How to Categorize Newspaper and Magazine Clippings

Has your stack of unread newspapers turned from a nuisance into a firetrap? Have you vowed to never again dig through a jumble of clippings just to find that certain article, recipe, exercising tip or decorating idea? Put an end to the endless pileup of information by creating a permanent home for all those loose but intriguing and useful articles.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Set aside a few hours to cull your piles. Go through the newspapers and magazines and cut out or photocopy the pages you want to keep. Don't read them now. Recycle the rest.
2. Sort the clippings into general categories, such as finance, inspiration, health, gardening, recipes and project ideas. File by subject groupings into hanging files or an expanding accordion file.
3. Label your finished files with category names that help you recognize the contents. Name each file according to how you plan to use it; that will make it easier to find what you want later. For example, use the label "Travel Destination Ideas" instead of "Sunday Travel Section Articles." See 185 Create a Flawless Filing System.
4. Clip any new articles you want to keep and place them right away into the appropriate folder or binder section. Photocopy large papers down to 81⁄2-by-11--inch size to fit in folders easily.
5. Pick up your clipping file when you're looking for something to read. You'll be familiar with what's available, and more likely to remember you have it when the need arises.
6. Keep magazines in handsome boxes and create a unified look on your bookshelves (see 51 Organize Your Bookshelves). Shop at stores such as Levenger.com, Hold Everything (holdeverything.com) and the Container Store (thecontainerstore.com).

Tips & Warnings

• If you are a do-it-yourselfer and you often clip information describing processes, set up a how-to binder, with tabbed categories such as repairs, home care, decorating, and yard and garden. Make an article index at the front of each category for quick retrieval.
• Date recipes when you file them, and commit to either try or toss them within two years. See 300 Organize Recipes and Cookbooks.