Advice
Welcome to our advice section. Every week I answer new questions submitted
by readers on Organizing, Image, Fashion and Event Planning.
You can read my "AddSPACE To Your Life!" column every week
in San Diego's “The Coast News" or read the archived columns
below.
E-mail your questions to advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
10.07.04
Lists can take the hassle out
of camping with your RV
Dear Kathi,
I have a small home office and I don’t know what to do with
all of my papers. I bring work projects home periodically and then
my personal correspondence and bills get lost. Do you have any recommendations?
Kyle, Solana Beach
Kyle,
When you mix business with personal paperwork, items will invariably
get lost. Create an area in your office for large work projects. This
can be as simple as a basket where your project is stored when you
are done for the day. For multiple work projects, use a file drawer
or free-standing file unit to hold resources and information separately
for each project. When a project is just getting started, you can
keep it in your current projects vertical file described in the last
paragraph.
Create a filing system for all work projects, personal bills and correspondence.
There is a super file system that I recommend to all of my clients.
It is called Freedom Filer. This system is self-purging and rotates
your files so that you have paper archives for two years and tax archives
for ten. It makes filing a breeze and also teaches you what to keep
and what to throw away. It is expandable and works well for personal
file systems, home-based businesses and corporations. You can learn
more about this filing system at www.freedomfiler.com.
For papers aren’t yet ready to file and need attention, designate
a holding area. Your desktop is a logical space because they will
remind you to work on them when you see them every day. Stack these
folders vertically and label them Current Projects, Waiting for Response,
Bills to Pay, Calls to Make etc. There are many labeling possibilities
for your folders. Use whichever label titles work best for you and
work on these files a few minutes every day. Implementing these practices
will keep you free and clear of the black hole syndrome.
Dear Kathi,
My family just purchased a new RV and we love to go camping. Every
time we want to go somewhere, we invariably forget things. With multiple
people packing, important items often get left behind. Without making
one person responsible for everything, how can we manage to be provisioned?
PS After we put all this stuff in the RV, how do we keep it from falling
around when we drive?
Ren, Cardiff
Ren,
You can solve your provisioning challenge by creating a list. This
list will itemize the food that you wish to have onboard for each
trip. It will probably contain staples like olive oil, spaghetti noodles
and sauce, butter, potatoes etc.
It is best to camp once as you create your master list. Once you analyze
this list away from home, it will become clear what you need to include.
After this, you are ready to type and print several copies to keep
in your RV. Make sure to leave a few blank lines.
When you are underway, keep your master list visible. A spot on the
refrigerator keeps it front and center. As you consume food that needs
to be replenished, add a checkmark beside the item. Family members
can also add forgotten snacks to this list.
If your RV is not going into a storage facility, DO NOT MOVE this
list until you are ready to buy new provisions. Keep your list on
the fridge for safekeeping. If your RV does go into storage, place
this list in a file at home until the day you shop. It’s a great
idea to restock as soon as you return so that you can leave on a whim
if the spare time presents itself.
For bedding and towels, keep a collapsible hamper on board where you
can toss soiled items. Don’t mix your clothes into this basket,
they should have their own dirty clothes bag. Launder the bedding
hamper items separately and take them immediately back to your RV.
You don’t have to worry with unpacking at this point. A family
member can make the bed and stow the towels once you are underway
on your next adventure.
Speaking of stowing, it is best to place loose items in plastic boxes
with lids that fit snugly inside each cabinet. When a door jars open
because you take a bump or curve, the worst that will happen is the
items within each bin will become jumbled. Bins also make it easy
to clean the inside of your cabinets. There are so many plastics available
that you should easily find a bin to fit within each space.
.
Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner
based in San Diego California.
Please
submit your questions to:
advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
.
San Diego Professional Organizer
