Paper is my nemesis. The boys bring home so many papers from school (often duplicates, since two go to one school and three attend another) that is is difficult to keep the study tidy. (And by “difficult,” I mean that it is seldom tidy. Ever.)

I like having to-do lists, primarily because I think of random things that I need to do when I’m not in the position to take care of it right then and there. I usually have a running list on a piece of scratch paper on my desk at work, but at home, scraps of paper end up where mismatched socks, single puzzle pieces and AA batteries go … oblivion.

The boys each have a plastic basket to hold the random assortment of school papers, but it takes time to go through the baskets and decide what is special enough to keep for posterity (which then goes into a plastic folio thingamajig for that school year), and what needs to go in the recycle bin.

I also use a magnetic whiteboard that I keep on the fridge. It has two columns: one for meal planning purposes (ie, “What’s for dinner?”) and the other for daily activities, such as school programs, birthday parties, etc. We have another magnetic pad of paper for a running shopping list, and it works out pretty well; just add to the list as you think of things and rip off the sheet when you head to the store.

I know that I need to sort through the paper baskets more often, but with everything else there is to do after school/work, time in the evenings gets away from me. I’m open to other suggestions for managing the paper monster. Please share!