Getting Rid of My Piles

I am a pile lover.  I tend to have piles all over the house...everything from clothes and books to magazines and mail.  Our home does not have a good place to have a catch all other than the kitchen's island.  So it is often covered.  From Lea Schneider's book Growing Up Organized (click for my giveaway and links to the book) I know I shouldn't put things down for "just a minute."  In my home it is never just a minute.   Mail can be a killer, and I want to share a way that is helping me with that.

In an effort to curb the mail and piles of to-do and have-done, I decided to get a desk organizer.  Actually, I thought I would get two, then I realized that one, plus file folders would work well (especially when the black canvas one was more than I expected to spend).  I cleared out my daughter's special books and construction paper from the cupboard to make room.

On the bottom shelf to the left my husband and I both have a basket.  Inside you'll find keys and lots of other stuff.  This acts as our junk drawer since we don't have room for a real junk drawer.  (We do have another one of these pencil baskets in a drawer to act as a general junk drawer, too.)

Also on the lower shelf is the first desk organizer.  The bottom part is mine and the next is Derek's.  The top section holds some receipts.

The next shelf up is the real life saver.  There is another desk organizer.  (It is supposed to stand up, but I have it laying down for my purposes.)  The bottom part holds LOTS of file folders.  Each file is labeled on both sides.  (I am so short that I can't see the labels if they are only on the top without taking them out.)  Each folder is a different purpose but is helping to keep my island cleaner.  (I still can't say clean...)

My file folders are as follows.   File.  Shred.  Coupons.  Receipts.  (yes, that is a repeat)  Important.  M &E. (our children).  I love this.  When the mail comes it usually needs to be filed, shredded, put in the bill book (elsewhere), or maybe it's important for a different reason.  We keep our shredder upstairs since we are not comfortable with the idea of our children getting to it.

I've been using this system for a couple of weeks and have been impressed at how well it is working for me.  My husband has pretty much learned to look for things he put on the island in his little cubby area.  Now if only I could come up with a magical way to keep dishes off the island.