I am not the most organized person by any means when it comes to my every day life. My desk is a mess, I have trouble keeping our house in order, and most of the time it drives me nuts. There is one area in my life in which I am organized, and that is in the area of planning. I love plans! The biggest event I ever planned was my wedding. During my whole year and five month engagement I figured out the easiest and most accessible way to keep everything organized. How did I do it you ask? I used a binder. Yes my friends, something that simple kept everything in order, and every piece of information I needed at the tips of my fingers. I had tabs and inserts and contact information. It was perfect!
I know the idea of binders isn’t anything new. But I decided that it would be a good idea to take that idea and expand to other aspects of my life. If a binder was so useful in wedding planning, why wouldn’t it come in handy for other things?
When I got my dog Tinkerbell I was very careful to keep all her information in one area. I bought a clip board. I mean hey…this little dog needed me to take care of her, and gosh darnit I was going to do it right. In this clipboard I have every single receipt from every vet visit she ever went on. It comes in handy so when I am asked a question at a vet appointment. I can easily check back and see what happened. I know when she had her shots, how much it cost and so on. It works like a charm!
Fast Forward to today. I’m married, and now not only in charge of my dog, but I am in charge of my husband. There is a lot of information! When I got placed on his insurance plan I wanted to make sure too keep all of our information in one place. How did I do that? Well in a binder of course! I started a medical binder! In it I keep phone numbers and records. It’s not very extensive yet, but just think how great it will be when we have kids?
When I found out I was pregnant I got yet another binder that would act as that baby binder! In it, I put my husband and my medical history that we both got from our parents. I started to keep notes about how I was feeling, and wrote down questions I had for the doctor. Mind you that binder didn’t get used that much due to the miscarriage, and now is thrown behind a closet door till I can use it again, but when that time comes I know that binder will come in handy.
Some may laugh at my binders, and trust me they do! (you know who you are) but I gotta tell you, I find it very handy and useful! I may not be able to keep order in every aspect of my life…but if you want to know my Dentists telephone number and address I can go to my medical binder, find the Dentist Tab and tell you right way! How about the results from my last blood work up? DONE!
So there you have it! Binders work for me! If you are interested in learning other tricks of the trade head on over to We Are That Family for Works for me Wednesday!
Matt’s father is crazy organized, think anal retentive to the max. BUT his organization pays off. He never wanders around the house looking for that missing phone statement or insurance premium information form. He has everything in binders. After looking through his and seeing just how easy it is to keep track of everything I started a household binder for myself. Now with Leah in kindergarten it is being extended to just one for her.
It is definitely a good way to keep track of everything in one place.
I did the same thing for my wedding – that binder was my life! But I think I need to take a page from your binder and start using them more often. What a great idea!