The new year is upon us, and if organization of your paper clutter is one of your resolutions and you’re a woodworker, what better time than now to organize your home by applying your passion for woodworking? Start the new year off right by woodworking your own organizational apparatuses. This article will identify several projects that can assist you in achieving your resolution to be better organized and clutter-free. The fact that each can be woodworked with your own personal creative flair is an added bonus.
Our busy schedules frequently leave our papers and mail as a last priority for our valuable time. As a result, most office or computer desks tend to become quite cluttered and disorganized over time. Prevent your desk from being overrun with paper clutter by crafting stacking paper trays or a staggered paper filing station. Using basic supplies and materials, you can create a way to keep your papers sufficiently organized until you have the time necessary for reading, sorting, and filing or discarding them. This will help to maintain a presentable, organized, and uncluttered desk in the interim.
Other items, including home office supplies, also tend to make a desk look cluttered and disorganized. Pens, pencils, scissors, or paper clips are often just placed on the desk itself instead of appropriately stored. This problem may be compounded if the desk is of smaller dimensions and has limited or no storage, such as drawers or cabinets. This can be resolved by woodworking small, desk-setting containers. Varying sizes can be the perfect fit for particular office supplies, including pens and pencils, scissors, paper clips or staples. Consider shapes and colors that complement the established decorum of the home office.
If magazines are perhaps a contributing factor to the paperwork clutter in your home office, consider woodworking your own magazine rack. With minimal investment, you can use some basic woodworking supplies, including several uniform pieces of a sturdy wood dowel, to create your very own rack. Add a decorative touch by staining or painting the completed work a color that complements your home office while organizing in the process!
For the paper items you determine must be kept, consider woodworking a filing cabinet. This is a great addendum to your organizational equipment, especially if your home office or computer desk has limited storage cabinets or lacks them altogether. Determine the dimensions according to your needs. For example, if you have multiple ongoing projects, run your own business, or participate in a committee, you might consider making a larger-scale filing cabinet to accommodate considerable paperwork. However, if your clutter typically tends to be comprised generally only of your mail, such as bills, invitations, or newsletters, you might consider a smaller-scale filing cabinet. The cabinet can be made as free-standing or, if space permits, can be made to nest under the office or computer desk for easy access or to create a less cluttered appearance if the office (room) is small.
These are just a few ideas of how your woodworking passion can be made to work for you. Simple woodworking materials, such as wood, nails or screws, a hammer or screw driver, a hardwood dowel, sand paper, and wood glue, coupled with a minimal investment of time can help you achieve your resolution to be better organized and clutter-free during the new year.
About the Author: Dave Murphy is the founder and president of Good Wood, Inc., which makes a high quality wood dowel and the best hardwood dowel on the market. They also create wooden balls, wood knobs, wooden toy parts, custom wood parts, and more. They offer safe wood finishing, wood turning and can import from off-shore when necessary. Visit http://www.goodwoodinc.com for all of your wood product needs.