Works For Me: The Notebook

If my house catches fire, I'm getting the kids first, and this little tool second:

There's no offical name for this--around here, we just call it The Notebook.  And we say it in a reverent whisper.  Basically, it's where I keep all the catch-all papers it takes to manage this family of six.

On the cover you see a photo of my little darlings (in real life I promise they DO have faces).

Inside the front cover I have taped an assortment of important information, like social security numbers, combination to the padlock gate in the backyard, and the right way to set a table (it's my dirty little secret:  no matter how many tables I set, I cannot, CANNOT remember where the napkin and spoon go without a cheat sheet.)

I keep a three-ring hole punch in my kitchen, and any important piece of paper that darkens our door gets punched right away.  Any papers that will be referred to regularly find their way into the The Notebook.  It is NOT for filing papers that I might use once or twice a year (like birth certificates).  And I don't use it for keeping track of documents to be filed, like paid bills or health insurance statements.  Those documents have a much less glamourous fate awaiting them in the garage filing cabinet. 

My notebook is divided into the following tabs:

• Pending (for papers that I'll be working on in the next week or two)
• Contacts (my phone list)
• Groceries (where I keep blank forms for this little system)
• Church
• Adam--school (these next three tabs hold classroom information I refer to often, like snack schedules, phone lists, etc.  Keepsake-type school papers head out to the filing cabinet)
• Stephen--school
• Joseph--school
• Computer (where I keep all my passwords and ideas for blog posts--a very short list at the moment, by the way)
• Soccer (I have two boys who play;  this is where we store rosters, schedules, etc.)
• Scouts (I have two boys in Scouts, too; this is where we keep up with the bazillions of little papers and projects it takes to participate)
• Ideas (Just a random catch-all place to write down my great ideas that never come to fruition.  This is a LONG list.)
• Notes (Because you have to keep blank paper somewhere, right?)

This has really helped me keep track of all the paper a busy family can accumulate! 

If you want to share your great idea, please include your Works-For-Me Wednesday Link below.  Guidelines, should you need them, can be found here.

Oh, and one last thing...Jeana and GreenGenes won my little grammar contest yesterday, with the prize being (oh-can-you-stand-the-excitement) an honorary featured position in today's WFMW post.  SO, you must go and visit them first, because it is a fine, fine thing when a woman knows how to hyphenate. 

1. Pass The Torch (kids and 30 days nothing) 2. Overwhelmed! (creating blogging categories) 3. Shannon (Paid Bills) 4. Rebecca Mielke DIY knee-length board shorts 5. Trisha (on-the-go emergencies) 6. Owlhaven (dealing with big changes) 7. Mama Duck (cleaning tennis shoes) 8. Org Junkie (keeping track of recipes) 9. Meineke (reading and writing) 10. ByGrace (stop that sliding!) 11. sa5ra ($5 clothes) 12. Mieneke (Reading and Writing) 13. Larae (Menu Binder) 14. Kelly (busy morning breakfast) 15. Mary Ann (menu planning) 16. Kathryn (magazine holders) 17. Lindsey (Web Forms) 18. Kel(kids and classical music) 19. Katrina (Gift Stash) 20. Rebecca (Barbie!) 21. Becky 22. Dianne (Blogging Tips) 23. Snapshot (eating more F&V) 24. Barbara H. (reminders for school stuff) 25. BooMama 26. Mom In Action (time saver) 27. Carol (school lunches) 28. Heather (Studying the Classics) 29. TeeTee (Clutter Control) 30. GranolaGirl (creative party favors) 31. Laura (home buying) 32. Chilihead (refreshing your cache) 33. whimsy (web photo albums) 34. Toblerone (Shower Fun w/ Hubby!) 35. Kim (pretty dish detergent!) 36. LammyAnn (Cold-Cereal-Conservation!) 37. Julie -- Kitchen Scissors 38. Kristina (Toy Box Organization & Keeping Toys Together) 39. Laurel Wreath (entertainment) 40. Joni (scrap journaling solution) 41. Susanne ~ toy rotation 42. Sandra (Fall Cleaning) 43. Frugal Momma (20 Tips in One Post) 44. Peggy (wear jeans longer) 45. Kim C (don\'t lose posts) 46. Heather (new living arrangements)

47. My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving (What\'s for Dinner?) 48. Amy (GPS) 49. MomInTandyLand (School bus) 50. Casey (morning sickness) 51. veronica (gardening cheaply) 52. Tess (blogging) 53. Honey (Child\'s Vacuum) 54. lady laura (new uses-old things) 55. Shalee (Thank Yous) 56. Everyday Mommy (Menu Planner) 57. Pastormac\'s Ann (New Toothbrush?) 58. Melissa (Family Meetings) 59. Melissa (you are special today) 60. Barb (out of the kitchen fast) 61. Shereen(personal worship) 62. Maggie (Electronic calendar use) 63. Pieces (blogger banner) 64. Carmen (learning to ride a bicycle) 65. Nicki (Transporting Library Books) 66. Too Many To Count (kids do-it-yourself) 67. Shannon (Homemade Lacto-Cultured Salsa) 68. Amelia (cleaning out email) 69. Jen (my first one!!!) 70. Mrs Darling) Is Housework a Drudgery?) 71. Amanda (children\'s chores;right link) 72. Ana Paula 73. Mira (keys) 74. BWS (exercise motivation) 75. RaisingFive (Weekly planning for moms) 76. utmommy 77. Crouching Mommy, hidden Laundry (how to keep your sheets tucked in) 78. Biblical Womanhood (Easy Breakfasts) 79. Sundance (Frienship) 80. Des (Travel Airports) 81. Gina (Cutting Food Easily) 82. dcrmom (Musings of a Housewife) 83. Kelli (fast, cheap dinners) 84. Julie (Kids\' Snacks) 85. The Wooden Porch 86. on the Rock 87. Amy Caroline (Lost Items) 88. Multitasking Mama (Desktop Clutter) 89. petersonclan (Killing Flies) 90. petersonclan (Killing Flies) 91. Catherine (Weight Watchers)

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Comments

[Pass the Torch]

Congrats Jeana!

Shannon, I'm guessing you have labels on your handy-dandy notebook too, don't you?

I'll have to post about the new label-maker I bought because of one of your recent WFMW's. But first, I need to figure out how to work the darn thing...

[Overwhelmed!]

I love your notebook idea! I may just have to borrow it. :)

Now, I'm off to go visit the blogs of Jeana & GreenGenes!

[Rebecca]

Shannon, that is the best idea. I need all the help I can get, and I just happen to have a really special notebook with scrapbook covers available.

Thanks!

[Shannon in Arizona]

That is a really good idea. I lOVE anything that gets me organized!!!! I am excited...sad huh??

[Trisha]

Sounds like a great way to keep organized!

[MamaDuck]

What a wonderful idea!! Not only is our tip up, but we are also hosting the Carnival of the Vanities today, check it out if you get a chance!

[Laura]

Love this idea Shannon. I love reading all the tips but I especially LOVE the organizing ones....go figure..lol. Laura

[Susan]

I love organizing tips. I never seem to practice any of them, but I love 'em! Thanks!

[Faith]

Love the idea!

[Mieneke]

Excellent Idea! :-)

Sorry about the double linkage! I hadn't seen that someone had posted for me! :)

[Larae]

Looks like we both had ideas for binders this week! Great idea, I'm gonna have to use this when I start my family!

[Kelly]

I love my binder. We had freinds over a few weeks ago, and a couple of the guys came across mine. They were so funny- almost in awe of how "organised" I am (tee hee hee). I didn't have the heart to tell them that without that book, nothing would ge done.

[Magi]

That sounds better than my current method, stacks of paper around my computer. I even have a couple of spare 3-ring binders around. Thanks!

[Aubrey]

I'll have to remember this when we have kids. I need all the organizing help I can get.

[Beck]

Oh, the household binder - I so need to do this! What a great tip. Thanks!

[Dianne]

That is a great idea. I have a notebook with sections for menus and to-dos, but I really should use it for much more.

[Jan]

What a great idea. I tend to leave papers on the kitchen table until the pile falls off in the floor, and then I just throw stuff away, which I later often regret.

[Barbara H.]

A great idea! I have a file folder for some of that kind of thing, but some of the others are just in a stack on the desk. Where do you keep your notebook?

Thanks also for the grocery list idea. I've been pondering making some kind of master list, but haven't quite worked it out yet. It was interesting to note the date on that post and realize WFMW has only been going a few months!

[DivaP]

The notebook sounds like a great way to keep all the information you need organized! Thanks for the idea.

[Lindsey]

Wow, what a great notebook! Thanks so much for sharing!

[T.]

Great notebook idea!! Sorry about the double post, this is the first WMFW that I am participating in!

[Mums Talk]

wow, I really like that ! My filing is bad and back dated. Hope I can do a good job this week.

[LammyAnn]

WOW! Look at all these WFMW'ers! Gosh. Leave for a month and come back and WOW.
Ok. Mines up.
NoteBook Lover here.
How could I ever live without them again!?
Great choice to share.
Ty Shannon--for hosting this every week.
:)

[Julie]

Oohhh that rocks! I'll have to start something like that ASAP since Sarah's set to start grade 1 next week! AAACK!

[mom2fur]

I started a notebook like this a while back after reading another WFMW tip, but you have some other ideas I'm going to incorporate into mine...including passwords! What a great idea.