http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogList.asp?sort=organizer&schedule=1 From credit card statements to Post-Its®, birthday party invitations to oil change coupons, expense reports to dental appointment cards, our modern lives and horizontal surfaces are overrun with paper. We're not sure what happened to that paperless office we were promised at the dawn of the computer revolution, but the more we go digital, the more paper we have. www.OnlineOrganizing.com's Paper Doll helps make sense of what papers to keep, where to keep them and for how long, and will offer some solutions and observations about winning the 21st century paper chase. These tips will even help you keep more of those little green pieces of paper everyone likes so much. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:45:02 EST en-us http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3809 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3809 Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EST Paper Doll isn't much of a fan of scary things. While I respect Stephen King's talents, I won't read his books. Joey from Friends hid The Shining (and later, due to Beth's death scene, Little Women) , in the freezer. Rather than hiding books, I've hidden myself, and have been known to hide in the closet when things get too scary, like during the recent premiere of 666 Park Avenue . (Hey, at least the closet is organized enough to make space for me during such ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3807 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3807 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EST (Andrea Hancock, NAPO-WDC Treasurer and Cris Sgrott-Wheedleton, MARCPO Committee Chair) Every once in a while, I need to amble away from Paper Doll HQ to mingle with colleagues and find out the latest and greatest in the professional organizing field. Loyal readers are familiar with my recaps of annual National Association of Professional Organizer conferences and expos . However, last week, I had the pleasure of representing the Board of Certification for Professional Organizers ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3802 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3802 Tue, 9 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EST Paper Doll is unreservedly delighted to learn of new products that improve the organizing experience. You might even say it's a highlight of my life as a professional organizer and blogger. So I was pleased when colleague Nanette Duffey, PDMM® told me about today's nifty find. THE HIGHLIGHT REEL Highlighters, of course, aren't exactly new, though they're more modern than you may have guessed. It's hard to imagine that prior to the mid-'60s, ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3728 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3728 Tue, 2 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EST Reese's Peanut Butter Cups – "Two great tastes that taste great together." Toyota Prius – combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor Zedonk – a cross between a zebra and any other equine A hybrid takes two things that exist perfectly well independently and combines them to make something altogether more fabulous. Today, we'll look at how two great product brands have united to create something fascinating: The Evernote Smart Notebook By Moleskine . THE CLASSIC ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3788 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3788 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EST It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. ~Sir Winston Churchill Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt There's a piece of paper out there that allows you to actively participate in our democracy, but first you have to be organized and obtain it. It's a voter ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3791 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3791 Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:56:36 EST Today's special post is another installment of our ongoing series of reviews of products brought to us by our friends at Shoplet , operator of the nifty and prolific Shoplet blog . As we've discussed before, one of the reasons we develop desk clutter can be laid squarely at the feet (if they had feet) of our writing implements. Sure, lackluster paper management leads to desk pileups, but so too does acquisition of (and failure to cull) writing implements and other desk ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3776 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3776 Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EST Paper Doll 's first job was as a page at the Clearfield Branch of the Erie County Public Library -- the perfect stomping grounds for a Professional-Organizer-in-Training. Granted, the value of some skills (like maneuvering through a card catalog) might prove negligible as the 21st century progresses (unless we face a Revolution -like, world-wide loss of power). But I still marvel at systems I now use professionally, like organizing toddler books front-outward in dishpans (like how ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3766 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3766 Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EST It's time again to round up the quixotic and intriguing paper-related issues, products and ideas that have popped up while we've been having other discussions. THE FUTURE OF PAPER, REDUX As loyal readers know, the subject of the future of paper is always dear to me. I was delighted to read the following tweet from technology expert (and my college friend) Ross Rubin: Saturday's New York Times piece, In Defense of the Power of Paper by Phyllis Korkki, elaborated on ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3764 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3764 Tue, 4 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EST With Labor Day behind us, summer is all but officially over. The kids are back at school and that sense of "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" ennui needs to be packed away. It's time again to focus on tackling the clutter and the daily tasks, and one of the ways we motivate ourselves is by acquiring new, fun office supplies . While a cute but non-functional tool merely adds to our clutter supply, Back-To-School (or Back-to-the-School-of-Life) is a great time to indulge in functional ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3767 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3767 Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:30:00 EST Three years ago, when we first broached the subject of college textbook clutter, textbook rental was a relatively new phenomenon. Since then, we explored the Textbook Information subsection of The Higher Education Opportunity Act, designed to give college students access to affordable course materials. However, enhanced transparency and un-bundling of resources only go so far. When Paper Doll attended college, options were limited: Buy textbooks at the campus bookstore or the ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3687 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3687 Tue, 21 Aug 2012 10:30:00 EST Paper Doll is occasionally befuddled. On the one hand, as a professional organizer, I aim to reduce clutter, streamline information and make everything more functional. On the other hand, I'm only human, and I have an eye for a particular aesthetic. If something can be described as tiny and adorable, I've been known to try to rationalize a functional purpose. (For example, the tiny, white, rubber limousine atop my iMac was sent to me by organizing maven Jeri Dansky after I tweeted ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3730 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3730 Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:30:00 EST The future of tangible mail is uncertain, and for the first time in a while, people actually seem to care. Suddenly, it seems like everyone has gotten nostalgic at once and is trying to make postal mail more appealing. Don't have a stamp? No problem. Hallmark has started selling cards with postage included in the cost , removing the stamp-buying obstacle from the process. Standard paper isn't interesting enough? A Sony-sponsored student design competition winner invented a ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3711 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3711 Tue, 7 Aug 2012 10:30:00 EST In April, the Senate passed the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2012, which places a moratorium on closing post offices, and delays the transition from six-day to five-day delivery until at least 2014. (The House hasn't voted yet.) However, last week's news of the United States Postal Service defaulting on a $5.5 billion retirement-fund payment is yet another sign of the financial decay of an American institution dating back to 1775. There's little doubt that the vast increase ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3726 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3726 Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST IN THE (BOUNCY) BEGINNING Ever since the invention of the rubber band in 1845, we've been able to bind papers, folders, supplies and books with stretchy goodness. Unfortunately, rubber bands eventually dried and cracked and snapped. Sometimes, as they lost their elasticity, they discolored and damaged the papers and other items they were meant to secure. Then an inventive American rubber band company, Alliance , came along. It was founded in 1917 by William Spencer -- the guy who came up ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3724 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3724 Tue, 24 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST Do you sometimes feel like you've received the world's longest receipt ? Thanks to advertising, savings summaries and survey links, our already-plentiful receipts have gone from short and functional to enormous. Two weeks ago, I provided seven steps for controlling receipt flutter clutter , and last week, we started talking about digital solutions for keeping essential data while reducing our interaction with paper receipts. We continue today by looking at a few more digital ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3723 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3723 Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST Last week, we reviewed the basics for dealing with receipt clutter flutter , including paring paper receipts down to just the essentials, then organizing and storing them. We also touched on how to manage simple digital receipts. Today, we're going to expand on that digital focus to look at how we might maintain good financial records but have less reliance on the paper. People want to avoid paper receipts for all sorts of reasons. Sorting receipts is tedious. They crumple and get messy. ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3698 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3698 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST Most homes and offices have them: fluffy piles of loose, crumpled papers on desktops and filing cabinets, in drawers, and spindled and somewhat mutilated on those desktop spires. Any brisk movement past the desk yields receipt clutter flutter . Most of this kind of backlog, as well as new incoming papers, can be handled with relative ease using a pretty Old School treatment of receipts at three points in time. At the register : --Check receipts for accuracy. --Neatly place receipts ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3714 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3714 Tue, 3 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America W hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3694 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3694 Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST It's very rare that a Paper Doll blog post is so intricately tied to the news. After all, the subject of organizing is generally more timeless than timely. At a period where so many people are struggling to organize their finances, especially in light of rising health costs, I'm hopeful that this today's post, accurate at the time of writing, will prove informative and useful. Whatever the Supreme Court announces this week regarding the decision on the "mandate" element of the ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3693 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3693 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST Once again, we're pausing to look at some of the quirky and delightful, thought-provoking and useful things that have popped up while we've been focusing elsewhere. LESS PAPER VS. PAPERLESS The title of I Heart Tech 's Paperless for Lawyers -- A 12 Step Plan only incidentally creates a parallel between a smattering of advice and the well-known steps of a recovery program. After all, it's not like the blogger, Adriana Linares, starts by asking the reader to admit he ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3636 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3636 Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST Last week , we looked at a new kind of label tab for sorting and organizing with hanging folders. (Don't forget, you've still got a few days to enter the Filertek contest !) Today, we're looking at a variety of adhesive tabs for helping you sort, file, and label in style even when file folders are out of the picture. POST-IT For Post-it , it was a natural progression from squared-off and pinpoint tape flags (the kind that say "Sign Here") to creating a full line of labeling ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3692 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3692 Tue, 5 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST Over the past year, I've been teaching Paper Mommy how to use a computer, and in particular, the internet, via long-distance. (If you're trying coach computer issues over the web, Log Me In is a godsend!) She's doing a great job, and like her daughter, Paper Mommy prefers the clean, organized lines of Twitter to the clutter of Facebook. Most of her technological questions deal with the basics of maneuvering through email, social media, search engines and browsers. The ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3696 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3696 Mon, 4 Jun 2012 01:01:44 EST Readers will recall that I recently promised an ongoing, if irregular, series of reviews for our friends at cool office supply purveyor Shoplet , operator of the nifty and prolific Shoplet blog . I was particularly pleased and intrigued by the package that recently arrived from Shoplet for my perusal, as it contained three different Sanford Brands writing tools: a four-pack of Paper Mate InkJoy 700 RT Ballpoint Pens (two black, one blue, and one red) a Sharpie Premium ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3690 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3690 Tue, 29 May 2012 10:30:00 EST Last week , we talked about iPrint, a virtual printer that lets you blend multiple pages of a document, and even collate pages from multiple documents, onto one printed page. Today, we're going to review a variety of alternatives for printing website pages without having to deal with all the muck -- sidebars, navigational links, banners, advertising, etc., so that if you need a hard copy, you can print just the information you want and need. Certainly, some sites have links to create ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3682 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3682 Tue, 22 May 2012 10:30:00 EST Paper is here to stay. The promised paperless office (or paperless life) is a fantasy. But paper efficiency -- less paper -- is certainly possible. Previously , we've talked about paper-reduction and environmentally-friendly options. Today, I'd like to offer a round-up of some new and trending alternatives. SEND TO KINDLE Although Kindle e-readers are primarily designed to allow you to download books you've purchased or borrowed, owners have pretty much always been able to ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3678 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3678 Tue, 15 May 2012 10:30:00 EST One year ago this week, in Social Security Goes Paperless & Gets Lean, Green & A Little Mean , we discussed the modernizing of Social Security, and delved into how the federal government intended to save money by making Social Security go paperless. Paper Doll reported that new applicants for Social Security could no longer opt to have paper checks mailed and that current recipients would have to transition to electronic payments . I also reported on another paper-related ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3672 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3672 Tue, 8 May 2012 10:30:00 EST As we finalize our look at the 2012 NAPO Expo, we're just in time for Mother's Day and some EXPO exhibitors who created organizing products especially for busy parents. HatchedIt is a free (advertising-supported) online service. The founders call it a "mobile whiteboard for managing your personal life" and say: We spoke to many women and found that most were utilizing archaic methods to communicate with their family or to plan schedules and budget time . Typically ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3631 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3631 Tue, 1 May 2012 10:30:00 EST Paper Doll gets a real kick out of roaming the NAPO Expo floor and exploring, seeking out new paper organizing products , meeting veteran and new vendors , and tucking secrets away in my pockets to share with readers. I particularly love new twists on old favorites . This year, three products particularly caught my eye because they offered something comfortable (high quality, for example, or proven concepts), twinned with something novel (either visually or functionally). They're ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3633 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3633 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST So far, we've talked about the NAPO 2012 Conference , itself, and have explored some dreamy paper products , as well as meat-and-potato organizing essentials . Today, we'll be looking at more NAPO 2012 Expo innovations -- so get ready to pocket some organizing solutions. CAPTURE THE WRITING ON THE WALL The prettiest paper-related booth at this year's Expo had to be 3M's Post-It® extravaganza. Post-It® has come a long way from basic blocks of yellow, as we ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3677 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3677 Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:02:11 EST You've finished your taxes, mailed them off, filed away copies of your returns and supporting documents, and taken a breather. But what about all those scribbles of worksheets, non-essential receipts and other statements that you don't need to maintain and store away? ( You do know the difference, right? ) On Saturday, April 21, 2012, 72 Better Business Bureau locations are helping you observe Secure Your ID Day by sponsoring community shred-a-thons . Here at ...