With the vast amount of paper that comes across the average desk today, controlling paper clutter has become more and more difficult.

If you’re a piler and not a filer, you most likely have deep piles of papers or files lined up along your desk.  I suspect too, that you feel quite organized because you have a pretty good idea of where to find a particular paper or file. However, the downside is that there’s an easier chance of important papers getting mixed up into unrelated piles.  Imagine this. You’ve stepped away from your desk and a colleague passes by and accidently knocks a pile on the floor and then returns the papers to your desk in no particular order!  How frustrating is that?  What if, instead of six separate piles on your desk, you had six separate piles inside an organized paper sorter?

Pilers like to see their paper, so file cabinets or file drawers don’t always work.  However, I recommend that pilers still use a file cabinet for rarely needed reference material and store the action paper piles or files in a paper sorter on or near their desk. 

Paper sorters, also called desk sorters or literature sorters, are perfect for busy workers who need quick access to their papers and projects.  Most sorters have letter sized compartments that are adjustable to fit the paper piles you need to organize.  Paper sorters are also perfect for long-term projects that are worked on periodically throughout the life of the project. Filing is also a breeze because there’s no drawer to open and no worries about where you’ve filed something.  Paper sorters can help you to be more organized with your day to day work and projects.

There are a few different sizes and styles to choose from.  Check out the selection at Home Storage Warehouse.

Click here to shop for more desk top organizers.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Contact Jacquie here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Frequent business travelers are generally aware of what to expect when travelling for business and are usually prepared and organized and able to keep up with the ever changing airport rules and regulations.  They understand that anything that might go wrong could make or break their trip and they could miss that important meeting.  So they certainly don’t want to be worrying about their suitcase or carry-on bag falling apart.   

Anyone who travels frequently by air should pay special attention to the quality of travel bags they use for their trips.  If you accidentally drop your computer laptop, chances are it won’t break or crack under pressure if it’s stored in a protective case or bag.  It’s not a good idea to just slip your laptop inside a regular bag with all your other belongings.  If you decide to place it inside another bag, insert it into a computer laptop sleeve first for extra protection. 

Laptop bags have come a long way.  At one time, the styles and designs were basic and tended to only focus on what a businessman would want. There are now laptop bags for everyone, including businesswomen, busy moms and students.  You also don’t have to sacrifice style for quality. 

 Generally, there are 4 types of computer laptop bags: sleeve, shoulder bag, rolling and backpack.  Here are a few to consider from Home Storage Warehouse. 

For more laptop and travel luggage options click here.

www.HomeStorageWarehouse.com is always having a special.  Click here to see what they are offering today.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Most avid readers probably feel like they can never have too many books. The problem arises when they have so many books, bookshelves are overflowing and stacks of books are placed on surfaces in random places throughout the home, creating clutter. At this point, it is not only time to purge, it is also time to arrange all of the books in a system that results in easy retrieval. Purging is practically a swear word for book hoarders, but it must be done in order to break free of the clutter!

If you have too many books, and don’t know where to begin, start by scanning your bookshelves and selecting your least favorites. Then keep going until you’ve at least parted with enough books to have them all placed on book shelves. It’s okay to have a few in a basket or bin by the bed or couch, but don’t use baskets and bins because you’ve run out of space on your bookshelves.

Consider donating your books. There are so many places that would love to have your books. Check with the following places in your town: Hospitals, daycare centers, homeless shelters, public libraries, used book stores, etc.

After purging enough books to clear some space on your bookshelves, it will be time to organize them in a way that makes sense to you. There are so many different ways to organize books. The most common way is to arrange by either author (a-z), genre or in alphabetical order by title. However, you can also arrange by room location, color, size and style.

Not everyone is fortunate to have built-in bookcases, but you can get a similar look by purchasing two or more bookshelves and placing them close together. Remember to anchor them to the wall after they have been put into place. The following bookcases could be purchased in multiples to achieve this look.

For a more modern and relaxed look, see the following bookcases. These are perfect in a room where the wall is painted in a dramatic color, because there is no backing to hide the wall.

Finally, the following shelves are for displaying decorative items. However, with a pair of heavy weight bookends, you could place 3-4 small books on the Black Curved Shelf Case for a decorative look. I wouldn’t recommend you use these shelves purely for books, unless you only have a few on each shelf.

How you organize your books is all up to you. The question you’ll need to ask is “will I know where to look for a book when I need it?” If you presently have no system at all, then any new system you set up will take some time to remember, so you may have to map out your system on paper so that you can refer to it from time to time, until you get the hang of it.

To see all the different bookcases and shelves available today, visit Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com