You Know Your A Professional Organizer When New Folders Make You Happy

Are you looking to get those stacks of papers organized that are all over your desk or counter top?

Being a professional organizer, SMEAD sent me a few of their new products to review in exchange for a $20 gift card. Now, I likely would have done this without the compensation, but it was a nice offer on their part (thank you SMEAD).

So, stacks of papers are all over your desk. They all have purpose and need, maybe not ALL of them. The Stadium File system may be the thing for you because is takes those stacks of papers and organizes them vertically. Remember horizontal=hidden, vertical=visible.

Smead describes the Stadium File™ as ideal for clearing clutter from your workspace or counter top. You can turn piles into files with this tiered expanding file that lets you see everything at a glance. Use with Smead SuperTab® folders for the ultimate desktop organization solution.

This product costs about $20 and comes with 4 sets of labels: A-Z, Jan-Dec, 1-31 and household subjects. I prefer making my own labels. Writing on the tabs is a bit awkward. File folders fit into the slots, which is what you would likely want to use to make it easier to remove the papers from the system. The Stadium File is a reinforced paper product, so durability is a factor, though I believe using this on your desktop should not be a problem. Having this as your "in-n-out" box for school papers/projects/schedules ... eh, not sure if I would use it.

Now the product that really brightened my day are the Smead Supertab® File Folders. Having nearly double the labeling area of standard folders! Larger labels or big printing makes those important files quick and easy to locate. Hallelujah!!

As a professional organizer with focus on senior move managing, thank you SMEAD! Working with our older population, it's little things like larger print that makes life a bit easier. These SuperTab folders ROCK!! The label area is nearly twice the size of a standard tab, and they still fit in your file drawers. (24) come in a pack with assorted pastel colors available for visually cueing for categories. cost: $12 for manilla, $18 for pastel

Now, if you want to go all out with some slick labeling to your organizing project frenzy, perhaps the Smead Viewables® labeling system is for you. You can customize your filing with color and fonts to make finding information fast and easy.

The starter kit comes with the latest version of the software as well as label sheets and the software remembers how many labels are left on your page so there’s no waste. The labels print front and back to wrap over your file tabs, making is easy to access folders fast. Cost: $20 for the starter kit, refill label packs start at about $8, $19.50 for a box.

If you're into creating your own labels (honestly, I'm not), this is a great product. The software and customization of labels is easy to use. Your boring manila folders will POP out at you using the color label option. That is pretty sweet!

All these products can be found at OfficeDepot and Staples. Check out the SMEAD website for more information on these items.

What makes you happy today?