

Making custom labels gives you more freedom in terms of where you can put labels, such as on cords to identify which lead to what devices on an outlet, on binders, or on light switches to indicate what they correspond to. ⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄ This will give you greater freedom in the size of your labels. You can design and print out labels using a word processor and adhesive paper, or you can purchase a label maker for between $30 and $60. One way to sort through which labels to use is to do away with buying labels entirely and focus on creating your own. Feel free to use labels with a longer shelf-life, like a vinyl label, to identify bins or containers that will stick around for a while. Your child’s toy bin will likely stay a toy bin for a few years, and your miscellaneous drawer of extra cables and plugs will likely stay that way too. On the other hand, you don’t need erasable labels on everything. A food container for long-term storage of goods like grains, flour or cereal can be easily relabeled with a dry-erase or chalkboard label, allowing you to identify what’s inside quickly without worrying about making new labels or creating labels generic enough to loosely identify what’s inside. For example, use a chalkboard or dry-erase board to label boxes, containers or areas that change their contents frequently.Ī bin to store clothes in can alternately be marked “winter clothes,” “summer clothes,” “swimming clothes,” or some other category. Use multiple labeling systemsĭon’t be afraid to switch it up depending on what you’re trying to sort, and don’t assume you have to label everything the same way. Experienced sorters, cleaners and labelers-those who’ve managed to get their lives in picture-perfect order-have some shared tips and tricks for organizing and labeling your belongings and life.

However, you may have made a few common mistakes along the way, resulting in a difficult-to-manage filing system and a pervasive mess. If you know your belongings are overly cluttered and impossible to sort through, you’ve probably made a few attempts to organize your home in the past. Instead, your home may look more like a warzone than the well-organized fantasy you’d imagined. You had images in your head of neatly stacked folders, an easy-to-navigate storage system and quick access to tools and supplies. You browsed websites about organization for tips. You always promised yourself you’d keep a clean office space, bedroom, kitchen, or living room.
