Organizing With Binders
by Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed.
Organizing Coach
Chronic Disorganization Specialist
Neat & Simple Professional Organizers
www.neatandsimple.com and
http://blog.neatandsimple.com
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1. Binders. Start by choosing the best, most versatile & reusable binders in colors you love. I recommend 1/2 to 1 inch binders to keep them manageable. The most functional binders have:
- Pockets on the inside
- Clear view pockets on the outside for inserting covers and spines.
- Hard cover surfaces. Floppy binders don't stand well and can be very annoying to use.
2. Avery Plastic Two Pocket Dividers. These come in 8 tab (11907) and 5 tab sets (11906). They hold all kinds of things – not just paper. They have Index Tabs that you can stick P-touch labels on easily, are sturdy and stand up to frequent use – unlike the paper version. Pockets make it extremely easy to drop things in without having to stop and 3-hole-punch them!
Read more about Avery 5 Tab 2 Pocket Dividers at Amazon.com
3. Avery Pockets - No Tabs (75254). Avery No Tab Pockets 
When you need extra pockets behind your tabs. Or if you just don’t need tabs.
4. Avery Trading Card Pages (76016). These are great for holding credit cards, membership cards, grocery store cards, etc.
5. Label Maker - Makes it really easy to put professional looking labels on your binders...and you can get them as low as $25! I recommend the Brother p-touch.
6. Clear Sheet Protectors. These can hold more than just paper. They can hold receipts, clipped articles, covers of catalogs, tickets for a trip, and more. You can get ones with secure tops. They are not as sturdy as the pockets, but are fine for infrequent use.
7. Avery CD – Holder Pages - (756263). Great for CDS, but can also be used to hold smaller paper items, too.
8. Stick-on Photo Pockets. http://www.storesmart.com has just about every conceivable kind and size of pocket pages for binders.
9. Removable Index Tabs. Among my favorite new products are stick on, movable tabs! You can index almost anything with these. Post-it makes Self-stick Dura Tabs and Redi-Tag makes Index Tabs (33148) You can also get Hanging File Folder Duratabs by Post-it. See Durable Index Tabs at Amazon.com
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© 2007 Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed.
Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed, Organizing Coach is the founder of Neat & Simple professional organizers. As an organizing coach she specializes in working with creative people, ADD and the chronically disorganized. She is the author of the home office organizing book "Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Home Office", and the popular organizing and decluttering blog, Neat & Simple Living.
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