One of the most practical ways to organize paper is to do your organizing with binders. Learn how to create your own binder organization system
Binder Organization System
If you needed a copy of your birth certificate right now, would you be able to find it quickly?
Most people would have to dig through a filing cabinet, multiple folders, and piles of paper to be able to find the important paperwork they need.
File cabinets are fine for papers you don't need to access that often (if ever), but for the papers you need be able to find at a moment's notice a binder system is the answer!
How do I organize my binders?
The whole purpose of organizing with binders is to make your important paperwork easy to access.
You want a system that's handy, that makes it easy to find what you need at a glance.
That's why you should use printable binder covers. Put them on the front cover and spine of your binders, and label them!
You'll want to create binders for each category of paper you need to access frequently.
To differentiate between binders, it's helpful to color code your binders. You can do this by getting binders in a bunch of different colors, or by using this binder cover download that helps you organize your binders.
Binder Organization Ideas
Once you have your binder cover printables, it's time to start setting up your home binder system.
Tailor-make your system based on the categories you really need right now.
As you get used to using your binder organization system, you can add and subtract binders as needed.
Here are a few suggestions for binders you can create…
Important Documents Binder
Depending on your situation, you may want to make an important documents binder, a records binder, and/or an emergency binder.
It's a good idea to have a list of contact information and numbers to call in case of an emergency at your fingertips.
Home Management Binder
After you set up an emergency binder, you'll want to make your own home management binder.
You can use printables inside to organize all of your daily routines, home information, and more, or just use a household binder cover and start collecting your home management information all in one spot.
Planner Binder
Create the ultimate customized planner with a planner binder.
Using planner printables, notebook paper, and calendar pages, you can put together a planner that truly suits your needs.
Some things to consider including…
- Important dates page
- Habit trackers
- Monthly calendars
- Weekly planner pages
- If you have kids in school – class information and class schedules
Related: How to Create a Custom Planner with Printables
Travel Binder
Want to plan our your vacations? Need a place to organize all of your travel information like frequent flyer miles, TSA Pre-Check numbers, and hotel rewards program logins?
A travel binder can help you organize all of your travel information in one place so you aren't scrambling when it comes time to take a trip.
Related: I Learned How to Fly Free! –> My Honest Review of Families Fly Free
Health Binder
We all have important health information we need to keep track of, and creating a Health Binder helps you keep everything organized.
A medical binder is especially helpful to bring along to your doctor's appointments because you never know what types of information or medical records they may ask you for!
Having your medical history, lab results, etc. on you can help you get more effective treatments faster because you're prepared and can provide information right away.
You can also keep notes about each of your appointments so you have a record of what you talked about in each of your appointments.
Whether you're facing a difficult medical issue, or you're just starting to organize your own paperwork, having a Health Binder is always a good idea!
Meal Planning Binder / Recipe Binder
If you want to save money and do more meal planning, having an organized meal plan binder can help you make better meal plans and be more efficient.
Don't meal plan? Or just want a place to store all of your favorite recipes? A recipe binder is the perfect solution for keeping all of your best recipes right at your fingertips.
Budget Binder
Keep all of your budgeting paperwork in one place with a budget binder.
Budget binders are great for making budget plans and storing receipts.
Financial Binder
Don't know what to do with all of the financial statements you get in the mail?
Create a Financial Binder for those statements. You can also add in reference materials, household manuals, and warranties.
Goals Binder
Working towards a big goal?
Make a Goals Binder to help you keep everything organized and stay motivated!
Include things like your daily routines, schedule, and goal-setting worksheets.
Christmas Binder
Keep all of your Christmas plans in one place with a Christmas Binder.
Use it to store your checklists, party-planning ideas, and gift lists for the kids.
How Should a Binder Be Organized?
What is the best way to organize a binder?
It depends on what type of paperwork you're storing!
If you are using pre-made printables, you may not need any other organizational tools.
But if you're doing something like putting together a simple household binder with the papers you already have, it's a good idea to use sheet protectors.
You may also want to use binder tabs or slash pockets and use a label maker for tab labels.
Using a separate envelope for receipts or smaller papers in the back of the binder will stop those little pieces of paper from falling out of your binders.
It's also helpful to set up a “command central” where you can store things like your hole punch, a favorite pen, paper, etc.
How Do You Store Binders at Home?
If you have the space, create a binder storage hub where you can store all of your binders.
You don't need a lot of room – just a section of a bookshelf will work!
To keep things organized and looking nice, use the cover pages and binder spines from this Binder Cover Collection to decorate your binders.
Which is better D-ring or O-ring binders?
D-ring binders are easier to use and of higher quality, but they're so much more expensive.
O-ring binders are less expensive, but they can be harder to open and close.
A good in-between option is to use D-ring binders for the binders you use a lot and O-ring binders for everything else.
Make Your Own Binder Organization System
Get started today with these binder cover printables.
You can download them instantly, print them, and start decorating your own binders.
