Peace of Mind Organizing

Clever DIY divider for your hanging files

27 October 2014

I’m a big believer in dividing files into categories. While some folks like to file folders all together in a straight A to Z formation, I prefer to put like things together. So business files are separate from personal files, for example. Depending on the number of files you have, you might have separate categories for Health, Financial, Hobbies, etc.

When possible, I recommend using the file drawers as natural dividers, one category per drawer. But when that’s not possible, you have to figure out a way to divide the file cabinet into categories. One way is to use color. I’m not a gigantic fan of color coding files, because it means you have to have a large supply of different colored files on hand. (If you want to color code, I suggest letting the file folder label supply the color.)

Recently, I worked with a clever client, Pam Caruso, who set up her filing system between our visits. When she opened the drawer, I was wowed to see clearly delineated categories using colored hanging file folders to divide the categories.

She gave me permission to snap and share a photo:

She used a YouTube video as the starting point and then enhanced it by adding labels to the spine of the file divider. In a lateral file cabinet in another part of the house, she used this method to create a half dozen easily identifiable categories per drawer. Fantastic.

Here’s that video so you can try it yourself:

Tagged with: diy, organizing resources, organizing solutions, paper management

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