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I’m going to let you in on a little secret that will make you love your organized space even more. Use labels.
Labels make all the difference in the world between finding your stuff, and finding your stuff quickly. If you have papers sitting in hanging file folders, imagine how much faster you will find specific papers if you use plastic tabs with labels identifying the contents of each folder. Or by placing labels on the outside of plastic storage bins, you don't have to pull out each bin to figure out what’s in there. The label on the front says it all.
My clients love it when they see their stuff after I have organized it for them. But, when they see the labels I’ve put on containers to quickly show what’s in each one, they act as if clouds have parted. Ok, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but my point is that labels put a little extra touch of love and care in their space. Labels give them confidence that they will find their stuff quickly and put it away quickly. This is the ultimate goal of getting organized, and using labels makes that even more possible.
You may be wondering what kind of labels to use. It depends on how big the surface area is that you are looking to label. If you are creating a label for a file folder or something small, I recommend using a label maker like a Brother P-Touch. Believe it or, having a label generated by an automatic label maker versus your handwriting will speed up the amount of time it will take you to find your files. Not to mention, it will look neater. If you are needing to label a bigger surface like a storage container, just use Post It Notes and a sharpie.
Not only will labeling make it easier to find and put back your things, but it will also help others to do the same. I can’t tell you how many times I see a bin with clearly categorized items in it like hair care products, and then I’ll see a bottle of shampoo sitting on the shelf right next to it. This is because the person putting it away didn’t want to take the time to pull out each bin to figure out which one it went in, which leads to clutter and a headache.
Don’t let something as simple as non-labeling mess up your beautifully organized space. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra few minutes to put labels on everything. Watch how much more organized your space stays and how much less stress you have finding and putting your things away.
Photo Credit: AlishaV, Creative Commons 2.0