Color Your Way to Organization
by Stacey Agin Murray - stacey@organizedartistry.com

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Color coding is a system that organizes information, offers the eye instant recognition, and reduces the time searching for items you need—all useful when organizing a home, home office or one's schedule. But, you don't have to have a degree in art to organize with color. Here are some items found in the home that can easily be organized using color:

Papers

Are your plies growing as you sleep? Can't find certain papers when you need them?

Start the color coding process by sorting your papers into categories (such as finances, bills, insurance, etc.). Then, select a different color for each category. Hanging folders and standard manila file folders come in a rainbow of colors and can help reduce the time spent looking for a particular document. If you designate 'green' as your color for any financial related paper, you won't waste time rummaging through yellow or blue folders for your last 401K statement. Designating 'yellow' as the color for 'Family' files will enable you to find your kids' medical records when you need them.

If you're not interested in spending money on colored folders, Avery makes adhesive colored circles that can be placed on hanging or file folders and have a similar effect.

Clothes Closet

White is the predominant color, but if you look hard enough you'll find hangers in all colors. Use colored hangers to differentiate the various types of clothing in your wardrobe. For example, hang work clothes on white hangers, work out clothes on blue hangers, and weekend wear on pink hangers. If you keep up the system, you'll never show up to work in your yoga pants...

Let's say you're like me and prefer to use crystal hangers. You can either tie a colored ribbon around the hanger or use those Avery colored circles discussed above to differentiate between a variety of clothing types.

Children

If you have more than one child, pick a specific color—that will be the color that will identify them. Some children's items that can be easily organized by color are: clothes, toys, shoes, puzzles, sports equipment, school folders, etc.

For example, have you ever wondered which of your kids left the wet towels on the bathroom floor? Assign each child a different colored towel and you'll know who the culprit is very quickly...

Are you a busy family trying to keep track of everyone's schedule? Color coding appointments on a calendar (whether a planner, wall calendar, or PDA) is a quick visual cue as to which child has somewhere to be on a particular day.

Computer

Is your desktop a jumble of files? Is your inbox a sea of e-mails? Use color to save time and create consistency.

Color coding files by project enables your eye to focus when juggling multiple projects. For instance, label all files related to 'The Johnson Project' (as well as it's folder) a particular color. Time spent looking for documents or e-mails related to 'The Johnson Project' will be drastically reduced if they are all the same color.

Color-coding e-mail messages can alert you to a message from a particular person (green = your boss, red = your spouse, blue = guys on your softball team, etc.). Many e-mail programs come with this feature—you just have to create the categories and their corresponding colors.

Holiday Decorations

It is not uncommon to find plastic bins and tubs that come in colors, usually corresponding to a holiday. Try purchasing orange bins for Halloween decoration and costume storage. Red and green usually do the trick for Christmas, blue for Hannukah, and pastel colors for Easter egg painting supplies.

Why not some bring some color into your life? Using color as part of your organization plan will save you time, money and stress in the long run and just think about how colorful (and organized) your life will be!

Stacey Agin Murray, professional organizer and owner of Organized Artistry, LLC, transforms mess into masterpiece with patience, organizing know-how, and a sense of humor. For a free e-list of Top Ten Tips for Organized Living, or to order your copy of 7 Steps to an Organized Wedding Thank You Note please visit her web site at http://www.organizedartistry.com.

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