Monday, January 2, 2012

Mission Organization - Mail Station




Happy New Year! I hope everyone is pumped for a new year. I think it's going to be a good one.

Like many people at this time of year, I'm super psyched to make 2012 the year that I get my ducks in a row. A girl can dream, right?

I've been really struggling with trying to keep my house organized with kids and a full-time job, and I feel like my house is constantly in chaos. I know it doesn't have to be that way though, so this year I'm working towards making my house less chaotic and putting some FOCUS on my goals.

That's my word for 2012. FOCUS. If you've been visiting me for any length of time, you know I need that. I tend to multitask like a rabid Chihuahua, and it's proving to be counterproductive.

I hate that.

I started using a new List app though, thanks to Mattie Cake, and it's called Toodledo. It allows me to prioritize, subdivide, compartmentalize, and any other -ize I want to do with my lists. It's FAB. Anyway, I've spent the last three days doing a big 'ol brain dump into Toodledo, so every single thing I need to do is in there and prioritized, so I can FOCUS on one thing at a time without having to remind myself about fifty other things that also need to be done right now.

The first thing I'm focusing on for Mission Organization this year is mail. I know. It's a four letter word of the highest magnitude, and I'm going to whip it into shape.

With this.


Isn't it pretty? It's my new mail processing station.

I needed something upstairs, where we come in the door, because I don't have the time or the motivation to deal with the mail from start to finish when it comes into the house during the work week.

I will open and sort the mail when it comes into the house, and file things according to how I need to deal with them, downstairs, at the end of the week, when I have time. Not today. Generally it's a Friday night task for me.

Here's a peek at my hanging file sections.



My sections are BILLS, RECYCLE, TO SHRED, CATALOGUES, MAGAZINES, ZOE, ANNIKA, MISC.,  and STORE COUPONS.


 I absolutely love it, and now I don't have mail cluttering up my kitchen table, my kitchen counter, and at the top of my stairs.

I had a lot of fun CUTE-ifying my new mail station. As you probably noticed, it's just a wire hanging file jobber thingie. I added some ugly olive colored hanging file folders that I plastered with pretty scrapbook paper. I just stapled the paper onto the folders because I wasn't in a picky mood like someone else I know.

I even had these way cute red flower brads to further extend the cute.


Then I got the brilliant idea to hot glue flowers and buttons right onto the wire. It worked great because the little holes allowed the hot glue to seep in and really grab onto the file unit. I even messed up a couple times, and the hot glue came right off with a little motivation and a pair of pliers. And don't worry, it didn't hurt the mesh file thingie one little bit, although I did pinch myself with the pliers.


Smashley saw me making my Mail Station and she decided that she wanted one too. Except she doesn't like the same colors that I like. She's all about the pastels, all the time. It's like Easter in her house, all the time.


Her sections are different too, but that's because it's for her and she has different needs than I do.


Plus, she's really picky and she did not like the fact that I was stapling the scrapbook paper onto the folders. Not one little bit. So I exercised my not-used-very-often nice gene, and I used tape runner for her folders because she's so high maintenance.



I do like her flowers too.

This button came off a blouse I used to wear. I can't wear button up shirts on account of my bazooms are unwieldy.

This button was a victim.

17 comments:

  1. Oh Jill, I absolutely LOVE it! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity. If I do this I might actually look forward to sorting the mail- Wow! :)

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  2. I have the same black mesh file that I use for the same reason but mine is not as cute as yours! I definitely need to cute-ify mine! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  3. Oh yes mail is definitely a four letter word here too! What a fantastic idea!! I have an organising file but half the time it is too much effort to open it up and find the right page protectors to put things in so they end up not being put away! I think I must definitely give your system a try instead of my file although it will have to cover a bit more than mail. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. They both look great, Jill! Great idea and I love how you prettied up the folders. I was getting rid of a blouse that had buttons just like yours and I cut them all off. Just for cute projects like this. Of course, I could only donate the blouse to a strip club, but hey, sometimes they need clothes, too! : )

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  5. Great job! I need to do something like this as well.

    I like your WOTY (word of the year). I like FOCUS. I even toyed with that as a word for myself, especially after I read that FOCUS = “Follow One Course Until Successful”

    Have a great year! and keep inspiring. :)

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  6. Awesome! (And I love your colors) Where do you find a metal file thingy like that? I generally avoid organizing things because they all end up a failure for me. But since I'm moving into a new house, I'm always ready for a new start!

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  7. Oh. Oh. Oh. I am gasping in recognition that you are truly the queen of organization. I have the same type set-up as you do, only mine is UGLEEEE! Mine is 3 trays of a stacking bin, set so that the slots are at the top instead of facing you. And my folders are just ugly manila folders with the category scrawled with Sharpie. I am sooo revamping now.

    P.S. I had to laugh at your unwieldy bazooms because mine are very wieldy. LOL

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  8. it's super awesome and i NEED one.

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  9. This mail-organizing idea is of course brilliant, but just so you know, I follow you for your perfectly snarky attitude. It rocks and I love it. Keep it comin!

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  10. Jill,
    I love that! I am in need of organization this year too! I think I am going to show my hubby your pics and maybe we (or me) and make that for our date night...I can just imagine the look I am going to get when I tell him I want to do that for a date!

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  11. VERY cute mail organization thingies :)


    And the button? Wow, I wish I had an excuse like that....

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  12. ARRGGHH
    Another new system to learn (ignore).

    - PNut

    p.s.
    I don't consider them unwieldy.

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  13. I just made one and am very optimistic about it keeping my stuff out of piles on the counter. I think it could use some extra "prettying" up, but one step at a time!

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  14. Oh my word. This is PERFECT! We have serious need of storage space in our house and I *hate* piles of papers and bills laying around. I will be making this as soon as I get a wire basket!

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  15. Great idea! I'm definitely going to make one of these for myself!

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