drop spot (or it will be) makes it a perfect fit for my drop and run organizational style, the idea of unobtrusive is a challenge for my I need to see it personal style.

I've been at this long enough to have learned that when I know what I want the end result to be, but I'm not sure how to get there, I need to be patient. Turning all the related questions over in my mind allows me to consider all the possibilities until one snaps into place.

And it almost always does.

When I shared my dilemma with my husband, he immediately suggested my office, which sounds perfectly logical coming from someone with an I know I put it somewhere organizational style, but fails both the drop and run and I need to see it tests. My office is as far from the door I use to enter the house as it could possibly be, making that location neither accessible nor visible. While my drop spot needs to be somewhat tucked away so things don't look cluttered, it also needs to be close to where I pack up (and drop) my supplies each day.

Long story short, I determined a potential location on Saturday and on Sunday, I suddenly knew exactly which tool I needed to make things work. As I write this, I'm awaiting its arrival, looking forward to seeing how it works. I suspect I'll end up taking apart what's already there and relocating some of it, but that's not such a bad idea. The space I've identified is one of those where the things that live there landed there and just stayed. Rethinking their location and giving them intentional homes might be a bonus I hadn't considered when I started thinking about my drop spot. 

One of the benefits of learning how to work with our styles is that we get good at figuring out what we need to make a space work, I've reached the point where I know precisely what I want and what I don't want because I know my styles. While it might take me a little bit of brainstorming before that lighting bolt answer arrives, once that happens, I usually arrive at a long-term solution that everyone can live with. I rarely waste money on tools that don't work and I often improve the spaces surrounding the target area as well.

When it comes to organizing by STYLE, I've found that practice does make perfect -- or at least it provides a shortcut to easy upkeep.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys for Creating Your Reference Spot

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

The school district in which I live started school last week, which means parents here are already drowning in those first week of school papers and announcements. While a countertop or table is a good place for your family drop spot, you'll want to create style-appropriate storage for the things you'll want to hang onto for reference--school calendars, lunch menus, field trip information, etc.

While your styles should dictate what this long-term reference spot should look like, function should lead this charge. Because most of the information that goes into this reference spot will be rendered obsolete in a short time, what matters most is ease of access.

Here are a few things to consider as you create this sanity-saving system.

Who's the primary user of this system? If you are, then your styles trump everyone else's. Like binders? Use one. Prefer accordion folders, a fancy clipboard or a family bulletin board? Go for it.
Be careful, though -- this also makes you the disseminator of information. If you want others to contribute to and access this storage, you may need to make it friendly to other styles as well. Want to have it both ways? Create a system that works for you and a drop spot that works for everyone else.

How will you manage the flow of papers? Are you a keeper or a tosser? Not you personally, but your style. If you write information down, then toss the form or flyer, you won't need much paper storage, but if you keep the original as a reminder until its date has passed, you'll need to make provisions for filing or posting the paper. Function is key, but let your styles be your guide.

Where will you put it? This goes back to who's using the system. If you're a Type A organizer, you probably have a nice file drawer somewhere with all of this information tucked inside and labeled, but if you're an I need to see it or I know I put it somewhere person, the words "drawer" and "inside" just made you cringe. If you want your family members to look up their own information, your system will look different than it will if you want to be the information clearinghouse.

No judging here--I can identify with the information clearinghouse model. If I know where things are at all times, they don't get lost. Be honest with yourself about how you want this to work, not how you think it should work. If you're most comfortable being the keeper of the originals, then use that part of your style to make yourself the back-up--an external hard drive of sorts. Encourage your family members to create their own parallel systems, with you as their safety net. This can be a great way to help kids build organizational systems of their own.

If your child's school has gone paperless, the solution is even simpler. Bookmark key locations on  your phone or computer or, if you prefer, designate a home for a cheat sheet where you can write all this down. You can use a white board, a single sheet of paper (on a clipboard or bulletin board, perhaps) or, especially if you have kids in different schools, a tabbed notebook.

One last note. This is not the time to create the be-all, end-all stylishly perfect system. If you've done it before and it works, you're all set. If you haven't and are just getting started, it will evolve over time. Either way, all of this information will be in and out in a year or less, so don't spend a lot of time creating a system that should serve you.

Have a great idea to share? Post it in the comments below.