How do you store paper for a short time?
Marci @OvercomingBusy.com has left a new comment on your post “You ask, I’ll answer“:
Here are my suggestions for temporary paper storage:
If you’re a visual person who has to SEE things in order to remember to do them, then I’d suggest a vertical organiser.
Look in the corner of my work desk and you’ll see an example in action. It’s that ugly brown thing.
You could also use a buddy drawer system like this one with clearly labelled drawers as to what’s inside. This works great for a bill-paying system. Make sure you go through those drawers regularly though.
or last but not least, you could use a tickler file system similar to this… but you’ve got to make sure you actually check those folders regularly. This will not work well if you’re an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of person 
How I store my paper temporarily:
I’m all about simple so I try not to overcomplicate things.
The type of paper applicable to our situation is typically a water and lights or telephone bill. I mark down the due date and amount due in my daily planner (and in Outlook – I hate unnecessary interest charges due to disorganisation) and then toss the bills in my “to file” pile in the study.
Once I pay by internet banking, I note down the date on the actual bill and when I do my filing, I file (but I only keep 3 months’ worth except for the water and lights bill because we have a very disorganised service provider).
That is it – couldn’t be shorter and sweeter
So, how do you store paper for a short time?
I’ve always used old shoe boxes – stacked in a corner and labled. Tim uses the pile till it falls over into the trash can method.
I’ve also bought cardboard shoe racks to sort lots of pieces of paper until they can be processed or filed. Works great unless you never file anything.
LOL that’s the key, Rachel – eventually you have to file or toss
Usually those ones I truly don’t want out of sight are few…and when that’s the case, I find tacking the paper to a small bulletin board above my desk helps me with those papers that would otherwise become out of sight out of mind. Either that or having a designated letter-paper-sized basket on my desk (caveat: empty basket) or even just on or in a manila file folder to give it a “put away” but in sight place helps.
I also have a shallow drawer in my desk where I keep current not-to-file papers and notes. If I’m looking for something and its paper and wouldn’t be filed, that’s where I’d look. I have a separate location to collect stuff that is waiting to be filed. Keeping the items that are waiting to be filed separate from the items that will not be filed saves a lot of time both when I’m actually filing and when I’m looking for a paper.
I have an inbox for papers to sort under the cubbies of my desk (that keeps it from getting too full). Then a basket with file folders for my action folders that go on the left part of my desk. It has take action (I always note what action task to do in my calendar or to do list or it doesn’t get done. Then write NA so I know where the paper is.) Bills to pay folder. Menu planning folder. Kid’s school. And any current projects.
Thanks so much for your tips and advice. I will implement a new system this week!